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Ponta do Pargo, Portugal

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

Also within 20 km of Jardim do Mar

All 10 on Jardim do Mar's map

Watch this spot We email you when Ponta do Pargo is worth the trip.

Madeira - 003
Near Ponta do Pargo. Photo: Xosema, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

About Ponta do Pargo

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

The spot faces W (270°), so it takes swell from the W. The wind blows offshore from the E (90°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up, because of a steep sea floor. It works in 2–8 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very steeply: 10 m deep about 50 m out (1 in 3). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hard and thick, like a slab. The sea is about 18°C in March, its coldest month (2 mm shorty), and 24°C in September, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually April, May, June and July, with about 1 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Jardim do Mar, 9.8 km away (about 20 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 1 surf spot.

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 10 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. 1 h 10 from the airport to Ponta do Pargo.

    Car hire · Discover CarsAd

  3. Accommodation.

    Stay in Jardim do MarAd

    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 Jardim do Mar · GetYourGuideAdBoard and wetsuit hire in Jardim do Mar · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

Ponta do Pargo 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 18Oct124 ft10 shollow305kJ20°C
Mon 19Oct387 ft8 sslab646kJ20°C
Tue 20Oct336 ft8 sslab332kJ21°C
Wed 21Oct203 ft9 shollow148kJ20°C
Thu 22Oct456 ft9 sslab439kJ21°C
Fri 23Oct476 ft9 sslab561kJ21°C
Sat 24Oct446 ft9 sslab474kJ21°C
Sun 25Oct415 ft9 sslab442kJ20°C
Mon 26Oct334 ft9 shollow314kJ21°C
Tue 27Oct274 ft10 shollow321kJ21°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 FNC, changing at LIS, then 1h 10 by road. About 18h 10 door to door

  2. Tue 20 Oct
    Surf Ponta do Pargo

    Best 10:00 to 13:00 local time: 6 ft at 8 s, offshore wind.

  3. Wed 21 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 3 ft at best.

  4. Thu 22 Oct
    Surf Ponta do Pargo

    Best 16:00 to 19:00 local time: 6 ft at 9 s, offshore wind.

  5. Fri 23 Oct
    Surf Ponta do Pargo

    Best 10:00 to 13:00 local time: 6 ft at 9 s, offshore wind.

  6. Sat 24 Oct
    Surf Ponta do Pargo

    Best 10:00 to 13:00 local time: 6 ft at 9 s, offshore wind.

  7. Sun 25 Oct
    Travel home

    Fly ORD to FNC, changing at LIS, then 1h 10 by road. About 18h 10 door to door

The plan picks the best of 2 spots near Jardim do Mar each day: Jardim do mar, Ponta do Pargo.

The trip from Jardim do Mar, 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 Jardim do Mar

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.