The Algarve has over 100 miles of coastline with some of Europe’s most dramatic surfing beaches and something to offer all surfers from starters to experts. The Algarve has very similar surfing conditions to those in southern California and delivers a decent-sized surf peak. The town of Lagos is a surfer magnet. It’s not just the waves, the laid-back and friendly atmosphere attracts surfers from all over the world.
Lagos has two main surfing beaches, Porto de Mos (beach and reef break) and Meia Praia (beach break). You’ll find many surf schools and rentals in Lagos. A great thing about Lagos is its geographical location. Lagos is protected from big Atlantic swells and when no waves are hitting the south coast, it’s easy to drive around the corner of Portugal to the west coast. This makes Lagos a perfect place to stay for all surf levels as bigger west coast swells are just a half an hour’s drive away. With smaller waves most of the time this is a great place to learn and very popular with the surf schools.
Besides the surfing beaches in Lagos, you’ll find many good surfing beaches within a 10-30 minute drive like Praia da Luz, Praia do Zavial, Tonel and Beliche (Sagres) and several beautiful surfing beaches on the west coast. If you’re not an advanced surfer, you can take a surf safari or a guided surf session to explore the best surfing beaches around.