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Praia Formosa, Portugal

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

Also within 20 km of Funchal

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

Praia Formosa - Black Pebble Beach in February Sunshine
Praia Formosa. Photo: muffinn from Worcester, UK, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

About Praia Formosa

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

The spot faces SW (207°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (27°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 3–14 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 19°C in January, its coldest month (2 mm shorty), and 24°C in August, its warmest (no wetsuit). The town to stay in is Funchal, 4.2 km away (about 10 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 2 surf spots and 1 dive site.

Water about 23°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 40 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. 40 min from the airport to Praia Formosa.

    Car hire · Discover CarsAd

  3. Accommodation.

    Stay in FunchalAd

    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 Funchal · GetYourGuideAdBoard and wetsuit hire in Funchal · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

Praia Formosa on Google Maps · Directions

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Live webcam

SUNSET BAR CENTROMAR LIVE HD WEBCAM

Open the webcam on madeira-web.com

LIVE PONTA GORDA BEACH WEBCAM, 1 km away

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Forecast

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

DayScoreSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 18Oct343 ft7 shollow72kJ20°C
Mon 19Oct434 ft13 shollow418kJ18°C
Tue 20Oct514 ft11 shollow347kJ18°C
Wed 21Oct333 ft9 shollow116kJ19°C
Thu 22Oct453 ft9 shollow165kJ19°C
Fri 23Oct514 ft10 shollow221kJ19°C
Sat 24Oct463 ft9 shollow184kJ20°C
Sun 25Oct403 ft9 shollow146kJ20°C
Mon 26Oct363 ft9 shollow129kJ21°C
Tue 27Oct242 ft8 shollow74kJ21°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 40 min by road. About 17h 40 door to door

  2. Tue 20 Oct
    Surf Praia Formosa

    Best 10:00 to 13:00 local time: 4 ft at 11 s, offshore wind.

  3. Wed 21 Oct
    Surf Praia Formosa

    Best 10:00 to 13:00 local time: 3 ft at 9 s, offshore wind.

  4. Thu 22 Oct
    Surf Praia Formosa

    Best 13:00 to 16:00 local time: 3 ft at 9 s, offshore wind.

  5. Fri 23 Oct
    Surf Praia Formosa

    Best 13:00 to 16:00 local time: 4 ft at 10 s, offshore wind.

  6. Sat 24 Oct
    Surf Praia Formosa

    Best 10:00 to 13:00 local time: 3 ft at 9 s, offshore wind.

  7. Sun 25 Oct
    Travel home

    Fly ORD to FNC, changing at LIS, then 40 min by road. About 17h 40 door to door

The plan picks the best of 4 spots near Funchal each day: Cabo Girão, Cais do funchal, Pizo, Praia Formosa.

The trip from Funchal, with every spot near it

Rough cost

About £830–£1,580 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£30–£50
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£830–£1,580

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

Places to eat near Funchal

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.