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Malhão, Portugal

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

Also within 20 km of Porto Covo

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

Porto Covo - Portugal 🇵🇹
Porto Covo, the nearest town, 7 km away. Photo: Vitor Oliveira from Torres Vedras, PORTUGAL, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

About Malhão

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

The spot faces W (269°), so it takes swell from the W. The wind blows offshore from the E (89°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up, because of a steep sea floor. It works in 2–8 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves steeply: 10 m deep about 100 m out (1 in 12). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 15°C in February, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 19°C in August, its warmest (2 mm shorty). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually January, September, October 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 Porto Covo, 7.2 km away (about 15 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 1 surf 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 14 h 50 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. 2 h 20 from the airport to Malhão.

    Car hire · Discover CarsAd

  3. Accommodation.

    Stay in Porto CovoAd

    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 Porto Covo · GetYourGuideAdBoard and wetsuit hire in Porto Covo · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

Malhão on Google Maps · Directions

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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 18Oct296 ft8 shollow354kJ24°C
Mon 19Oct403 ft7 shollow105kJ21°C
Tue 20Oct434 ft12 shollow468kJ18°C
Wed 21Oct524 ft10 shollow246kJ19°C
Thu 22Oct06 ft9 shollow549kJ18°C
Fri 23Oct06 ft9 shollow555kJ20°C
Sat 24Oct07 ft9 shollow644kJ18°C
Sun 25Oct395 ft9 shollow405kJ19°C
Mon 26Oct06 ft9 shollow554kJ20°C
Tue 27Oct515 ft8 shollow250kJ20°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 2h 20 by road. About 14h 50 door to door

  2. Tue 20 Oct
    Surf Sanguessuga

    Best 10:00 to 13:00 local time: 4 ft at 12 s, wind 8 kn (16 km/h).

  3. Wed 21 Oct
    Surf Praia da Vieirinha

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

  4. Thu 22 Oct
    Surf Sao Torpes

    Best 16:00 to 19:00 local time: 6 ft at 9 s, wind 6 kn (11 km/h).

  5. Fri 23 Oct
    Surf Praia da Vieirinha

    Best 10:00 to 13:00 local time: 6 ft at 9 s, wind 5 kn (9 km/h).

  6. Sat 24 Oct
    Surf Praia da Vieirinha

    Best 16:00 to 19:00 local time: 6 ft at 8 s, wind 10 kn (18 km/h).

  7. Sun 25 Oct
    Travel home

    Direct flight ORD to LIS, then 2h 20 by road. About 14h 50 door to door

The plan picks the best of 7 spots near Porto Covo each day: Aivados, Baia, Malhão, Porto Covo, Praia da Vieirinha, Sanguessuga, Sao Torpes.

The trip from Porto Covo, with every spot near it

Rough cost

About £890–£1,685 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
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£890–£1,685

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

Places to eat near Porto Covo

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.