- Abortion legal status
- Legal
- Emergency number
- 112
Updated July 2026 · Sources cited: travelladies.app, wanderwithjo.com
Good to know
Good to Know
- Save 112 (general emergencies) and the domestic violence helpline 800 202 148 in your phone before you need them — both work anywhere in Portugal, not just in cities.
- APAV's helpline (116 006) and its SAFE service for foreigners can support you in English and other languages, which is useful for nomads unfamiliar with the Portuguese system.
- Emergency contraception in Portugal does not require a prescription and can be bought directly at a pharmacy counter, but Ericeira is small — if a pharmacy is closed, check opening-hour rotations (farmácia de serviço) posted on pharmacy doors or via the national pharmacy locator.
- For an IUD, implant, or a new contraceptive pill prescription, plan on a day trip to Mafra, Torres Vedras, or Lisbon, since Ericeira does not have a resident gynecologist.
- If you need OBGYN care while based in Ericeira, plan for a short drive (15–20 minutes) to Mafra for basic gynecological consultations, or up to an hour to Lisbon for fuller obstetric/gynecological services or emergencies.
- Abortion is legal and free through the public system (SNS) up to 10 weeks on request, with extended limits for specific medical or legal circumstances — but a 3-day reflection period and a prior counseling session are legally required, so plan timing accordingly.
- Because Ericeira is a small surf town without its own hospital, it's worth identifying your nearest referral hospital in advance rather than waiting until you need care.
Street, Night and Taxi Safety
Overall Harassment Levels
Ericeira is described as a generally very safe destination for solo female travelers, with a low crime rate and friendly, helpful locals. Reported incidents of street harassment are rare, though as in any town it's sensible to stay alert, especially after dark.
Walking Alone at Night
Personal accounts describe feeling safe walking alone in Ericeira even late at night, including one traveler who described feeling comfortable sleeping in her car and sitting alone on the beach at night. Because it's a small town, most things in the central area are within easy walking distance if you base yourself downtown.
Taxis and Ride-hailing
One traveler who spent extended time in Ericeira reported feeling completely safe hailing an Uber in the early hours of the morning or walking alone, suggesting ride-hailing apps are a readily available and commonly used safer option for getting around at night.
Country-level Context on Harassment
At the national level, Portugal is generally comfortable for solo women, but sources note that street harassment and nightlife-related risks (such as catcalling in bar districts) do still exist in some tourist and nightlife areas; this is documented for Portugal broadly rather than specifically confirmed for Ericeira's small-town nightlife strip.
Practical Precautions
General advice echoed across sources for Portugal includes sticking to well-lit, populated areas at night, keeping valuables secure, and trusting your instincts if a situation feels off. In a small town like Ericeira where the surf and nightlife scene is compact, these same common-sense precautions apply rather than any town-specific restricted zones found in the research.
Assault Resources
- Medical And Reporting Guidance
- If you have been sexually assaulted, seek help immediately at the nearest hospital emergency department or the regional office of the National Legal Medicine Institute; you can also contact the Judiciary Police, whose investigators receive specialized training for sexual assault cases.
- Coverage Note
- Ericeira is a small coastal town in Mafra municipality with no dedicated local rape-crisis center; women here rely on Portugal's national hotlines and services, which operate by phone/SMS/email nationwide and can also arrange in-person support in the nearest larger towns (Mafra, Torres Vedras, or Lisbon).
- Nearest Hospital Note
- Ericeira itself has only a local health center (centro de saúde) for basic/non-emergency care; for hospital-level emergency care (including forensic exam after an assault), the nearest full hospitals are in Torres Vedras or the greater Lisbon area.
Emergency Number
- Number
- 112
- Description
- National emergency number for Portugal, for immediate police, ambulance, or fire response.
Apav Victim Support
- Number
- 116 006
- Notes
- APAV also runs a specific 'SAFE' service for foreign nationals/tourists, reachable at +351 21 358 79 14, Mon-Fri, and by email at safe@apav.pt.
- Description
- APAV (Portuguese Association for Victim Support) national helpline offering free legal, psychological, and emotional support to victims of any crime, including sexual violence.
Specialist Organizations
Women who are victims of sexual and gender-based violence
- Phone
- +351 21 380 21 65
- Name
- AMCV - Associação de Mulheres Contra a Violência (Association of Women Against Violence)
UMAR - União De Mulheres Alternativa E Resposta
- Phone
- +351 218 873 005
- Focus
- Gender-based and domestic violence support
National Domestic Violence Helpline
- Number
- 800 202 148
- Description
- Free, anonymous, confidential national helpline for victims of domestic violence, staffed by trained support workers who can advise on rights and next steps.
Contraception And Emergency Contraception
- Regulatory Status
- Fully legal and regulated
- Local Availability Note
- Ericeira has a handful of pharmacies (farmácias) in the town center that stock emergency contraception and standard pill brands; for IUD/implant fitting or a new prescription, most residents travel to Mafra, Torres Vedras, or Lisbon where gynecology services are more established.
Access Pathways
- Access
- Sold over-the-counter without a prescription at pharmacies throughout Portugal, including in Ericeira's town-center pharmacies.
- Price Estimate
- €12
- Access
- Requires a prescription from a GP or gynecologist in Portugal; available at any pharmacy once prescribed. Nomads can get a prescription via a local clinic/GP visit or telehealth.
- Access
- Fitted by a gynecologist; not something arranged at pharmacy level. Ericeira itself does not have a gynecology specialist, so this typically requires an appointment in Mafra, Torres Vedras, or Lisbon.
- Access
- Fitted by a doctor/gynecologist; same access pattern as IUDs — requires travel to a larger town or Lisbon for the procedure.
Abortion Law And OB-GYN
- Legal Status
- Fully legal and regulated
- Access Caveats
- Conscientious objection by individual doctors is legally permitted in Portugal, and in some public hospitals this has reduced the number of practitioners willing to perform the procedure, which can mean longer waits or the need to travel to a larger hospital with sufficient staff — this is a documented access friction nationally, not specific to Ericeira.
- National Law Summary
- Abortion has been legal in Portugal on the pregnant person's request up to 10 weeks of pregnancy since a 2007 referendum led to Law 16/2007, which decriminalized voluntary termination of pregnancy within that window. Beyond 10 weeks, termination is permitted only under specific circumstances: up to 12 weeks in cases of rape or other sexual crime, up to 16 weeks where there is a proven risk to the physical or mental health of the pregnant woman, up to 24 weeks in cases of severe fetal malformation, and with no time limit where there is danger to the woman's life or in cases of fetal conditions incompatible with life.
- Procedural Requirements
- Portuguese law requires a mandatory three-day 'reflection period' between the initial consultation and the procedure, plus a counseling/information session at a registered health facility before the abortion can be carried out.
Access Routes
- Public system (SNS - Serviço Nacional de Saúde): abortion within the legal limits is provided free of charge to residents and EU/EEA citizens at designated public hospitals; a referral typically starts with a GP or hospital gynecology/obstetrics department.
- Private/licensed clinics: a smaller number of privately licensed facilities also perform legal terminations within the same abortion time limits and procedural requirements as the public system.
- Ericeira itself does not have a hospital or dedicated abortion-provider clinic; residents and visitors in the area are typically referred to hospitals in the wider Lisbon region, since Ericeira falls under the Mafra municipality's district hospital catchment.
OB-GYN Options In Ericeira
- Summary
- Ericeira is a small coastal town (part of the Mafra municipality) and does not have a standalone, named OBGYN specialty clinic or maternity hospital within the town center itself.
Nearest Established Options
- Hospital Distrital / health centers in Mafra, roughly 15–20 minutes away by car, offer general and gynecological outpatient consultations.
- For labor and delivery, specialist surgery, or full obstetric/gynecological services, patients from Ericeira are generally referred to hospitals in the greater Lisbon area (roughly 45–60 minutes away), which have full maternity and women's health departments.
- Private clinics with gynecology services also exist in nearby towns such as Torres Vedras and in Lisbon, though a specific vetted, currently-operating named clinic in Ericeira itself could not be confirmed.
AI-generated estimateData refreshed July 2026
Sources cited for this category
These are the sources cited in this women's health & safety research for this city. Individual figures may not each trace to one of them.
More About Ericeira
Data last updated July 2026 · Verify anything important.