Fajã dos Padres, Portugal

No town nearby. No stay checked for this site yet: Funchal, 11 km away, is the nearest town we list. Nearest airport: FNC (FNC), 24 km.

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About Fajã dos Padres

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

The spot faces S (199°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (19°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up, because of a steep sea floor. It works in 6–20 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very steeply: 10 m deep about 50 m out (1 in 5). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hard and thick, like a slab. The sea is about 19°C in January, its coldest month (2 mm shorty), and 24°C in August, its warmest (no wetsuit). No town nearby. No stay checked for this site yet: Funchal, 11 km away, is the nearest town we list. Nearest airport: FNC (FNC), 24 km. Within 5 km we also list 1 surf spot.

Water about 23°C: 2 mm shorty. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.

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From Chicago: about 17 h 50 door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.

Fly. Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD) to FNC, changing at Lisbon Humberto Delgado Airport (LIS). About 4 flights a week that month.
See flights ORD → FNC · Skyscanner from about £385 returnAd
Getting there. 45 min from the airport to Fajã dos Padres.
Car hire · Discover CarsAd
Accommodation.
No town nearby
No stay checked for this site yet: Funchal, 11 km away, is the nearest town we list. Nearest airport: FNC (FNC), 24 km.
Hire and lessons.
Surf lessons in Fajã dos Padres · GetYourGuideAd Board and wetsuit hire in Fajã dos Padres · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

Fajã dos Padres on Google Maps · Directions

Surf spot

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Forecast

Fajã dos Padres does not suit intermediates. This is the forecast for experts, so you can see what it does.

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

Forecast and score for expert surfers at Fajã dos Padres, each day
Day	Scorefor Expert	Swell	Energy	Wind	Temp
Sun 18Oct	14, too small	3 ft9 shollow	104kJ	wind from the south, 4 knots	19°C
Mon 19Oct	18, too small	4 ft13 shollow	418kJ	wind from the south-south-west, 4 knots	18°C
Tue 20Oct	23, too small	4 ft11 shollow	347kJ	wind from the south, 2 knots	17°C
Wed 21Oct	14, too small	3 ft9 shollow	116kJ	wind from the south-south-west, 0 knots	19°C
Thu 22Oct	19, too small	3 ft9 shollow	166kJ	wind from the south, 4 knots	19°C
Fri 23Oct	22, too small	4 ft10 shollow	242kJ	wind from the west-south-west, 2 knots	19°C
Sat 24Oct	20, too small	3 ft9 shollow	184kJ	wind from the west-south-west, 2 knots	18°C
Sun 25Oct	16, too small	3 ft9 shollow	146kJ	wind from the south-south-west, 4 knots	19°C
Mon 26Oct	12, too small	3 ft5 shollow	54kJ	wind from the south-west, 3 knots	19°C
Tue 27Oct	11, too small	2 ft8 shollow	74kJ	wind from the south-west, 1 knot	19°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

Mon 19 Oct
Travel out
Fly ORD to FNC, changing at LIS, then 45 min by road. About 17h 50 door to door
Tue 20 Oct
Rest day
Too small: 4 ft at best.
Wed 21 Oct
Rest day
Too small: 3 ft at best.
Thu 22 Oct
Rest day
Too small: 3 ft at best.
Fri 23 Oct
Rest day
Too small: 4 ft at best.
Sat 24 Oct
Rest day
Too small: 3 ft at best.
Sun 25 Oct
Travel home
Fly ORD to FNC, changing at LIS, then 45 min by road. About 17h 50 door to door

Rough cost

About £680–£1,335 each for 6 nights, 2 people sharing a room. A guide from typical prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book. No town nearby, so no stay is in it.

Rough cost per person for this trip
What	How we worked it out	Each
Flights	return ORD to FNC, estimated from distance and season, changing at LIS, full-service airlines, with a hold bag	£385–£805
To the UK airport	parking or the train, there and back	£35–£65
Taxi	airport and back, shared	£40–£70
Food	7 days eating out	£150–£280
Board and wetsuit	5 days, or about £85 to fly your own	£70–£115
Total		£680–£1,335

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

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Getting thereAd

Flights · Skyscanner Car hire · Discover Cars

In the waterAd

Surf lessons · GetYourGuide Board and wetsuit hire · GetYourGuide

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