Back to results

Cortegaça, Portugal

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

Also within 20 km of Esmoriz

All 13 on Esmoriz's map

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

Praia de Cortegaça - Portugal
Cortegaça. Photo: Vitor Oliveira from Torres Vedras, PORTUGAL, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

About Cortegaça

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

The spot faces W (276°), so it takes swell from the W. The wind blows offshore from the E (96°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–8 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very gently: 10 m deep about 2.3 km out (1 in 233). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 14°C in January, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 18°C in July, its warmest (2 mm shorty). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually January, September and November, with about 2 good days in 7; in July, about 0. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Esmoriz, 3.8 km away (about 10 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 3 surf spots.

Water about 17°C: 3/2 wetsuit. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.

Save this trip A link to come back to, or to send to the group.

Book the trip

From Chicago: about 16 h 50 door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.

  1. Fly. Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD) to Francisco de Sá Carneiro Airport (OPO), changing at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK).

    See flights ORD → OPO · Skyscanner from about £395 returnAd

  2. Getting there. 55 min from the airport to Cortegaça.

    Car hire · Discover CarsAd

  3. Accommodation.

    Stay in EsmorizAd

    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 Esmoriz · GetYourGuideAdBoard and wetsuit hire in Esmoriz · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

Cortegaça 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 18Oct404 ft7 smushy128kJ19°C
Mon 19Oct343 ft10 ssoft108kJ15°C
Tue 20Oct265 ft10 smushy432kJ15°C
Wed 21Oct125 ft8 ssoft338kJ14°C
Thu 22Oct07 ft9 ssoft716kJ15°C
Fri 23Oct09 ft9 smushy1,297kJ15°C
Sat 24Oct07 ft9 smushy709kJ14°C
Sun 25Oct07 ft9 ssoft606kJ16°C
Mon 26Oct125 ft9 smushy432kJ16°C
Tue 27Oct135 ft9 ssoft336kJ16°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 OPO, changing at JFK, then 55 min by road. About 16h 50 door to door

  2. Tue 20 Oct
    Surf Esmoriz praia da barra e praia velha

    Best 10:00 to 13:00 local time: 5 ft at 11 s, wind 11 kn (20 km/h).

  3. Wed 21 Oct
    Surf Cortegaça

    Best 10:00 to 13:00 local time: 5 ft at 8 s, wind 12 kn (23 km/h).

  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

    Fly ORD to OPO, changing at JFK, then 55 min by road. About 16h 50 door to door

The plan picks the best of 3 spots near Esmoriz each day: Cortegaça, Esmoriz, Esmoriz praia da barra e praia velha.

The trip from Esmoriz, with every spot near it

Rough cost

About £885–£1,670 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 OPO, estimated from distance and season, changing at JFK, full-service airlines, with a hold bag£395–£815
To the UK airportparking or the train, there and back£35–£65
Hire car6 days, shared£75–£130
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£885–£1,670

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

Places to eat near Esmoriz

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.