Algarve · 37°01′N 8°56′W
Sagres
The southwestern tip of Portugal, where you can pick a beach on the south or west coast depending on wind and swell.
Sagres sits on the exposed south-west corner of Portugal, near Cabo de São Vicente. Its appeal is simple: two coastlines meet here, one facing west and one facing south, so between them there is almost always a beach that is offshore and holding a wave.
Where to surf, by level
Mareta, in town and facing south, is the sheltered, gentle option and where schools teach beginners. Tonel, facing west a short walk away, picks up more swell and can be powerful and shifty. Beliche, tucked between the capes, is more exposed and hollow, for stronger surfers. On the wrong wind, schools drive 20 to 40 minutes to Zavial (east) or Praia do Amado (north), both excellent and popular.
The constant is wind. Sagres is one of the windiest places on the coast, and reading the forecast to pick the right beach for the day is the whole game here.
When to go
Autumn to spring for the cleanest, biggest west-coast swell. Summer is smaller and windier but the south-coast beaches stay usable. Water is cooler than the rest of the Algarve because of coastal upwelling, roughly 16 to 19 in summer and 15 to 16 in winter.
Getting there
Faro airport is about an hour and a half by car. Buses run from Lagos to Sagres. Most people who come to surf here have a car, because moving between beaches is the point.
Spots here
Beliche
A cliff-ringed beach between Sagres and Cabo de São Vicente, reached by a long stairway. More exposed and more powerful than Tonel, with a fast, hollow wave for confident surfers.
Advanced surfersAutumn to spring
Mareta
The south-facing town beach at Sagres, tucked out of the west wind and swell. Gentle and forgiving, the main learner wave in Sagres and the go-to when the west coast is too big or too windy.
BeginnersAutumn to spring for swell; sheltered enough to surf on windy west-coast days
Martinhal
A sheltered bay just east of Sagres where the summer north wind blows offshore across flat water: one of the few windsurfing spots in the western Algarve. Hardly ever any surf, and that is the point.
All levelsSummer afternoons, when the nortada blows
Tonel
The west-facing beach at Sagres, a short walk from town. Far more exposed than the south-coast beaches, so it holds swell when everywhere sheltered is flat, but it is powerful and shifty.
IntermediatesAutumn to spring; the west coast is biggest and cleanest thenRead next
Guides
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 learn to surf in Portugal
Almost the whole coast teaches, but a few places are built for it. Where to go for a first week, and what to expect.
Schools & rentals here
Surf schools, camps & board rental in Sagres
Algarve Surf School
A surf school and camp based in Sagres since 1996, teaching at Praia da Mareta and Praia do Amado depending on wind and swell, with ASI-certified instructors and a free transfer from Lagos.
Surf
FreeRide Surfing
A surf school and camp in Sagres since 2002, with a year-round surf centre at the Memmo Baleeira hotel and a beach hut at Praia da Cordoama from June to November.
Surf
Good Feeling Surf School
A surf school and camp near Sagres, working since 1997 and certified by the Portuguese Surf Federation, teaching year-round on the beaches of the far southwest.
SurfSagres Natura Surf Camp
A long-running surf camp, school and shop in Sagres, with dorm accommodation, certified instructors for beginners through advanced, board rental, and a retail shop offering camp guests a discount.
SurfEvents here
Nothing listed here yet. Know something that belongs? Tell us.
Nearby
Vila do Bispo
The quiet market town behind Cape St Vincent, with roads down to the wild west-coast beaches of Castelejo and Cordoama and the south-coast coves around Zavial.
Surf
Lagos
A harbour town on the south coast with the long sheltered sand of Meia Praia, gentle and good for learning.
SurfKitesurf
Alvor
A fishing village on an estuary, with an ocean beach break and a tidal lagoon used for kite and wing.
SurfKitesurfWindsurfCommon questions
- What are the surf spots in Sagres?
- Sagres has 4 spot guides here: Beliche, Mareta, Martinhal, Tonel.
- Is Sagres good for beginners?
- Yes — Martinhal is rated beginner-friendly.
- When is the best time to surf in Sagres?
- Sagres almost always has something, because you pick a coast by the wind, but autumn to spring brings the cleanest and biggest west-coast swell. Summer is smaller and very windy, though the south-facing beaches stay usable. Water is cooler here than the rest of the Algarve because of upwelling.
- Is there a surf school in Sagres?
- Yes — 4 are listed for Sagres.