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Gale, Portugal

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

Also within 20 km of Albufeira

All 9 on Albufeira's map

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

2017-10-13 Auditório Municipal de Albufeira, Albufeira
Albufeira, the nearest town, 6 km away. Photo: Kolforn ( Kolforn ) I'd appreciate if you could mail me (Kolforn@gmail.com) if…, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

About Gale

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

The spot faces S (196°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (16°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 2–10 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 450 m out (1 in 44). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. The sea is about 16°C in February, its coldest month (3/2 wetsuit), and 20°C in July, its warmest (2 mm shorty). The town to stay in is Albufeira, 5.8 km away (about 10 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 1 surf spot and 1 wind sports spot.

Water about 20°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 16 h 20 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. 3 h 50 from the airport to Gale.

    Car hire · Discover CarsAd

  3. Accommodation.

    Stay in AlbufeiraAd

    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 Albufeira · GetYourGuideAdBoard and wetsuit hire in Albufeira · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

Gale 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.

Forecast

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

DayScoreSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 18Oct333 ft7 smushy64kJ21°C
Mon 19Oct91 ft8 scrumbling13kJ19°C
Tue 20Oct232 ft12 scrumbling97kJ20°C
Wed 21Oct172 ft10 scrumbling52kJ21°C
Thu 22Oct192 ft8 scrumbling53kJ19°C
Fri 23Oct162 ft9 scrumbling45kJ21°C
Sat 24Oct262 ft7 smushy43kJ20°C
Sun 25Oct111 ft8 scrumbling18kJ21°C
Mon 26Oct172 ft7 smushy27kJ20°C
Tue 27Oct232 ft8 smushy51kJ20°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 3h 50 by road. About 16h 20 door to door

  2. Tue 20 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 2 ft at best.

  3. Wed 21 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 2 ft at best.

  4. Thu 22 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 2 ft at best.

  5. Fri 23 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 2 ft at best.

  6. Sat 24 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 2 ft at best.

  7. Sun 25 Oct
    Travel home

    Direct flight ORD to LIS, then 3h 50 by road. About 16h 20 door to door

The plan picks the best of 5 spots near Albufeira each day: Albufeira, Alfagar, Barranco da Belharucas, Falesia, Gale.

The trip from Albufeira, 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 Albufeira

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.