Viana do castelo
Surf spot · Portugal
Is it worth the trip?
8Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Mon 2: too small (3 ft swell at 9 s), sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Mon 2 · 16 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 98kJ
- Wind
- E 5 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Tue 3 · 4 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft14 shollow
- Energy
- 15kJ
- Wind
- NW 7 kn
- Temp
- 16°C
Wed 4 · 9 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft10 scrumbling
- Energy
- 41kJ
- Wind
- NNW 9 kn
- Temp
- 15°C
Thu 5 · 9 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 54kJ
- Wind
- SSW 5 kn
- Temp
- 14°C
Fri 6 · 2 out of 100
- Swell
- under 1 ft12 s
- Energy
- 3kJ
- Wind
- ESE 5 kn
- Temp
- 15°C
Sat 7 · 1 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft11 smushy
- Energy
- 10kJ
- Wind
- SSE 18 kn
- Temp
- 16°C
Sun 8 · 3 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft4 smushy
- Energy
- 17kJ
- Wind
- SSE 14 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 120, too small
- Mon 216, too small
- Tue 34, too small
- Wed 49, too small
- Thu 59, too small
- Fri 62, too small
- Sat 71, too small
- Sun 83, too small
- Mon 98, too small
- Tue 1023, too small
The spot in five facts
- Faces Stakes swell from the S
- Offshore: Nwind from the land
- Beginner +who it suits
- Works 5–20 ftof swell
- Water 16 °C3/2 wetsuit
Full forecast
every day, every number
Viana do castelo does not suit intermediates. This is the forecast for experts, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Expert | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 20, too small | 4 ft9 ssoftunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 228kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 3 knots | 19°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 16, too small | 3 ft9 ssoftunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 98kJ | wind from the east, 5 knots | 18°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 4, too small | 1 ft14 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 15kJ | offshorewind from the north-west, 7 knots, offshore | 16°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 9, too small | 1 ft10 scrumblingunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 41kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-west, 9 knots, offshore | 15°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 9, too small | 2 ft9 ssoftunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 54kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 5 knots | 14°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 2, too small | under 1 ft12 s1 ft at break (est.) | 3kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 5 knots | 15°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 1, too small | 1 ft11 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 10kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 18 knots | 16°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 3, too small | 2 ft4 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 17kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 14 knots | 18°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 8, too small | 5 ft7 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 167kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 16 knots | 17°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 23, too small | 4 ft7 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 178kJ | wind from the north-west, 4 knots | 15°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 00:43 −0.9 mHigh 07:09 +1.1 mLow 13:37 −1.0 mHigh 19:59 +0.8 m
- Mon 2 NovLow 01:59 −0.8 mHigh 08:28 +1.0 mLow 15:01 −1.0 mHigh 21:25 +0.7 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 03:24 −0.8 mHigh 09:50 +1.0 mLow 16:20 −1.0 mHigh 22:41 +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 and its town
Viana do castelo on Google Maps · Directions
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.
More surf near here
5 places
- Cabedelo de Viana 1.3 km away
- Amorosa 4.6 km away
- Kings Rock 5.1 km away
- Praia da Arda 9.8 km away
- Praia de arda 9.8 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Viana do castelo
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces S (182°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (2°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 5–20 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 750 m out (1 in 74). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 14°C in January, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 17°C in June, its warmest (3/2 wetsuit). The town to stay in is Viana do Castelo, 0.5 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 2 surf spots, 2 wind sports spots, 1 dive site and 1 kayak spot.
Water about 16°C: 3/2 wetsuit. 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$1,930 each
about US$1,030–US$1,930 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
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return ORD to OPO, estimated from distance and season, changing at JFK, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$449–US$925 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$100–US$174 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$181–US$301 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$201–US$375 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$94–US$154 |
| Total | about US$1,030–US$1,930 |
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
1 min by car · 63 places to stay
about US$67/nightcountry average
About Viana do Castelo its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Moledo on Booking.com
31 min by car · 5 places to stay
- Beds in Esposende on Booking.com
32 min by car · 16 places to stay
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 17h 05m
About 17h 05m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → OPO, changing at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), then 1h 10m by road
Flights ORD → OPO on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.