Back to results

Martinhal, Portugal

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

Also within 20 km of Sagres

All 15 on Sagres's map

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

July Beaches Sagres Portugal - Geo Photography 1989 End of Europe Atlantic Ocean - panoramio
Martinhal. Photo: pictures Jettcom, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

About Martinhal

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

The spot faces SE (131°), so it takes swell from the SE. The wind blows offshore from the NW (311°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up, because of a steep sea floor. It works in 5–20 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very steeply: 10 m deep about 50 m out (1 in 5). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hard and thick, like a slab. The sea is about 16°C in February, its coldest month (3/2 wetsuit), and 20°C in September, its warmest (2 mm shorty). The town to stay in is Sagres, 1.8 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 4 surf spots and 1 wind sports spot.

Water about 20°C: 2 mm shorty. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.

Saved: this link opens the same trip

Email itRemind me to book

The link holds the trip itself: nothing about you is kept. Check the forecast again before you book.

Book the trip

From Chicago: about 16 h 35 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. 4 h 05 from the airport to Martinhal, 328 km.

    Car hire · Discover CarsAd

  3. Accommodation.

    Stay in SagresAd

    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 Sagres · GetYourGuideAdBoard and wetsuit hire in Sagres · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

Martinhal 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

Martinhal does not suit intermediates. This is the forecast for experts, so you can see what it does.

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

DayScoreExpertSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 18Oct386 ft8 shollow411kJ20°C
Mon 19Oct194 ft7 shollow127kJ19°C
Tue 20Oct314 ft12 shollow412kJ18°C
Wed 21Oct224 ft10 shollow240kJ19°C
Thu 22Oct456 ft9 shollow503kJ17°C
Fri 23Oct436 ft9 shollow513kJ19°C
Sat 24Oct447 ft9 shollow573kJ17°C
Sun 25Oct375 ft9 shollow401kJ18°C
Mon 26Oct426 ft9 shollow487kJ19°C
Tue 27Oct284 ft9 shollow271kJ20°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

    Direct flight ORD to LIS, then 4h 05 by road. About 16h 35 door to door

  2. Tue 20 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 5 ft at best.

  3. Wed 21 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 4 ft at best.

  4. Thu 22 Oct
    Surf Beliche

    Best 13:00 to 16:00 local time: 7 ft at 9 s, offshore wind.

  5. Fri 23 Oct
    Surf Ponta Ruiva

    Best 10:00 to 13:00 local time: 7 ft at 10 s, wind 2 kn (3 km/h).

  6. Sat 24 Oct
    Surf Beliche

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

  7. Sun 25 Oct
    Travel home

    Direct flight ORD to LIS, then 4h 05 by road. About 16h 35 door to door

The plan picks the best of 7 spots near Sagres each day: Barranco, Beliche, Mareta, Martinhal, Ponta Ruiva, Praia do Telheiro, Tonel.

The trip from Sagres, 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 Sagres

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.