Surfing Porto Coast

Beach Break · Best Sep-Apr · 1-5 ft · Crowd 4/5

NW swell; the breakwater shelters the north end; lower tides

Matosinhos is Porto's city beach, at the end of the metro line, and the place most people in Porto learn to surf. The long breakwater of Leixões harbour shelters the north end, so the waves there stay small and soft when the open beaches nearby are too big.

The surf schools teach at the north end, next to the breakwater. Further south the waves get bigger and the sandbanks have more shape, and that's where the local intermediates surf. It's best on a clean groundswell with light wind at lower tides, and onshore wind ruins it quickly. The water is cold all year. Easy to combine with a few days in Porto.

Beach Break · Best Sep-Apr · 2-7 ft · Crowd 3/5

Clean groundswell, light wind

Espinho is a seaside town about half an hour south of Porto, with a row of jetties along its beach. Each jetty creates its own peak, so the waves are more defined than on the open beaches around it.

It's one of the more consistent spots in northern Portugal and holds size well. A clean groundswell with light wind is best. The local surf community is strong and the town has had surf shops for decades.

Autumn and winter bring the best swells, and the peaks along the jetties are popular with local surfers from Porto. Espinho has plenty of restaurants and a train station on the line to Porto, so it's easy to reach without a car.

Beach Break · Best Sep-Apr · 2-6 ft · Crowd 2/5

Clean groundswell, high tide

Póvoa do Varzim is a fishing and beach town north of Porto, with beach breaks that pick up consistent Atlantic swell. The waves are similar to Matosinhos and Espinho: decent, not spectacular, and best around high tide on a clean groundswell.

It's less set up for surf tourism than other spots nearby, so the line-up is mostly local and rarely crowded. The metro runs from Porto.

It's at its best in autumn and winter on a clean groundswell. The town has a long seafront with restaurants and places to stay.

Beach Break · Best Sep-Apr · 2-6 ft · Crowd 1/5

Clean groundswell, all tides

Vila do Conde is a town at the mouth of the Ave river, just south of Póvoa do Varzim, with beach breaks that pick up the same north Atlantic swell as the rest of this coast. It works at all tides on a clean groundswell.

The old town, with its monastery and riverside, is worth a walk, and the metro runs straight to Porto.

Autumn and winter swells bring the best waves, and there's a replica of a 16th-century ship on the river.

Beach Break · Best Sep-Apr · 2-6 ft · Crowd 2/5

Clean groundswell

Miramar is a small beach break south of Porto, near Espinho, in front of a chapel built on a rock. It's less crowded than the jetty peaks at Espinho, and it needs a clean groundswell.

It's at its best on a clean groundswell in autumn and winter. The chapel on the rocks, the Senhor da Pedra, is one of the best-known sights on this coast. Espinho, a few minutes south, has more peaks and places to stay.