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Playa Salvaje, Spain

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

Also within 20 km of Sopela

All 12 on Sopela's map

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

Barinatxe
Playa Salvaje. Photo: Janfri, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

About Playa Salvaje

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

The spot faces NW (337°), so it takes swell from the NW. The wind blows offshore from the SE (157°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–9 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves moderately: 10 m deep about 250 m out (1 in 24). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. The sea is about 13°C in January, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 23°C in August, its warmest (2 mm shorty). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually January, February, April and September, with about 2 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Sopela, 1.9 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 8 surf spots.

Water about 19°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 17 h 10 door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.

  1. Fly. Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD) to Bilbao Airport (BIO), changing at Dublin Airport (DUB). About 6 flights a week that month.

    See flights ORD → BIO · Skyscanner from about £410 returnAd

  2. Getting there. 30 min from the airport to Playa Salvaje.

    Car hire · Discover CarsAd

  3. Accommodation.

    Stay in SopelaAd

    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 Sopela · GetYourGuideAdBoard and wetsuit hire in Sopela · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

Playa Salvaje 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 experts, coloured as on the area pages:GoodFairPoorToo bigToo small

DayScoreSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 18Oct164 ft5 smushy85kJ15°C
Mon 19Oct72 ft7 smushy19kJ15°C
Tue 20Oct273 ft12 shollow270kJ15°C
Wed 21Oct147 ft8 smushy638kJ16°C
Thu 22Oct657 ft9 scrumbling740kJ17°C
Fri 23Oct013 ft10 smushy3,068kJ16°C
Sat 24Oct318 ft9 smushy836kJ17°C
Sun 25Oct189 ft9 smushy1,050kJ19°C
Mon 26Oct588 ft10 scrumbling1,226kJ19°C
Tue 27Oct456 ft9 scrumbling543kJ18°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 BIO, changing at DUB, then 30 min by road. About 17h 10 door to door

  2. Tue 20 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 3 ft at best.

  3. Wed 21 Oct
    Rest day

    Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 17 of 80.

  4. Thu 22 Oct
    Surf Playa Salvaje

    Best 11:00 to 14:00 local time: 7 ft at 9 s, offshore wind.

  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 33 of 80.

  7. Sun 25 Oct
    Travel home

    Fly ORD to BIO, changing at DUB, then 30 min by road. About 17h 10 door to door

The plan picks the best of 5 spots near Sopela each day: Aizkorri, El Sitio, Meniakos, Playa Salvaje, Sopelana.

The trip from Sopela, with every spot near it

Rough cost

About £900–£1,715 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 BIO, estimated from distance and season, changing at DUB, full-service airlines, with a hold bag£410–£850
To the UK airportparking or the train, there and back£35–£65
Taxiairport and back, shared£20–£35
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, shared£185–£310
Food7 days eating out£175–£330
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about £85 to fly your own£75–£125
Total£900–£1,715

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

Places to eat near Sopela

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.