Praia da Barra, Portugal

No town nearby. No stay checked for this site yet: Aveiro, 8 km away, is the nearest town we list. Nearest airport: Francisco de Sá Carneiro Airport (OPO), 69 km.

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About Praia da Barra

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

The spot faces W (254°), so it takes swell from the W. The wind blows offshore from the E (74°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–10 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very gently: 10 m deep about 3.8 km out (1 in 385). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 14°C in January, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 18°C in June, its warmest (2 mm shorty). For intermediate surfers the best month is usually January, with about 2 good days in 7; in July, about 0. From the weather of past years. No town nearby. No stay checked for this site yet: Aveiro, 8 km away, is the nearest town we list. Nearest airport: Francisco de Sá Carneiro Airport (OPO), 69 km. Within 5 km we also list 1 surf spot and 2 wind sports spots.

Water about 17°C: 3/2 wetsuit. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.

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From Chicago: about 16 h 25 door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.

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
Getting there. 3 h 55 from the airport to Praia da Barra.
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Accommodation.
No town nearby
No stay checked for this site yet: Aveiro, 8 km away, is the nearest town we list. Nearest airport: Francisco de Sá Carneiro Airport (OPO), 69 km.
Hire and lessons.
Surf lessons in Praia da Barra · GetYourGuideAd Board and wetsuit hire in Praia da Barra · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

Praia da Barra on Google Maps · Directions

Surf spot

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Forecast

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

Forecast and score for expert surfers at Praia da Barra, each day
Day	Score for experts	Swell	Energy	Wind	Temp
Sun 18Oct	19, too small	4 ft7 smushy	164kJ	wind from the north-north-east, 5 knots	18°C
Mon 19Oct	16, too small	3 ft14 ssoft	289kJ	wind from the north-north-west, 9 knots	16°C
Tue 20Oct	30, too small	5 ft11 ssoft	428kJ	wind from the north-north-west, 10 knots	15°C
Wed 21Oct	27, poor	7 ft9 ssoft	652kJ	wind from the north-north-west, 15 knots	15°C
Thu 22Oct	46, fair	7 ft9 ssoft	635kJ	wind from the south-east, 3 knots	16°C
Fri 23Oct	41, fair	8 ft9 ssoft	1,031kJ	wind from the north, 10 knots	16°C
Sat 24Oct	51, good	7 ft9 ssoft	693kJ	wind from the north-north-east, 7 knots	15°C
Sun 25Oct	43, fair	6 ft9 ssoft	492kJ	wind from the north-north-west, 5 knots	17°C
Mon 26Oct	51, good	7 ft8 ssoft	634kJ	wind from the north, 6 knots	15°C
Tue 27Oct	36, fair	7 ft8 ssoft	576kJ	wind from the north, 11 knots	15°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

Mon 19 Oct
Travel out
Direct flight ORD to LIS, then 3h 55 by road. About 16h 25 door to door
Tue 20 Oct
Rest day
Too small: 5 ft at best.
Wed 21 Oct
Rest day
Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 32 of 80.
Thu 22 Oct
Surf Praia da Barra
Best 10:00 to 13:00 local time: 7 ft at 9 s, wind 3 kn (5 km/h).
Fri 23 Oct
Surf Praia da Barra
Best 10:00 to 13:00 local time: 8 ft at 9 s, wind 10 kn (19 km/h).
Sat 24 Oct
Surf Praia da Barra
Best 10:00 to 13:00 local time: 7 ft at 9 s, wind 7 kn (13 km/h).
Sun 25 Oct
Travel home
Direct flight ORD to LIS, then 3h 55 by road. About 16h 25 door to door

Rough cost

About £730–£1,420 each for 6 nights, 2 people sharing a room. A guide from typical prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book. No town nearby, so no stay is in it.

Rough cost per person for this trip
What	How we worked it out	Each
Flights	return ORD to LIS, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bag	£400–£830
To the UK airport	parking or the train, there and back	£35–£65
Hire car	6 days, shared	£75–£130
Food	7 days eating out	£150–£280
Board and wetsuit	5 days, or about £85 to fly your own	£70–£115
Total		£730–£1,420

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

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Surf lessons · GetYourGuide Board and wetsuit hire · GetYourGuide

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