Carcavelos
Surf spot · Portugal
Is it worth the trip?
17Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Thu 5: too small (3 ft swell at 10 s), sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Tue 3 · 20 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft8 scrumbling
- Energy
- 99kJ
- Wind
- ENE 2 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Wed 4 · 19 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft9 scrumbling
- Energy
- 75kJ
- Wind
- ENE 7 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Thu 5 · 23 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft10 scrumbling
- Energy
- 123kJ
- Wind
- E 1 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Fri 6 · 15 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft9 scrumbling
- Energy
- 73kJ
- Wind
- ENE 6 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Sat 7 · 13 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 31kJ
- Wind
- SSE 8 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Sun 8 · 14 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 95kJ
- Wind
- SSE 11 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Mon 9 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 9 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 1,094kJ
- Wind
- SSW 12 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 9 days
Full forecast- Tue 320, too small
- Wed 419, too small
- Thu 523, too small
- Fri 615, too small
- Sat 713, too small
- Sun 814, too small
- Mon 90, too big
- Tue 100, too big
- Wed 110, too big
The spot in five facts
- Faces SWtakes swell from the SW
- Offshore: NEwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 5–19 ftof swell
- Water 18 °C2 mm shorty
Full forecast
every day, every number
Carcavelos does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Intermediate | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue 3Nov | 20, too small | 3 ft8 scrumblingunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 99kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 2 knots, offshore | 21°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 19, too small | 2 ft9 scrumblingunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 75kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 7 knots, offshore | 19°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 23, too small | 3 ft10 scrumbling2 ft at break (est.) | 123kJ | wind from the east, 1 knot | 17°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 15, too small | 2 ft9 scrumblingunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 73kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 6 knots, offshore | 17°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 13, too small | 2 ft6 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 31kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 8 knots | 19°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 14, too small | 4 ft6 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 95kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 11 knots | 20°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 0, too big | 9 ft8 smushy10 ft at break (est.) | 1,094kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 12 knots | 19°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 0, too big | 7 ft9 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 580kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 10 knots | 17°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 0, too big | 9 ft9 ssoft6 ft at break (est.) | 1,111kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 4 knots | 18°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
- Tue 3 NovLow 03:02 −0.7 mHigh 09:27 +1.0 mLow 16:00 −1.0 mHigh 22:18 +0.8 m
- Wed 4 NovLow 04:20 −0.8 mHigh 10:37 +1.1 mLow 17:05 −1.1 mHigh 23:18 +0.9 m
- Thu 5 NovLow 05:22 −1.0 mHigh 11:35 +1.2 mLow 17:57 −1.2 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
Carcavelos on Google Maps · Directions
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.
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Photos of Carcavelos
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More surf near here
5 places
- Cubiculo 0.9 km away
- Torre 1 km away
- Inatel 1.6 km away
- Parede 1.9 km away
- Santo Amaro 2.3 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Carcavelos
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SW (212°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (32°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 5–19 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves moderately: 10 m deep about 300 m out (1 in 31). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. The sea is about 15°C in February, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 18°C in June, its warmest (2 mm shorty). The town to stay in is Carcavelos, 1.3 km away (3 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 10 surf spots and 1 wind sports 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$986–US$1,870 each
about US$986–US$1,870 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, taxi, 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 2 November 2026.
How we worked it out
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return ORD to LIS, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bag | about US$450–US$939 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$60–US$101 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$181–US$302 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$201–US$376 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$94–US$154 |
| Total | about US$986–US$1,870 |
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
Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn
3 min by car · 39 places to stay
about US$67/nightcountry average
About Carcavelos its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Parede on Booking.com
7 min by car · 27 places to stay
- Beds in Paco de Arcos on Booking.com
9 min by car · 13 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 2 November 2026.
Getting there: about 13h 20m
About 13h 20m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → LIS, direct, then 45 min by road
Flights ORD → LIS on your dates · AviasalesAdeSIM for your phone · Search on AiraloAd
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.
In the water
Saved: this link opens the same trip
The link holds the trip itself: nothing about you is kept. Check the forecast again before you book.