Back to results

Porto Moniz, Portugal

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

Also within 20 km of Porto Moniz

All 11 on Porto Moniz's map

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

048 Porto Moniz volcanic pools
Porto Moniz, the nearest town. Photo: Andy Hawkins, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

About Porto Moniz

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

The spot faces N (4°), so it takes swell from the N. The wind blows offshore from the S (184°). 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 very steeply: 10 m deep about 50 m out (1 in 6). 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). For intermediate surfers the best month is usually September, with about 2 good days in 7; in February and March, about 0. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Porto Moniz, 0 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 2 surf 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 18 h 05 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. 1 h from the airport to Porto Moniz.

    Car hire · Discover CarsAd

  3. Accommodation.

    Stay in Porto MonizAd

    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 Moniz · GetYourGuideAdBoard and wetsuit hire in Porto Moniz · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

Porto Moniz 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

PORTO MONIZ NATURAL POOLS WEBCAM

Open the webcam on madeira-web.com

Porto Moniz Cam, Madeira

Open the webcam on webcamtaxi.com

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

Forecast

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

DayScoreSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 18Oct174 ft10 smushy318kJ19°C
Mon 19Oct09 ft8 shollow855kJ19°C
Tue 20Oct245 ft7 shollow279kJ20°C
Wed 21Oct123 ft7 smushy96kJ20°C
Thu 22Oct225 ft9 shollow342kJ20°C
Fri 23Oct106 ft9 smushy490kJ19°C
Sat 24Oct115 ft9 smushy395kJ20°C
Sun 25Oct155 ft10 smushy407kJ19°C
Mon 26Oct384 ft9 shollow314kJ20°C
Tue 27Oct253 ft10 smushy161kJ20°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 FNC, changing at LIS, then 1h by road. About 18h 05 door to door

  2. Tue 20 Oct
    Surf Achadas da Cruz

    Best 19:00 to 22:00 local time: 5 ft at 8 s, wind 10 kn (18 km/h).

  3. Wed 21 Oct
    Rest day

    Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 34 of 80.

  4. Thu 22 Oct
    Surf Achadas da Cruz

    Best 10:00 to 13:00 local time: 5 ft at 9 s, wind 11 kn (20 km/h).

  5. Fri 23 Oct
    Rest day

    Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 29 of 80.

  6. Sat 24 Oct
    Rest day

    Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 32 of 80.

  7. Sun 25 Oct
    Travel home

    Fly ORD to FNC, changing at LIS, then 1h by road. About 18h 05 door to door

The plan picks the best of 4 spots near Porto Moniz each day: Achadas da Cruz, Contreira, Porto Moniz, Ribeira da Janela.

The trip from Porto Moniz, with every spot near it

Rough cost

About £875–£1,660 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
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£875–£1,660

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

Places to eat near Porto Moniz

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.