Portugal surf guide

Surfing Nazaré

Home of the biggest rideable waves on the planet

Plan a trip that includes Nazaré

The waves at Nazaré

Nazaré (Praia do Norte)

  • Big Wave
  • Expert
  • 10 – 100+ ft
  • Oct-Mar
  • Crowd 2/5

39.6033, -9.0705 · Big NW groundswell; the Nazaré submarine canyon focuses and amplifies it like almost nowhere else on Earth

Best time to surf Nazaré

Nazaré works best around Oct-Apr. See the full month-by-month breakdown for Portugal.

Best time to surf Portugal →

Nazaré: common questions

When is the best time to surf Nazaré?

Nazaré works best from October to April. By spot: Nazaré (Praia do Norte), October to March.

Is Nazaré good for beginners?

Not really. The waves at Nazaré are for expert surfers, so beginners are better off in other parts of Portugal.

What kind of waves are there at Nazaré?

We map 1 spot at Nazaré: big wave (1).

One strange surf spot a week

The Lineup: hippos that surf in Gabon, waves under smoking volcanoes in Kamchatka, one weird break in a weird place every week. No spam, always free.

Nearby surf spots