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Madalena do mar, Portugal

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

Also within 20 km of Calheta

All 11 on Calheta's map

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Madalena do Mar - Portugal
Madalena do mar. Photo: Vitor Oliveira from Torres Vedras, PORTUGAL, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

About Madalena do mar

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

The spot faces SW (214°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (34°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 5–19 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves steeply: 10 m deep about 150 m out (1 in 15). 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 Calheta, 4.7 km away (about 10 min by car).

Water about 23°C: 2 mm shorty. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.

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From Chicago: about 18 h 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. 55 min from the airport to Madalena do mar.

    Car hire · Discover CarsAd

  3. Accommodation.

    Stay in CalhetaAd

    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 Calheta · GetYourGuideAdBoard and wetsuit hire in Calheta · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

Madalena do mar on Google Maps · Directions

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Live webcam

LIVE CAM MADALENA DO MAR

Open the webcam on madeira-web.com

CALHETA BEACH LIVE WEBCAM, 5 km away

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Forecast

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

DayScoreSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 18Oct354 ft8 shollow214kJ19°C
Mon 19Oct425 ft8 shollow312kJ18°C
Tue 20Oct445 ft11 shollow456kJ17°C
Wed 21Oct243 ft10 shollow174kJ18°C
Thu 22Oct455 ft9 shollow306kJ18°C
Fri 23Oct475 ft9 shollow348kJ18°C
Sat 24Oct465 ft9 shollow301kJ18°C
Sun 25Oct405 ft9 shollow327kJ18°C
Mon 26Oct374 ft9 shollow252kJ19°C
Tue 27Oct284 ft9 shollow220kJ19°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 55 min by road. About 18h door to door

  2. Tue 20 Oct
    Surf Paul do Mar

    Best 19:00 to 22:00 local time: 4 ft at 10 s, offshore wind.

  3. Wed 21 Oct
    Surf Paul do Mar

    Best 10:00 to 13:00 local time: 3 ft at 9 s, wind 2 kn (3 km/h).

  4. Thu 22 Oct
    Surf Madalena do mar

    Best 19:00 to 22:00 local time: 5 ft at 9 s, wind 2 kn (4 km/h).

  5. Fri 23 Oct
    Surf Madalena do mar

    Best 19:00 to 22:00 local time: 5 ft at 9 s, wind 1 kn (2 km/h).

  6. Sat 24 Oct
    Surf Madalena do mar

    Best 19:00 to 22:00 local time: 5 ft at 9 s, wind 0 kn (1 km/h).

  7. Sun 25 Oct
    Travel home

    Fly ORD to FNC, changing at LIS, then 55 min by road. About 18h door to door

The plan picks the best of 3 spots near Calheta each day: Madalena do mar, Paul do Mar, Ponta Pequina.

The trip from Calheta, 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 Calheta

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.