# Ericeira surf guide Europe's first World Surfing Reserve: a whitewashed fishing village with a run of world-class right-hand reefs (Coxos, Ribeira d'Ilhas, Pedra Branca) just north of town. - **Location:** Lisbon District, Portugal (38.9627, -9.4155) - **Best season:** Sep – Apr (September, October, November, December, January, February, March, April) - **Water:** 14–20°C (3/2 mm (warmest) to 4/3 mm (coldest)) - **Waves:** Reef break, Point break, Beach break - **Suits:** Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced surfers - **Interactive map, stays and what's on:** https://swellcabin.com/town/ericeira - **Feed (new YouTube surf videos and Instagram posts from Ericeira):** https://swellcabin.com/town/ericeira?feed ## Live surf cams - [Ribeira d'Ilhas](https://beachcam.meo.pt/livecams/ribeira-dilhas/): MEO Beachcam, free - [São Julião](https://beachcam.meo.pt/livecams/sao-juliao/) (Sao Juliao): MEO Beachcam, free - [Praia do Sul](https://beachcam.meo.pt/livecams/ericeira-praia-do-sul/): MEO Beachcam, free - [Matadouro](https://beachcam.meo.pt/livecams/matadouro/): MEO Beachcam, free - [Foz do Lizandro](https://beachcam.meo.pt/livecams/foz-do-lizandro/): MEO Beachcam, free - [Praia das Maçãs](https://beachcam.meo.pt/livecams/praia-das-macas/) (Praia das Maçás): MEO Beachcam, free - [Praia Grande](https://beachcam.meo.pt/livecams/praia-grande/) (Praia Grande Sintra): MEO Beachcam, free - [Ericeira town beaches](https://beachcam.meo.pt/livecams/ericeira/): MEO Beachcam, free ## Surf clips - [Surfing Ericeira: Ribeira d'Ilhas, Coxos, Cave, Pedra Branca, Algodio | With aerial drone shots](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZwRbIdB8Fo) (Matt Niederer on YouTube) - [Surfing Praia Ribeira d'Ilhas - Surf in Ericeira Portugal - World Surfing Reserve](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kY6jskCxzK8) (Haroun Cherif on YouTube): Ribeira d'Ilhas - [Surfing at Praia Ribeira D'Ilhas Ericeira video #1 HD](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=onaFeh_0tgA) (rlage3 on YouTube): Ribeira d'Ilhas - [PERFECT AND BIG WAVES - ERICEIRA W.S.R. - Surf Coxos](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGR-AWXU8A4) (Ericeira TV on YouTube): Coxos - [HEAVY COXOS - RAWFILES - 08/FEB/2023 - 4K](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRyhX3xN_bM) (Surf Raw Files on YouTube): Coxos ## Surf spots - **Praia do Sul**: Beach break, lefts and rights, all levels, faces WSW (offshore wind from the ENE), best at all tides. Suits all levels. (38.9589, -9.4164) - **Matadouro**: Reef break, lefts and rights, all levels, faces W (offshore wind from the E), best at mid tide. Suits all levels. (38.9761, -9.4211) - **Foz do Lizandro**: Beach break, lefts and rights, beginner surfers, faces WNW (offshore wind from the ESE), best at low to mid tide, dropping (38.9429, -9.4183) - **Ribeira d'Ilhas**: Point break, right-hander, all levels, faces WSW (offshore wind from the ENE), best at mid tide. Suits all levels. (38.9881, -9.4227) - **Sao Juliao**: Beach break, lefts and rights, all levels, faces W (offshore wind from the E), best at all tides. Suits all levels. (38.9343, -9.4204) - **Coxos**: Reef break, right-hander, advanced surfers, faces WSW (offshore wind from the ENE), best at low to mid tide (39.0013, -9.4279) - **Praia das Maçás**: Beach break, lefts and rights, advanced surfers, faces WNW (offshore wind from the ESE), best at low tide (38.8269, -9.4720) - **Praia Grande Sintra**: Beach break, lefts and rights, all levels, faces WNW (offshore wind from the ESE), best at all tides. Suits all levels. (38.8161, -9.4791) ## What's on Low-key and local: nights are bar-hopping around Jogo da Bola, with tiny bars like Tubo and Adega where the crowd spills onto the street, jazz and blues at Ponto Sete, sunset drinks at Big Waves Bar, and Ouriço, one of Portugal's oldest clubs, for late dancing. Few fixed weekly nights: check venues' Instagram, or ask in Ericeira's Facebook groups. Upcoming: 2026-12-13 Trail Winter Challenge at Vila Galé Ericeira _Updated 2026-11-02._ ## Where to stay 226 places to stay within 10 km. Surf camps: Ericeira Surf Camp, Magic Quiver Surf Lodge, Amar Hostel, Suites and Surf Camp, Ericeira surf house, MagikVanilla Surfcamp, Hostel & SurfCamp 55, Laneez Ericeira Surf House, Chill In Surfhouse Ericeira. Hostels: Olive3 Hostel, Amar Hostel, Selina Boavista Ericeira, Oyriceira Beach Hostel, Lufada Salgada Lda, Ericeira Hostel & SPA. ## FAQ ### When is the best time to surf in Ericeira? The best surf season in Ericeira is Sep – Apr (September, October, November, December, January, February, March, April). The sea ranges from 14°C to 20°C over the year. ### Which months have the most good surf days in Ericeira? Measured over the last three years (2023-11-01 to 2026-10-31), the waves at Ericeira's best spot were good or better most often in December (77% of days, 53% great), October (72% of days, 38% great) and November (69% of days, 36% great), and least often in July (13%). From each day's swell and wind (Open-Meteo), rated like Swell Cabin's forecast. ### Do I need a wetsuit in Ericeira? Water temperature in Ericeira is 14–20°C: 3/2 mm (warmest) to 4/3 mm (coldest). ### Is Ericeira good for beginner surfers? Yes. Ericeira suits beginner, intermediate and advanced surfers; spots that work for beginners or all levels include Praia do Sul, Matadouro, Foz do Lizandro, Ribeira d'Ilhas and Sao Juliao. ### What are the surf spots in Ericeira? Ericeira has 8 surf spots on Swell Cabin: Praia do Sul (Beach break, lefts and rights, all levels, faces WSW (offshore wind from the ENE), best at all tides); Matadouro (Reef break, lefts and rights, all levels, faces W (offshore wind from the E), best at mid tide); Foz do Lizandro (Beach break, lefts and rights, beginner surfers, faces WNW (offshore wind from the ESE), best at low to mid tide, dropping); Ribeira d'Ilhas (Point break, right-hander, all levels, faces WSW (offshore wind from the ENE), best at mid tide); Sao Juliao (Beach break, lefts and rights, all levels, faces W (offshore wind from the E), best at all tides); Coxos (Reef break, right-hander, advanced surfers, faces WSW (offshore wind from the ENE), best at low to mid tide); Praia das Maçás (Beach break, lefts and rights, advanced surfers, faces WNW (offshore wind from the ESE), best at low tide); Praia Grande Sintra (Beach break, lefts and rights, all levels, faces WNW (offshore wind from the ESE), best at all tides). ### Where should surfers stay in Ericeira? Swell Cabin lists 226 places to stay within 10 km of Ericeira, including 25 surf camps such as Ericeira Surf Camp, Magic Quiver Surf Lodge, Amar Hostel, Suites and Surf Camp and Ericeira surf house, 16 hostels, 27 guesthouses and homestays, 31 rentals and villas. Each one shows its distance to the nearest surf spot. ### What is the nightlife like in Ericeira? Low-key and local: nights are bar-hopping around Jogo da Bola, with tiny bars like Tubo and Adega where the crowd spills onto the street, jazz and blues at Ponto Sete, sunset drinks at Big Waves Bar, and Ouriço, one of Portugal's oldest clubs, for late dancing. Few fixed weekly nights: check venues' Instagram, or ask in Ericeira's Facebook groups. ### What is the surf forecast for Ericeira this week? Swell Cabin shows a live 7-day surf forecast for Ericeira and each of its 8 surf spots on https://swellcabin.com/town/ericeira: each spot rated hour by hour (Flat, Poor, Fair, Good, Great or Epic) from the way its coast faces, the swell, its period, the wind and the tide, with the best time each day and why, the size in surfers' words (e.g. "chest to head high, clean"), tides, and how sure the forecast is (three wave models compared). It is checked live against the nearest buoy and airport wind reports where there are any, and refreshed every few hours (waves from Open-Meteo, wind from MET Norway). ### When is the best tide to surf in Ericeira? It depends on the spot: shallow reefs usually want mid to high tide, most beach breaks work best around mid tide. Swell Cabin's forecast for Ericeira weighs each spot's tide hour by hour and shows the best window each day with the high and low tide times, predicted from the Cascais tide gauge (30 km away). ### How accurate is the surf forecast for Ericeira? Swell Cabin checks it against the Monican02 buoy (69 km away, E.U. Copernicus Marine Service): over 297 hours from 2026-10-23 to 2026-11-05 the forecast wave height was within 20% of the buoy 98% of the time. Last checked 2026-11-05. ### Is the Ericeira surf forecast checked against measurements? Yes. The open water off Ericeira is checked against the satellite altimeters (Copernicus Marine's near-real-time wave heights): 55 satellite passes within 100 km since 2026-09-23, typically 52 km out, put the forecast wave height within 20% of the measurement 100% of the time. Of the three wave models compared, Météo-France has been the closest to the satellites here. Nearer the coast, the buoy above decides the correction. Generated using E.U. Copernicus Marine Service Information (https://doi.org/10.48670/moi-00179). Last checked 2026-11-05. ### How reliable is Swell Cabin's information about Ericeira? Trust in this page's data is medium (55/100): the town has not been verified against sources in the last 12 months; 0 of 8 spots fully verified, 8 with a researched tide; season and water temperature checked against measured data; no open audit warnings. How we check: https://github.com/danielgalam/swellcabin/blob/main/docs/data-accuracy.md Last checked against sources on 2026-11-05. Every value comes from measured data (Open-Meteo, buoys), open databases (OpenStreetMap, Wikidata) or a published page we opened, never from visitor reports; a daily audit compares them and a weekly evaluation measures the error rate (https://github.com/danielgalam/swellcabin/blob/main/docs/data-quality.md). ### Is there a live surf cam in Ericeira? Yes: Ribeira d'Ilhas on MEO Beachcam (free); São Julião (Sao Juliao) on MEO Beachcam (free); Praia do Sul on MEO Beachcam (free); Matadouro on MEO Beachcam (free); Foz do Lizandro on MEO Beachcam (free); Praia das Maçãs (Praia das Maçás) on MEO Beachcam (free); Praia Grande (Praia Grande Sintra) on MEO Beachcam (free); Ericeira town beaches on MEO Beachcam (free). Swell Cabin checks these cams regularly. ### Where can I take surf lessons in Ericeira? Surf schools in and around Ericeira include Ericeira Surf, Hurley Surf Club Ericeira, Surfschule TrêsOndas Ericeira, 3Surfers Surf School, Escola Surfada Ericeira and Surf Riders Ericeira.