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Praia de arda, Portugal

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

Also within 20 km of Viana do Castelo

All 15 on Viana do Castelo's map

Watch this spot We email you when Praia de arda is worth the trip.

Misericórdia de Viana do Castelo e Chafariz
Viana do Castelo, the nearest town, 9 km away. Photo: Alegna13, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

About Praia de arda

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

The spot faces W (274°), so it takes swell from the W. The wind blows offshore from the E (94°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–8 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves steeply: 10 m deep about 150 m out (1 in 16). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 14°C in January, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 17°C in June, its warmest (3/2 wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best month is usually September, with about 2 good days in 7; in February, about 0. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Viana do Castelo, 9.3 km away (about 20 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 3 surf spots.

Water about 16°C: 3/2 wetsuit. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.

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Book the trip

From Chicago: about 17 h 15 door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.

  1. Fly. Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD) to Francisco de Sá Carneiro Airport (OPO), changing at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK).

    See flights ORD → OPO · Skyscanner from about £395 returnAd

  2. Getting there. 1 h 20 from the airport to Praia de arda.

    Car hire · Discover CarsAd

  3. Accommodation.

    Stay in Viana do CasteloAd

    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 Viana do Castelo · GetYourGuideAdBoard and wetsuit hire in Viana do Castelo · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

Praia de arda 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 18Oct194 ft8 shollow180kJ18°C
Mon 19Oct102 ft12 shollow130kJ15°C
Tue 20Oct274 ft10 shollow366kJ14°C
Wed 21Oct428 ft8 smushy659kJ14°C
Thu 22Oct497 ft9 scrumbling730kJ15°C
Fri 23Oct011 ft9 scrumbling1,759kJ14°C
Sat 24Oct627 ft9 scrumbling709kJ14°C
Sun 25Oct408 ft8 scrumbling780kJ16°C
Mon 26Oct497 ft8 smushy490kJ16°C
Tue 27Oct417 ft8 smushy503kJ16°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 OPO, changing at JFK, then 1h 20 by road. About 17h 15 door to door

  2. Tue 20 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 4 ft at best.

  3. Wed 21 Oct
    Surf Kings Rock

    Best 10:00 to 13:00 local time: 7 ft at 8 s, wind 5 kn (10 km/h).

  4. Thu 22 Oct
    Surf Praia de arda

    Best 10:00 to 13:00 local time: 7 ft at 9 s, wind 8 kn (14 km/h).

  5. Fri 23 Oct
    Surf Cabedelo de Viana

    Best 10:00 to 13:00 local time: 8 ft at 9 s, offshore wind.

  6. Sat 24 Oct
    Surf Praia de arda

    Best 16:00 to 19:00 local time: 7 ft at 9 s, wind 1 kn (1 km/h).

  7. Sun 25 Oct
    Travel home

    Fly ORD to OPO, changing at JFK, then 1h 20 by road. About 17h 15 door to door

The plan picks the best of 6 spots near Viana do Castelo each day: Amorosa, Cabedelo de Viana, Kings Rock, Praia da Arda, Praia de arda, Viana do castelo.

The trip from Viana do Castelo, with every spot near it

Rough cost

About £885–£1,670 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 OPO, estimated from distance and season, changing at JFK, full-service airlines, with a hold bag£395–£815
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£885–£1,670

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

Places to eat near Viana do Castelo

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.