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Areias, Portugal

Stay in Ribeira Grande: see the trip Its beds, the way there and every spot near it.

Also within 20 km of Ribeira Grande

Watch this spot We email you when Areias is worth the trip.

Beach on the north coast of Sao Miguel
Areias. Photo: Carlos Pacheco from Toronto, Canada, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

About Areias

Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated. Facts: verified, surf details estimated.

The spot faces N (356°), so it takes swell from the N. The wind blows offshore from the S (176°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 3–10 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves steeply: 10 m deep about 150 m out (1 in 13). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 16°C in March, its coldest month (3/2 wetsuit), and 24°C in August, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually May, June, July and August, with about 2 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Ribeira Grande, 2.6 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 3 surf spots.

Water about 22°C: 2 mm shorty. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.

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Book the trip

From Chicago: about 14 h 55 door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.

  1. Fly. Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD) to PDL, changing at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK).

    See flights ORD → PDL · Skyscanner from about £335 returnAd

  2. Getting there. 35 min from the airport to Areias.

    Car hire · Discover CarsAd

  3. Accommodation.

    Stay in Ribeira GrandeAd

    Typical prices for a double room that month, not a quote.

    Room photos are examples, not these hotels (credits).

    See all places to stay on Booking.com →

    Closest towns to stay in

    Typical prices for a double room that month, not a quote. Drives are estimates.

  4. Hire and lessons.

    Surf lessons in Ribeira Grande · GetYourGuideAdBoard and wetsuit hire in Ribeira Grande · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

Areias on Google Maps · Directions

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Forecast

Areias does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.

The score for intermediates, coloured as on the area pages:GoodFairPoorToo bigToo small

DayScoreInter­mediateSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 18Oct483 ft13 shollow393kJ21°C
Mon 19Oct205 ft11 shollow561kJ19°C
Tue 20Oct365 ft7 shollow208kJ20°C
Wed 21Oct305 ft9 shollow320kJ21°C
Thu 22Oct255 ft9 shollow433kJ21°C
Fri 23Oct564 ft9 shollow197kJ21°C
Sat 24Oct634 ft9 shollow247kJ20°C
Sun 25Oct633 ft8 shollow148kJ21°C
Mon 26Oct383 ft9 shollow91kJ20°C
Tue 27Oct414 ft9 shollow241kJ19°C

Day scores here are the conditions out of 80; a trip's score on the results is the same conditions out of 100. The journey never scores. The forecast reaches about 10 days. Energy is the swell's power in kJ per metre of wave, from its height and interval: it grows with the square of each, so a long-period swell hits far harder than a short one the same size. The word under the swell is the wave's shape, our estimate from the sea floor. Wind is in knots: 10 kn is about 19 km/h. The arrow points where the wind blows to; offshore wind, blowing from the land out to sea, is green and says so.

Your trip, day by day

6 nights from Mon 19 Oct, leaving from Chicago, for intermediate surfers. Change dates

  1. Mon 19 Oct
    Travel out

    Fly ORD to PDL, changing at JFK, then 35 min by road. About 14h 55 door to door

  2. Tue 20 Oct
    Surf Santa Iria

    Best 15:00 to 18:00 local time: 5 ft at 7 s, wind 6 kn (11 km/h).

  3. Wed 21 Oct
    Surf Areias

    Best 18:00 to 21:00 local time: 5 ft at 9 s, offshore wind.

  4. Thu 22 Oct
    Surf Areias

    Best 15:00 to 18:00 local time: 5 ft at 9 s, wind 4 kn (8 km/h).

  5. Fri 23 Oct
    Surf Areias

    Best 18:00 to 21:00 local time: 4 ft at 9 s, wind 2 kn (3 km/h).

  6. Sat 24 Oct
    Surf Areias

    Best 18:00 to 21:00 local time: 4 ft at 9 s, offshore wind.

  7. Sun 25 Oct
    Travel home

    Fly ORD to PDL, changing at JFK, then 35 min by road. About 14h 55 door to door

The plan picks the best of 5 spots near Ribeira Grande each day: Areias, Praia Santa Barbara (Ribeira Grande), Praia Santana, Rabo de Peixe, Santa Iria.

The trip from Ribeira Grande, with every spot near it

Rough cost

About £775–£1,470 each for 6 nights, 2 people sharing a room. A guide from typical prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book.

WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn ORD to PDL, estimated from distance and season, changing at JFK, full-service airlines, with a hold bag£335–£700
To the UK airportparking or the train, there and back£35–£65
Taxiairport and back, shared£25–£45
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, shared£160–£265
Food7 days eating out£150–£280
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about £85 to fly your own£70–£115
Total£775–£1,470

Prices from public sources, checked in 2026: where they come from. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra.

Places to eat near Ribeira Grande

Within 2 km of the town centre, listed by how complete the listing is (website, opening hours, cuisine) and whether two sources name it. Not a judgement of the food: we have no reviews. Listings © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) and Overture Maps Foundation. Credits

Book the trip

Getting thereAd

Flights · Skyscanner Car hire · Discover Cars

Where to stayAd

Places to stay · Booking.com

In the waterAd

Surf lessons · GetYourGuide Board and wetsuit hire · GetYourGuide

Links marked Ad may pay us a small commission if you book. You pay the same price, and it never changes a score.