Staying Home Sucks, home
Southwest Alentejo and Vicentine Coast Natural Park, Vila Nova de Milfontes, Portugal May 06, 2018 10-43-32
Vila Nova de Milfontes. Photo: Rt44, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Vila Nova de Milfontes

Surf spot · Portugal

Is it worth the trip?

45Fair out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Mon 2: 4 ft swell at 10 s

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Mon 2 · 70 out of 100

Swell
4 ft10 ssoft
Energy
341kJ
Wind
NW 2 kn
Temp
25°C

Tue 3 · 40 out of 100

Swell
3 ft9 ssoft
Energy
107kJ
Wind
S 2 kn
Temp
21°C

Wed 4 · 40 out of 100

Swell
2 ft11 ssoft
Energy
90kJ
Wind
W 3 kn
Temp
20°C

Thu 5 · 52 out of 100

Swell
3 ft10 ssoft
Energy
131kJ
Wind
WNW 4 kn
Temp
19°C

Fri 6 · 42 out of 100

Swell
2 ft9 ssoft
Energy
88kJ
Wind
ESE 5 kn
Temp
21°C

Sat 7 · 10 out of 100

Swell
1 ft10 smushy
Energy
16kJ
Wind
SSW 7 kn
Temp
22°C

Sun 8 · 25 out of 100

Swell
2 ft5 smushy
Energy
21kJ
Wind
SE 11 kn
Temp
20°C

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

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Sun 118, poor
  2. Mon 270, good
  3. Tue 340, too small
  4. Wed 440, too small
  5. Thu 552, fair
  6. Fri 642, too small
  7. Sat 710, too small
  8. Sun 825, too small
  9. Mon 920, poor
  10. Tue 100, too big

The spot in six facts

  • Faces Wtakes swell from the W
  • Offshore: Ewind from the land
  • Intermediate +who it suits
  • Works 2–9 ftof swell
  • Water 18 °C2 mm shorty
  • Best Sep, Dec–Jan2 good days in 7

Full forecast

every day, every number

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

Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at Vila Nova de Milfontes, each day
DayScore for intermediatesSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 1Nov18, poor6 ft10 smushy7 ft at break (est.)574kJwind from the west-north-west, 6 knots24°C
Mon 2Nov70, good4 ft10 ssoft6 ft at break (est.)341kJwind from the north-west, 2 knots25°C
Tue 3Nov40, too small3 ft9 ssoft4 ft at break (est.)107kJwind from the south, 2 knots21°C
Wed 4Nov40, too small2 ft11 ssoft3 ft at break (est.)90kJwind from the west, 3 knots20°C
Thu 5Nov52, fair3 ft10 ssoft4 ft at break (est.)131kJwind from the west-north-west, 4 knots19°C
Fri 6Nov42, too small2 ft9 ssoft4 ft at break (est.)88kJwind from the east-south-east, 5 knots, offshore21°C
Sat 7Nov10, too small1 ft10 smushy2 ft at break (est.)16kJwind from the south-south-west, 7 knots22°C
Sun 8Nov25, too small2 ft5 smushy3 ft at break (est.)21kJwind from the south-east, 11 knots20°C
Mon 9Nov20, poor5 ft6 smushy6 ft at break (est.)225kJwind from the south-south-west, 13 knots22°C
Tue 10Nov0, too big8 ft7 smushy9 ft at break (est.)570kJwind from the south-south-west, 14 knots21°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 00:12 −0.9 mHigh 06:41 +1.0 mLow 13:09 −0.9 mHigh 19:32 +0.7 m
  • Mon 2 NovLow 01:29 −0.7 mHigh 08:00 +0.9 mLow 14:35 −0.9 mHigh 20:57 +0.7 m
  • Tue 3 NovLow 02:57 −0.7 mHigh 09:22 +1.0 mLow 15:56 −1.0 mHigh 22:13 +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

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

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Vila Nova de Milfontes

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

The spot faces W (266°), so it takes swell from the W. The wind blows offshore from the E (86°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–9 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 800 m out (1 in 79). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 15°C in February, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 19°C in September, its warmest (2 mm shorty). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually January, September and December, with about 2 good days in 7; in July, about 0. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Vila Nova de Milfontes, 0.2 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 1 surf spot.

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

Vila Nova de Milfontes

1 min by car · 64 places to stay

about US$67/nightcountry average

See 64 places to stay in Vila Nova de Milfontes · Booking.com

About Vila Nova de Milfontes 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 14h 55m

About 14h 55m door to door from Chicago

Fly ORD → LIS, direct, then 2h 25m by road

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