Staying Home Sucks, home
Praia de Alvor - Portugal
Alvor. Photo: Vitor Oliveira from Torres Vedras, PORTUGAL, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

Alvor

Surf spot · Portugal

Is it worth the trip?

8Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Mon 2: too small (2 ft swell at 10 s), sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Mon 2 · 15 out of 100

Swell
2 ft10 ssoft
Energy
42kJ
Wind
NE 2 kn
Temp
22°C

Tue 3 · 9 out of 100

Swell
1 ft8 ssoft
Energy
14kJ
Wind
E 1 kn
Temp
24°C

Wed 4 · 8 out of 100

Swell
1 ft10 scrumbling
Energy
16kJ
Wind
W 5 kn
Temp
22°C

Thu 5 · 4 out of 100

Swell
under 1 ft10 s
Energy
3kJ
Wind
NNE 2 kn
Temp
19°C

Fri 6 · 4 out of 100

Swell
under 1 ft11 s
Energy
3kJ
Wind
NE 3 kn
Temp
19°C

Sat 7 · 3 out of 100

Swell
under 1 ft10 s
Energy
3kJ
Wind
E 5 kn
Temp
20°C

Sun 8 · 7 out of 100

Swell
2 ft5 smushy
Energy
13kJ
Wind
ESE 12 kn
Temp
21°C

Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Sun 123, too small
  2. Mon 215, too small
  3. Tue 39, too small
  4. Wed 48, too small
  5. Thu 54, too small
  6. Fri 64, too small
  7. Sat 73, too small
  8. Sun 87, too small
  9. Mon 919, poor
  10. Tue 1029, poor

The spot in five facts

  • Faces Stakes swell from the S
  • Offshore: Nwind from the land
  • Beginner +who it suits
  • Works 3–14 ftof swell
  • Water 18 °C2 mm shorty

Full forecast

every day, every number
Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at Alvor, each day
DayScore for intermediatesSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 1Nov23, too small2 ft10 ssoftunder 1 ft at break (est.)95kJwind from the east-north-east, 6 knots23°C
Mon 2Nov15, too small2 ft10 ssoftunder 1 ft at break (est.)42kJwind from the north-east, 2 knots22°C
Tue 3Nov9, too small1 ft8 ssoftunder 1 ft at break (est.)14kJwind from the east, 1 knot24°C
Wed 4Nov8, too small1 ft10 scrumblingunder 1 ft at break (est.)16kJwind from the west, 5 knots22°C
Thu 5Nov4, too smallunder 1 ft10 s1 ft at break (est.)3kJwind from the north-north-east, 2 knots, offshore19°C
Fri 6Nov4, too smallunder 1 ft11 s1 ft at break (est.)3kJwind from the north-east, 3 knots19°C
Sat 7Nov3, too smallunder 1 ft10 s1 ft at break (est.)3kJwind from the east, 5 knots20°C
Sun 8Nov7, too small2 ft5 smushy1 ft at break (est.)13kJwind from the east-south-east, 12 knots21°C
Mon 9Nov19, poor4 ft7 smushy2 ft at break (est.)140kJwind from the south-south-west, 14 knots20°C
Tue 10Nov29, poor4 ft8 ssoftunder 1 ft at break (est.)192kJwind from the west, 12 knots18°C

Energy is the swell's power, in kJ per metre of wave. Wind is in knots, the arrow where it blows to; green is offshore. More

Tide

  • Sun 1 NovLow 00:04 −0.8 mHigh 06:34 +1.0 mLow 13:01 −0.9 mHigh 19:27 +0.7 m
  • Mon 2 NovLow 01:22 −0.7 mHigh 07:55 +0.9 mLow 14:28 −0.9 mHigh 20:52 +0.7 m
  • Tue 3 NovLow 02:50 −0.7 mHigh 09:16 +1.0 mLow 15:49 −1.0 mHigh 22:06 +0.8 m

Local clock times; heights about mean sea level. On open coasts the times are usually within a quarter of an hour; in bays, estuaries and on the Gulf of Mexico they can be an hour or more out. Tide: EOT20 global ocean tide model, Hart-Davis et al. 2021, DGFI-TUM (doi:10.17882/79489), CC BY 4.0. Times and heights computed by us. A model, not a tide table: check a local table before you go.

Forecast updated . It refreshes every three hours. Forecast data: ECMWF, DWD, Météo-France and NOAA, served by Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0). Changed by us. Generated using E.U. Copernicus Marine Service Information.

Map

the spot, its town, photos

Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for intermediates: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.

The map needs JavaScript. Every place on it is listed on this page, and each place's page links to Google Maps.

One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Photos of Alvor

Alvor Beach - panoramio
Photo: Rogier Want, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Praia do Alvor - Portugal
Photo: Vitor Oliveira from Torres Vedras, PORTUGAL, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Alvor Beach Winter 2014 - panoramio
Photo: Rogier Want, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

More surf near here

5 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Alvor

Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.

The spot faces S (171°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (351°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 3–14 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 900 m out (1 in 91). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 15°C in March, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 19°C in July, its warmest (2 mm shorty). The town to stay in is Alvor, 1 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 2 surf spots and 2 wind sports spots.

Water about 18°C: 2 mm shorty. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.

The score is the conditions only: the journey, the price and the partners never change it (how we score, how we earn).

Rough cost (estimate): about US$1,030–US$1,940 each

about US$1,030–US$1,940 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, hire car, stay, food, board and wetsuit.

Our estimate from typical public prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book (where they come from). Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.

How we worked it out 
Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn ORD to LIS, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bagabout US$449–US$938
Hire car6 days, sharedabout US$100–US$174
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, sharedabout US$181–US$301
Food7 days eating outabout US$201–US$375
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about US$114 to fly your ownabout US$94–US$154
Totalabout US$1,030–US$1,940

For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.

Where to stay: 3 towns

Closest

Alvor

2 min by car · 104 places to stay

about US$67/nightcountry average

See 104 places to stay in Alvor · Booking.com

About Alvor its beds, food and every spot near it

About US$67 a night is our estimate of the country's average 2-star double room that month: not each town's price, and not a quote. Drives are estimates. Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.

Getting there: about 16h 05m

About 16h 05m door to door from Chicago

Fly ORD → LIS, direct, then 3h 35m by road

An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.