Trip guide

Winter sun surf trip

Cádiz, the Algarve, Madeira and the Canaries, from November to March

When the north of Europe is dark, cold and stormy, the far south-west still has mild days and the same Atlantic swells. Cádiz and the Algarve are a drive apart and give sandy beaches, points and reefs with winter water around 15–17 °C. Further out, Madeira and the Canary Islands sit far enough south that the sea stays around 18–19 °C all winter and a 3/2 mm suit is often enough.

This guide moves from the mainland out to the islands: from El Palmar and Caños de Meca to Sagres and Lagos, then by air to Madeira, Gran Canaria, Tenerife, Fuerteventura and Lanzarote. You do not have to do it all; each area makes a trip on its own. Every stop is a spot on the SurfCams map with its forecast, and the Porto de Mós stop near Lagos also has a live cam.

At a glance

🌡️ Water: Mainland 15–17 °C · islands 18–19 °C
From January to March the sea averages about 15–16 °C around Cádiz and Lagos. Around Funchal it is about 18–19 °C, on Lanzarote about 18 °C and on Tenerife about 19 °C.
🧥 Wetsuit: 4/3 mm mainland, 3/2 mm islands
A 4/3 mm in Cádiz and the Algarve in midwinter. On the Canaries a 3/2 mm full suit is the usual choice; on Madeira a 3/2 mm with boots or a 4/3 mm in the coldest weeks. Bring booties for the reefs everywhere.
🌊 Swell: W–NW storm swells, Nov–Mar
North Atlantic storms send west to north-west swells south through the winter. The Canaries, Madeira's north coast and the Algarve's west coast catch most of them; Cádiz and the Algarve's south coast need the bigger or more westerly ones.
🌬️ Wind: Levante in Cádiz, trades on the islands
In Cádiz the east wind, the levante, blows offshore on the west-facing beaches but can be far too strong near Tarifa. On the Canaries and Madeira the north-east trade wind blows through the year and is usually lightest in the morning.
☀️ Air: Highs ~16–17 °C mainland, 20–22 °C islands
Average winter highs are about 16–17 °C in Cádiz and Faro, 20–21 °C in Funchal and 21–22 °C on Lanzarote. Rain comes in spells: Faro's wettest month is December, and Funchal gets around a dozen rainy days a month in winter.

When to go

November to March is the heart of the season in all four areas. The Canary Islands tourist board names autumn and winter as the best time to surf there, The Surf Atlas rates October to March as the Algarve's best months, a surf school in El Palmar recommends October to April, and October to February is the most consistent stretch on Madeira.

Winter here is mild, not tropical. The mainland gets cool, wet spells between fronts, and the islands get rain on their north coasts, which are also the coasts with the waves. The famous reefs stay busy whenever they work, so the quieter beaches nearby are worth knowing.

How it works

Cádiz and the Algarve make one road trip: base yourself in El Palmar, then in Sagres or Lagos, and follow the swell and wind each day. In Sagres you can choose between the west-facing coast, which takes almost every swell, and the south-facing coves, which only wake up when a big swell wraps around the cape but stay clean in a north wind.

The islands are separate trips joined by flights. Binter flies daily between Gran Canaria and Funchal and links all the Canary Islands, and ferries run from Gran Canaria to Tenerife and from Fuerteventura to Lanzarote. Rent a car on each island, as the spots are spread along coast roads. Wild camping is not allowed on the Canaries, and Madeira has a single campsite, so plan on rooms rather than a van.

Which one suits you

The Canaries are the warmest and most consistent, with the widest choice: beaches like Famara and Las Canteras for learning, and some of Europe's best reefs for experts, along with some of its strongest localism. Madeira is mostly rock and boulder waves for confident surfers, with very few easy spots and quiet line-ups. The Algarve has the most options for mixed groups, with sheltered beaches and schools on both coasts.

Cádiz is the one you can drive to, but it is the most fickle. It sits in Portugal's swell shadow and needs a strong Atlantic low, and when a swell does come, El Palmar is busy. If you can only go for a week and want the best odds of waves, the islands are the safer bet.

The route

Cádiz and Huelva

El Palmar's long beach, the quieter sand at Zahora and the reef at Caños de Meca, all within a short drive of each other and best with a west swell and a light levante.

Algarve

The surf town of Sagres between two coasts, with the south-facing coves of Zavial and Lagos for the big north-west swells of winter.

Madeira

Steep, green and rocky, with the consistent north-coast peaks of Porto da Cruz and São Vicente and the famous boulder point at Jardim do Mar.

Western Canaries

The city beach of Las Palmas in Gran Canaria and the warm, busy reefs of southern Tenerife.

Lanzarote and Fuerteventura

The barren North Shore of Fuerteventura, El Cotillo's west-facing beach and Famara's long beach below the cliffs.

15 spots

  1. El Palmar

    Stop 1

    Vejer de la Frontera · Cádiz and Huelva · Beginner · Beach break

    Start at the heart of Andalusian surfing: more than 4 km of sandbar peaks below Vejer, with schools and rental behind the beach. It needs a west to south-west swell; mornings and evenings are often glassy.

  2. Zahora

    Stop 2

    Barbate · Cádiz and Huelva · Intermediate · Beach break

    A few minutes south of El Palmar, with waves as good as its neighbour and only a handful of surfers. Watch for the rock patches between the sandy peaks.

  3. Los Caños de Meca

    Stop 3

    Barbate · Cádiz and Huelva · Advanced · Reef break

    Advanced surfers only. A short, hollow left over reef in front of the village, sheltered from the west wind by Cabo de Trafalgar. It starts working when El Palmar has good size; wear booties and wait your turn.

  4. Sagres – Tonel

    Stop 4

    Sagres · Algarve · Intermediate · Beach break · live cam

    Drive west to Sagres. The bay below the fort picks up almost every Atlantic swell and is rarely crowded, with a powerful peak by the central rock on bigger days. Mind the currents around the rock as the tide drops.

  5. Sagres – Mareta

    Stop 5

    Sagres · Algarve · Beginner · Beach break

    The town beach faces south and is sheltered from the north and west winds. When a big swell wraps around the cape, it gives easy sandy peaks, and it is where the Sagres schools go when Tonel is too big or blown out.

  6. Praia do Zavial

    Stop 6

    Vila do Bispo · Algarve · Advanced · Point break

    A south-facing cove east of Sagres whose right point throws fast barrels on big north-west swells, for advanced surfers, with a strong local crew. Learners stay at the easier east end.

  7. Lagos – Porto de Mós

    Stop 7

    Lagos · Algarve · Intermediate · Reef break · live cam

    A cliff-lined bay near Lagos where a rock reef gives long, glassy shoulders, but only on the biggest north-west swells. Check the cam on a big winter day; the reef is shallow and covered in urchins, so wear booties.

  8. Porto da Cruz – Maiata

    Stop 8

    Machico · Madeira · Intermediate · Reef break · live cam

    Fly to Madeira and start on the north-east coast, where punchy rights and lefts break over rock near the promenade. One of the island's two surf hubs, fine for improving surfers on small days.

  9. São Vicente – Fajã da Areia

    Stop 9

    São Vicente · Madeira · Intermediate · Reef break · live cam

    Madeira's most consistent wave and the island's best for intermediates: a peak over cobbles with longer, hollower rights. It is the locals' favourite, so it gets busy at weekends; surf it around mid tide.

  10. Jardim do Mar

    Stop 10

    Calheta · Madeira · Expert · Point break · live cam

    Experts only. The boulder point that put Madeira on the surf map, holding big winter swells for a short window around low tide. For most visitors this is a stop to watch from the village.

  11. La Cícer (Las Canteras)

    Stop 11

    Las Palmas de Gran Canaria · Western Canaries · Beginner · Beach break

    Fly to Gran Canaria for the south end of Las Canteras, the city beach of Las Palmas, where waves break on most winter days and many schools teach. Go early, before the lessons and the afternoon wind.

  12. La Izquierda (Spanish Left)

    Stop 12

    Playa de Las Américas · Western Canaries · Advanced · Reef break

    Take the ferry to Tenerife for the island's most famous wave, a long left over lava in the middle of the resort. Small days suit good intermediates, bigger days are for experts, and the local standard is very high.

  13. El Cotillo – Playa del Castillo

    Stop 13

    El Cotillo · Lanzarote and Fuerteventura · Intermediate · Beach break

    Fly to Fuerteventura and drive to El Cotillo, a long west-facing beach that is consistent through the winter. Surf schools use the north end; the south end has better sand and fewer people.

  14. El Hierro

    Stop 14

    Majanicho · Lanzarote and Fuerteventura · Advanced · Reef break

    For advanced surfers: Fuerteventura's most famous spot, a fast, hollow left and a shorter right over volcanic reef on the North Shore. It needs a southerly wind; booties are advised.

  15. Playa de Famara

    Stop 15

    Caleta de Famara · Lanzarote and Fuerteventura · Beginner · Beach break

    Take the ferry to Lanzarote and finish on the long beach below the Famara cliffs, one of the most consistent beaches in the Canaries in winter, with room for every level. Surf in the morning, before the trade wind, and mind the strong currents.

Tips from the line-up

  1. Pick one or two areas for a week rather than all four; the flights and ferries eat into surf time.
  2. Bring booties: from Caños de Meca to Madeira and the Canaries, many of the best waves break over rock, lava and urchins.
  3. Surf early. The levante in Cádiz and the trade wind on the islands usually build through the day.
  4. At the famous reefs, from Zavial to La Izquierda and El Hierro, watch first, sit wide and let the locals have the sets.
  5. Pack a rain jacket and a warm layer: winter here is mild, but fronts still bring rain and cool evenings.
  6. Book rooms rather than counting on a van: wild camping is banned on the Canaries, Madeira has only one campsite, and much of the Algarve's west coast is a natural park.

Sources