Portugal · Atlantic Europe
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Carcavelos is Lisbon's closest quality surf beach, a wide stretch of sand facing south-southwest on the north bank of the Tagus estuary mouth. It produces consistent, fun waves and is easily accessible by train from the city. The beach is popular year-round with a lively atmosphere. When bigger swells hit, Carcavelos produces powerful, hollow waves that surprise for an urban beach.
Picks up south-westerly and westerly Atlantic swell wrapping around the coast. A northerly wind is offshore. Works on all tides. Consistent year-round but best October through March for size. The 2-6ft range is ideal. Summer has smaller but rideable waves.
Multiple peaks across the wide beach. The section near the fort (eastern end) tends to have more defined banks. The western section is slightly more exposed. Watch from the promenade to identify the best peaks.
Rip currents on bigger days. The beach can get powerful on solid swells (head-high+). Rocky groynes at intervals along the beach. Crowds are intense. Water quality can be affected after heavy rain due to urban runoff.
Train from Lisbon (Cais do Sodre line) to Carcavelos station, then walk (10 minutes). Or drive and use the pay car parks. Direct beach access. Full urban facilities.
Extremely crowded. Carcavelos serves Lisbon's entire surfing population. Good days see 50-100+ people across the beach. Competition for waves is real. Dawn patrol or evening sessions offer slightly fewer numbers. Midweek is marginally better.
Carcavelos is the easy option from Lisbon but the crowd can be brutal. For a better experience, drive 30 minutes north to Ericeira or Peniche. If you must surf close to the city, go at dawn. The beach bars and restaurants are excellent for post-surf. The train makes it alcohol-friendly for a sunset session.
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Based on historical weekly averages
Combining historical conditions with school holiday crowd pressure to find the sweet spot.
How busy each week is based on school holiday overlap from feeder markets.
The timing score combines two signals: historical conditions quality (how good the skiing or surfing typically is in a given week, based on 5 years of weather data) and crowd pressure (how many of this destination's feeder markets have school holidays that week).
Crowd pressure is weighted by each feeder country's share of visitors. If 40% of a resort's visitors come from France and France is on holiday, that contributes 0.40 to the crowd pressure score. Crowds can reduce the timing score by up to 35%, ensuring conditions still matter most.
Scores: 5 = great conditions with low crowds (the sweet spot). 4 = great conditions with moderate crowds, or good conditions with low crowds. 3 = average. 2 = below average conditions or very crowded. 1 = poor conditions or peak holiday chaos.
Last 28 days of logged conditions.
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Create Profile →Current conditions refresh every 3 hours when the cron runs. Hourly data updates every 30 minutes. The 7-day forecast, luck factor, and packing notes are all pre-computed at the same time.
We compare the 7-day forecast to the last 5 years of marine data for the same week at Carcavelos. The delta tells you whether conditions are shaping up better, worse, or about the same as a typical mid-June.
We score each day of the 7-day forecast using the same algorithm as the leaderboard, and highlight the highest scorer.
Open-Meteo's Marine API (swell height, period, water temperature) and Weather API (wind and conditions).
Honestly, no. Every break has tide windows, swell directions and reef contours that a global model cannot see. Treat the score as a starting point, then check a local cam.
The best week for surf at Carcavelos is the week of 16 November (score 3/5) with low crowds.
Flat as a lake. Save your energy for another day. Short-period wind swell: expect weak, crumbly faces. Light offshore holding the lip up. Clean rides on offer. Best conditions early morning before the sea breeze arrives. Not enough swell to get this spot firing properly.
Heads up: jellyfish: high.
Indicators derived from forecast data, not official warnings. Always check local lifeguard or official advice.
Moderate water clarity: ~3m visibility
Daily scores over the last 12 months at Carcavelos