Strategy
How to avoid the crowds surfing in Portugal
The Portuguese coast is busy in the obvious places at the obvious times. Change one of three things -- when, where, or what time of day -- and it thins out fast.
Carcavelos on a sunny Saturday, Supertubos during a swell, Ribeira d'Ilhas in August: these are the busiest waves in the country and they feel it. The fix is not a secret spot, it is a small change to the plan.
Change when
Summer is the crowded season because it is warm and the waves are small and friendly. Late September through November has better, more consistent surf, warm-enough water and a fraction of the people. Spring is colder but just as quiet. Mid-week is dramatically emptier than the weekend everywhere near Lisbon and Porto.
Change where
For every famous town there is a quieter one on the same swell. Santa Cruz instead of Ericeira or Peniche. Costa da Caparica's southern beaches, reached by the summer train, instead of the busy northern end. Furadouro instead of Espinho or Matosinhos in the north. The light-coverage regions -- Norte, Costa Vicentina, the Centro coast -- are quiet almost by definition, and the Costa Vicentina in particular rewards a walk down a cliff path.
Change what time
The single most effective move near Lisbon: surf at dawn. The summer nortada wind ruins most exposed west-coast beaches by early afternoon, so the line-up that is packed at 11am was clean and half-empty at 7am. First light also beats the day-trip crowd everywhere.
Put together
A Tuesday morning in October at Santa Cruz is a different sport from a Saturday afternoon in August at Carcavelos, on the same stretch of coast.
Spots in this guide
Santa Cruz
A long, open beach between Peniche and Ericeira, with tall rock stacks offshore and a spread of peaks. Exposed and consistent, quieter than its famous neighbours, and it works for every level depending on size.
All levelsYear-round; autumn and spring the pick for size without the winter crowds elsewhere
Foz do Arelho
Where the Óbidos lagoon meets the Atlantic: an open ocean beach break on one side and a flat, shallow lagoon for kite and windsurf on the other. A two-in-one spot backed by a big car park.
All levelsAutumn to spring for surf; summer thermal wind for the lagoon
Furadouro
A quiet dune-backed beach near Ovar, exposed and consistent, one of the more reliable beach breaks on the northern coast. Uncrowded, with peaks along its length.
IntermediatesAutumn to spring
Arrifana
A cliff-ringed bay near Aljezur, partly protected by a headland and an offshore rock stack. That shelter makes it one of the more forgiving spots on an otherwise heavy stretch of the west coast.
IntermediatesAutumn to spring; workable much of the yearGuides
See more
A 7-day surf trip down the Silver Coast
The straightforward one-week route through the heart of Portuguese surf: Peniche and Baleal, then south to Ericeira, with Santa Cruz as the quiet card in the middle.
A long weekend surfing Ericeira
Three or four days in the World Surfing Reserve, no car needed, with a plan that scales from first lessons to the reefs.
A week surfing the Algarve
Base in Lagos or Sagres, chase the wind between two coastlines, and use the west-coast beaches when the south goes flat.