Swell Cabin › Europe › Portugal
Figueira da Foz surf guide
Seaside city at the Mondego river mouth with Cabedelo's right and the long Buarcos point, one of the longest rights in Portugal when a big swell wraps in.
- Location
- Coimbra District, Portugal (40.1486, -8.8691)
- Best season
- Sep – Mar: September, October, November, December, January, February, March
- Water temperature
- 13–19°C (3/2 mm (warmest) to 5/4 mm + boots (coldest))
- Waves
- Point break, Beach break
- Suits
- Intermediate, Advanced surfers
Live surf cams in Figueira da Foz
- Praia da Tocha: MEO Beachcam, free
- Cabedelo: MEO Beachcam, free
- Praia do Cabedelo: Surftotal, free
Surf spots in Figueira da Foz
- Praia da Tocha: Beach break, lefts and rights, all levels, faces WNW (offshore wind from the ESE), best at all tides. Suits all levels. (40.3298, -8.8446)
What's on in Figueira da Foz
Figueira da Foz is a classic Portuguese beach resort: busy and late in summer, much quieter in winter. Year-round, the Casino Figueira and the CAE arts centre carry most of the evening programme (concerts, films and shows), with bars around the centre and the Buarcos seafront.
Upcoming events
- 2026-11-14: Paulo de Carvalho at Casino Figueira
- 2026-11-20: Festa do Cinema Francês at CAE – Centro de Artes e Espectáculos
- 2026-11-21: Fingertips: O Outro Lado da História at Casino Figueira
- 2026-12-19: Delfins: U Outro Lado at CAE – Centro de Artes e Espectáculos
- 2026-12-20: Kiaius Sky Race at Praia de Quiaios
Updated 2026-11-04.
Where to stay in Figueira da Foz
102 places to stay within 10 km: 52 hotel, 13 hostel, 12 guest house, 7 camp site, 6 bed and breakfast, 6 surf camp, 5 holiday rental, 1 caravan site. Compare them by distance to the nearest surf spot on the interactive map.
Surf camps: Single Fin iSurf Hostel, Figueira Surfcamp, Janga Surfcamp, SURFinn Figueira da Foz, We Surf House, Wave Nest Surfcamp.
Hostels: Pensão al Bela Figueira, Pensão Central, Hostel 402, Casa Flamingo, Meeting Hostel, Greenwave Hostel.
Cafés, food and surf shops
93 cafés and bakeries, 256 restaurants and bars, 5 surf schools and 3 surf shops nearby. Surf schools: iSurf Club, Dude Surf School, Cova, Buarcos Surf Academy, Praia da Murtinheira.
Frequently asked questions
When is the best time to surf in Figueira da Foz?
The best surf season in Figueira da Foz is Sep – Mar (September, October, November, December, January, February, March). The sea ranges from 13°C to 19°C over the year.
Which months have the most good surf days in Figueira da Foz?
Measured over the last three years (2023-11-01 to 2026-10-31), the waves at Figueira da Foz's best spot were good or better most often in December (54% of days, 30% great), November (47% of days, 17% great) and October (49% of days, 12% great), and least often in July (5%). From each day's swell and wind (Open-Meteo), rated like Swell Cabin's forecast.
Do I need a wetsuit in Figueira da Foz?
Water temperature in Figueira da Foz is 13–19°C: 3/2 mm (warmest) to 5/4 mm + boots (coldest).
Is Figueira da Foz good for beginner surfers?
Figueira da Foz is better for intermediate and advanced surfers, though Praia da Tocha can suit all levels on smaller days.
What are the surf spots in Figueira da Foz?
Figueira da Foz has 1 surf spots on Swell Cabin: Praia da Tocha (Beach break, lefts and rights, all levels, faces WNW (offshore wind from the ESE), best at all tides).
Where should surfers stay in Figueira da Foz?
Swell Cabin lists 102 places to stay within 10 km of Figueira da Foz, including 6 surf camps such as Single Fin iSurf Hostel, Figueira Surfcamp, Janga Surfcamp and SURFinn Figueira da Foz, 13 hostels, 12 guesthouses and homestays, 5 rentals and villas. Each one shows its distance to the nearest surf spot.
What is the nightlife like in Figueira da Foz?
Figueira da Foz is a classic Portuguese beach resort: busy and late in summer, much quieter in winter. Year-round, the Casino Figueira and the CAE arts centre carry most of the evening programme (concerts, films and shows), with bars around the centre and the Buarcos seafront.
What is the surf forecast for Figueira da Foz this week?
Swell Cabin shows a live 7-day surf forecast for Figueira da Foz and each of its 1 surf spots on https://swellcabin.com/town/figueira-da-foz: 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 Figueira da Foz?
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 Figueira da Foz weighs each spot's tide hour by hour and shows the best window each day with the high and low tide times (approximate: there is no tide gauge near the town).
How accurate is the surf forecast for Figueira da Foz?
Swell Cabin checks it against the Monican02 buoy (72 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 Figueira da Foz surf forecast checked against measurements?
Yes. The open water off Figueira da Foz is checked against the satellite altimeters (Copernicus Marine's near-real-time wave heights): 39 satellite passes within 100 km since 2026-09-23, typically 38 km out, put the forecast wave height within 20% of the measurement 100% of the time. Of the three wave models compared, ECMWF 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 2026-11-03.
How reliable is Swell Cabin's information about Figueira da Foz?
Trust in this page's data is low (48/100): the town has not been verified against sources in the last 12 months; 0 of 1 spots fully verified, 1 with a researched tide; season and water temperature checked against measured data; 2 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 Figueira da Foz?
Yes: Praia da Tocha on MEO Beachcam (free); Cabedelo on MEO Beachcam (free); Praia do Cabedelo on Surftotal (free). Swell Cabin checks these cams regularly.
Where can I take surf lessons in Figueira da Foz?
Surf schools in and around Figueira da Foz include iSurf Club, Dude Surf School, Cova, Buarcos Surf Academy and Praia da Murtinheira.
Nearby surf towns
- Nazaré, Portugal (best Oct – Mar)
- Espinho, Portugal (best Sep – Mar)
- Peniche & Baleal, Portugal (best Sep – Apr)
- Matosinhos, Portugal (best Sep – Apr)
- Santa Cruz, Portugal (best Sep – Apr)
- Ericeira, Portugal (best Sep – Apr)
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