Back to results

Machico, Portugal

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

Also within 20 km of Machico

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

Machico Madeira January 2014 - panoramio
Machico. Photo: Bengt Nyman, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

About Machico

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

The spot faces SE (129°), so it takes swell from the SE. The wind blows offshore from the NW (309°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up, because of a steep sea floor. It works in 5–20 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves steeply: 10 m deep about 100 m out (1 in 11). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 18°C in March, its coldest month (2 mm shorty), and 24°C in September, its warmest (no wetsuit). The town to stay in is Machico, 0.6 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 2 wind sports spots.

Water about 23°C: 2 mm shorty. 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 17 h 25 door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.

  1. 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

  2. Getting there. 25 min from the airport to Machico.

    Car hire · Discover CarsAd

  3. Accommodation.

    Stay in MachicoAd

    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 Machico · GetYourGuideAdBoard and wetsuit hire in Machico · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

Machico 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.

Live webcam

MACHICO CITY LIVE WEBCAM

Open the webcam on madeira-web.com

FORUM MACHICO LIVE HD WEBCAM

Open the webcam on madeira-web.com

Webcams belong to their owners. Nothing from the webcam's site loads until you press the button.

Forecast

Machico does not suit beginners. 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

DayScoreExpertSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 18Oct103 ft5 shollow35kJ19°C
Mon 19Oct173 ft10 shollow177kJ19°C
Tue 20Oct123 ft9 shollow103kJ19°C
Wed 21Oct42 ft5 shollow11kJ18°C
Thu 22Oct82 ft5 shollow19kJ19°C
Fri 23Oct92 ft6 shollow21kJ19°C
Sat 24Oct82 ft5 shollow24kJ19°C
Sun 25Oct92 ft6 shollow36kJ18°C
Mon 26Oct163 ft5 shollow32kJ20°C
Tue 27Oct92 ft6 shollow23kJ20°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

    Fly ORD to FNC, changing at LIS, then 25 min by road. About 17h 25 door to door

  2. Tue 20 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 3 ft at best.

  3. Wed 21 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 2 ft at best.

  4. Thu 22 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 2 ft at best.

  5. Fri 23 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 2 ft at best.

  6. Sat 24 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 2 ft at best.

  7. Sun 25 Oct
    Travel home

    Fly ORD to FNC, changing at LIS, then 25 min by road. About 17h 25 door to door

The trip from Machico, with every spot near it

Rough cost

About £815–£1,555 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 FNC, estimated from distance and season, changing at LIS, full-service airlines, with a hold bag£385–£805
To the UK airportparking or the train, there and back£35–£65
Taxiairport and back, shared£15–£25
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£815–£1,555

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

Places to eat near Machico

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.