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Carcavelos, Portugal

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

Also within 20 km of Carcavelos

All 22 on Carcavelos's map

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

Praia de Carcavelos
Carcavelos. Photo: ceiling, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

About Carcavelos

Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated. Facts: verified, surf details 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 (about 5 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.

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Book the trip

From Chicago: about 13 h 20 door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.

  1. Fly. Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD) to Lisbon Humberto Delgado Airport (LIS), direct. About 4 flights a week that month.

    See flights ORD → LIS · Skyscanner from about £400 returnAd

  2. Getting there. 45 min from the airport to Carcavelos, 29 km.

    Car hire · Discover CarsAd

  3. Accommodation.

    Stay in CarcavelosAd

    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 Carcavelos · GetYourGuideAdBoard and wetsuit hire in Carcavelos · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

Carcavelos on Google Maps · Directions

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.

Forecast

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

DayScoreSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 18Oct306 ft8 ssoft367kJ25°C
Mon 19Oct284 ft7 smushy137kJ23°C
Tue 20Oct414 ft11 scrumbling462kJ19°C
Wed 21Oct304 ft9 scrumbling231kJ21°C
Thu 22Oct07 ft9 scrumbling657kJ19°C
Fri 23Oct06 ft9 scrumbling617kJ21°C
Sat 24Oct07 ft9 ssoft698kJ19°C
Sun 25Oct415 ft9 scrumbling451kJ21°C
Mon 26Oct07 ft9 ssoft632kJ21°C
Tue 27Oct435 ft9 scrumbling335kJ20°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

    Direct flight ORD to LIS, then 45 min by road. About 13h 20 door to door

  2. Tue 20 Oct
    Surf Carcavelos

    Best 10:00 to 13:00 local time: 4 ft at 11 s, wind 8 kn (15 km/h).

  3. Wed 21 Oct
    Rest day

    Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 34 of 80.

  4. Thu 22 Oct
    Rest day

    Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 0 of 80.

  5. Fri 23 Oct
    Rest day

    Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 0 of 80.

  6. Sat 24 Oct
    Rest day

    Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 0 of 80.

  7. Sun 25 Oct
    Travel home

    Direct flight ORD to LIS, then 45 min by road. About 13h 20 door to door

The trip from Carcavelos, with every spot near it

Rough cost

About £860–£1,630 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 LIS, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bag£400–£830
To the UK airportparking or the train, there and back£35–£65
Taxiairport and back, shared£45–£75
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£860–£1,630

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

Places to eat near Carcavelos

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.