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City Pier, United States

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

Also within 20 km of Panama City Beach

All 14 on Panama City Beach's map

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

Panama City Beach Pier - panoramio
City Pier. Photo: Scott Long, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

About City Pier

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

The spot faces SW (211°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (31°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 1–5 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 500 m out (1 in 52). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 17°C in February, its coldest month (3/2 wetsuit), and 30°C in July, its warmest (no wetsuit). For beginners the best month is usually October, with about 2 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Panama City Beach, 7.6 km away (about 15 min by car).

Water about 27°C: no wetsuit. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.

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Book the trip

From Chicago: about 4 h 45 door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.

  1. Fly. Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW) to ECP, direct.

    See flights MDW → ECP · Skyscanner from about £140 returnAd

  2. Getting there. 40 min from the airport to City Pier.

    Car hire · Discover CarsAd

  3. Accommodation.

    Stay in Panama City BeachAd

    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 Panama City Beach · GetYourGuideAdBoard and wetsuit hire in Panama City Beach · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

City Pier on Google Maps · Directions

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Forecast

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

DayScoreSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 18Oct31 ft4 smushy2kJ20°C
Mon 19Oct31 ft5 smushy4kJ23°C
Tue 20Oct41 ft4 smushy2kJ24°C
Wed 21Oct41 ft4 smushy2kJ25°C
Thu 22Oct11 ft5 s1kJ23°C
Fri 23Oct1under 1 ft4 s0kJ24°C
Sat 24Oct61 ft4 smushy5kJ23°C
Sun 25Oct21 ft4 smushy3kJ22°C
Mon 26Oct11 ft3 s1kJ23°C
Tue 27Oct1under 1 ft3 s0kJ23°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 expert surfers. Change dates

  1. Mon 19 Oct
    Travel out

    Direct flight MDW to ECP, then 40 min by road. About 4h 45 door to door

  2. Tue 20 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 1 ft at best.

  3. Wed 21 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 1 ft at best.

  4. Thu 22 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 1 ft at best.

  5. Fri 23 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 1 ft at best.

  6. Sat 24 Oct
    Rest day

    Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 10 of 80.

  7. Sun 25 Oct
    Travel home

    Direct flight MDW to ECP, then 40 min by road. About 4h 45 door to door

The plan picks the best of 3 spots near Panama City Beach each day: City Pier, St. Andrews State Park, The Pass(Amazons).

The trip from Panama City Beach, with every spot near it

Rough cost

About £850–£1,530 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 MDW to ECP, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bag£140–£290
To the UK airportparking or the train, there and back£35–£65
Taxiairport and back, shared£30–£50
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, shared£270–£455
Food7 days eating out£260–£480
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about £85 to fly your own£115–£190
Total£850–£1,530

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

Places to eat near Panama City Beach

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.