Trip route
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.
Ericeira packs a run of world-class waves into a few kilometres of coast, and the town is walkable, so a short trip works well here. Fly into Lisbon, take the Mafrense bus from Campo Grande (about an hour), and stay in the town centre.
Day 1, get your bearings
Walk the coast path from the town beaches south to Foz do Lizandro. Book a lesson or a guided session for the next morning so a local can read the forecast and put you in the right place.
Day 2, the friendly waves
Foz do Lizandro for learners and easy days. Ribeira d'Ilhas if you are an intermediate: a long, forgiving right and the most user-friendly of the reserve's reefs. The summer Beachbus links the two for about a euro.
Day 3, step up or watch
If you surf reefs confidently, this is the day for Pontinha, Reef or, on the right conditions and with local knowledge, Coxos. If not, watch Coxos and Cave from the cliff, then surf Ribeira d'Ilhas again. Either is a good day.
Day 4, a slow morning
One more session at whatever suited you best, then the bus back. Ericeira town has enough good places to eat that you will not run out over a weekend.
When to come
September and October for the best mix of swell, warm-ish water and manageable crowds. Winter delivers the reefs at full power but is cold and for confident surfers.
Spots in this guide
Ericeira
Foz do Lizandro
The beach break at the mouth of the Lizandro river, just south of Ericeira. A wide, forgiving sandy beach that is the town's main learner wave and home to most of its surf schools.
BeginnersYear-round; summer is smallest and best for learning
Ribeira d'Ilhas
The long, forgiving right-hand reef at the centre of the Ericeira World Surfing Reserve. Peels down a cobblestone point and takes almost any level on the right day. Host of regular WSL junior and qualifying events.
All levelsYear-round, best autumn to spring
Coxos
The best wave in the Ericeira reserve and one of the finest right-hand points in Europe: long, thick, fast walls that barrel on the take-off and race down the reef. Advanced surfers only.
Advanced surfersOctober to April
Cave
A short, violent right-hand barrel over a shallow rock shelf near Ribeira d'Ilhas. All the intensity of a slab in a small package. Experts only, and only at the right tide.
Experts onlyOctober to MarchOn while you go
Silver Coast
16–25 OctMEO Rip Curl Pro Portugal
The MEO Rip Curl Pro Portugal is Event 10 of the 2026 WSL Championship Tour, held at Supertubos in Peniche from 16 to 25 October.
Praia de Supertubos
30 Oct – 1 NovBom Petisco Peniche Pro
The closing stage of the Liga MEO Surf, Portugal's national First Division circuit, held at Supertubos.
Supertubos, Peniche
1 Nov – 31 MarTUDOR Nazaré Big Wave Challenge
A one-day tow-in team contest at Praia do Norte, called by the WSL with 24 to 48 hours notice when the forecast tops roughly 40 feet of face and the wind lines up.
Praia do NorteGuides
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 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.
Where to surf near Lisbon
The city has four very different surf beaches within an hour, plus Ericeira a little further. Which one to pick, by wind, swell and level.