Wavelength Surfing Magazine

Lisbon is the capital of Portugal and is situated roughly two thirds of the way down the coast and straddles the mighty Tagus River.

What sort of waves will I find?

The stretch of coastline from the city along the south facing coast to Estoril is a mixture of beaches and points, as the coast turns to face the west the main spots are all beaches. Praia Grande on the west coast is the most consistent spot, the beach chucks up some decent peaks and has a heavy shorebreak, and it is also a lot cleaner than Lisbon’s other beach breaks. The south facing stretch of coast from Estoril to Lisbon has a real variety of waves: Bolina at Estoril is a heavy hollow reef but is guaranteed to be crowded when on, Carcavelos is considered the birthplace of Portuguese surfing and on big swells it throws up some good hollow waves, though being in the middle of the city it suffers from crowds and pollution. South of the city there are also a number of beaches.

Where does the swell come from and when is it best?

This stretch of coast receives two sorts of swell, big west and north westerlies and south swells. The big north wests are predominant in the winter and wrap into beaches and points along this stretch. Summer time is more dependent on southerly swells, although these can occur at any time of the year and get the beaches and points pumping.

What else is there to do?

Lisbon is the cultural centre of Portugal and hence there is tonnes to do in and around the city. Although most of the old city was levelled by and earthquake in the 1700s there is still plenty of history to be seen, the royal palaces at Sintra are of particular interest. The city itself is very cosmopolitan with great shopping and plenty of nightlife. Remember to check out the port as well, that’s the drink not where the ships come in!

How do I get there?

Low cost airlines fly to Portugal everyday of the week making it inexpensive to spend a few days there. Accommodation is also easy to find and is pretty reasonable for a capital city. It is now easier to drive there as well due to a new road across Spain, so if you’re in France and you spot some waves on the charts, get in your van and drive on down, you won’t regret it!

Will I score uncrowded world-class waves?

Probably not, the Portuguese love to surf and the chances are if it’s on they are in, the waves can get very good though and the wave rich areas of Peniche and Ericeria are just a couple of hours away.