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Praia de São Julião - Portugal
São Julião. Photo: Vitor Oliveira from Torres Vedras, PORTUGAL, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

São Julião

Surf spot · Portugal

Is it worth the trip?

47Fair out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Mon 2: 5 ft swell at 9 s

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Mon 2 · 64 out of 100

Swell
5 ft9 shollow
Energy
331kJ
Wind
W 2 kn
Temp
17°C

Tue 3 · 35 out of 100

Swell
3 ft9 shollow
Energy
99kJ
Wind
NE 6 kn
Temp
17°C

Wed 4 · 39 out of 100

Swell
2 ft11 shollow
Energy
103kJ
Wind
ESE 4 kn
Temp
15°C

Thu 5 · 63 out of 100

Swell
3 ft10 shollow
Energy
152kJ
Wind
NW 4 kn
Temp
14°C

Fri 6 · 47 out of 100

Swell
3 ft9 shollow
Energy
95kJ
Wind
SE 7 kn
Temp
18°C

Sat 7 · 13 out of 100

Swell
1 ft11 shollow
Energy
26kJ
Wind
S 12 kn
Temp
18°C

Sun 8 · 21 out of 100

Swell
3 ft5 smushy
Energy
35kJ
Wind
SSE 16 kn
Temp
18°C

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

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Sun 10, too big
  2. Mon 264, good
  3. Tue 335, too small
  4. Wed 439, too small
  5. Thu 563, good
  6. Fri 647, fair
  7. Sat 713, too small
  8. Sun 821, too small
  9. Mon 935, poor
  10. Tue 100, too big

The spot in five facts

  • Faces Wtakes swell from the W
  • Offshore: Ewind from the land
  • Intermediate +who it suits
  • Works 2–8 ftof swell
  • Water 18 °C2 mm shorty

Full forecast

every day, every number

The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.

São Julião does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.

Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at São Julião, each day
DayScorefor Inter­mediateSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 1Nov0, too big7 ft9 scrumbling8 ft at break (est.)686kJwind from the east-south-east, 4 knots17°C
Mon 2Nov64, good5 ft9 shollow6 ft at break (est.)331kJwind from the west, 2 knots17°C
Tue 3Nov35, too small3 ft9 shollow4 ft at break (est.)99kJwind from the north-east, 6 knots17°C
Wed 4Nov39, too small2 ft11 shollow4 ft at break (est.)103kJwind from the east-south-east, 4 knots, offshore15°C
Thu 5Nov63, good3 ft10 shollow4 ft at break (est.)152kJwind from the north-west, 4 knots14°C
Fri 6Nov47, fair3 ft9 shollow4 ft at break (est.)95kJwind from the south-east, 7 knots, offshore18°C
Sat 7Nov13, too small1 ft11 shollow2 ft at break (est.)26kJwind from the south, 12 knots18°C
Sun 8Nov21, too small3 ft5 smushy3 ft at break (est.)35kJwind from the south-south-east, 16 knots18°C
Mon 9Nov35, poor5 ft6 smushy5 ft at break (est.)196kJwind from the south, 13 knots19°C
Tue 10Nov0, too big7 ft8 smushy7 ft at break (est.)450kJwind from the south, 15 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 00:22 −0.9 mHigh 06:50 +1.1 mLow 13:18 −1.0 mHigh 19:41 +0.7 m
  • Mon 2 NovLow 01:39 −0.7 mHigh 08:09 +1.0 mLow 14:43 −0.9 mHigh 21:06 +0.7 m
  • Tue 3 NovLow 03:06 −0.7 mHigh 09:31 +1.0 mLow 16:03 −1.0 mHigh 22:22 +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 beginners: 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 São Julião

2026-09-05 Praia de São Julião, Carvoeira, Mafra 1
Photo: Alexkom000, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Litoral a Sul da Praia de São Julião - Portugal
Photo: Vitor Oliveira from Torres Vedras, PORTUGAL, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

More surf near here

5 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About São Julião

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

The spot faces W (280°), so it takes swell from the W. The wind blows offshore from the E (100°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–8 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves steeply: 10 m deep about 150 m out (1 in 17). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 15°C in January, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 18°C in June, its warmest (2 mm shorty). The town to stay in is Ericeira, 3.4 km away (about 10 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 9 surf spots, 1 wind sports spot, 1 climbing area and 1 mountain bike area.

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

Ericeira

6 min by car · 105 places to stay

about US$67/nightcountry average

See 105 places to stay in Ericeira · Booking.com

About Ericeira 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 13h 25m

About 13h 25m door to door from Chicago

Fly ORD → LIS, direct, then 50 min by road

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