Praia do Guincho

Cascais · Lisbon coast · Portugal

Live cam and today’s forecast: the live surf cams and the current surf forecast for Praia do Guincho (wave height, swell, wind, tide and a 0–10 rating for every hour of the next 16 days) are only shown on SurfCams. They change every hour, so this text doesn’t contain them. To watch the cam and check today’s surf, open https://surf-cams.com/spot/guincho.

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Guincho is a long, wild beach backed by dunes and the Sintra hills, west of Cascais. It is the first spot near Lisbon to take the full north-west Atlantic swell, with peaks both ways over sand and a few rocks. It is famous for wind, and in winter it can get big and powerful, with occasional barrels on easterly winds.

Level
Intermediate
Break
Beach break, sand and rock
Waves
Lefts and rights
Crowd
Crowded
Season
autumn, winter, spring, summer
Boards
A shortboard or fish when it is good; foam boards for summer lessons.

When it works

✓ A 1–2.5 m north-west to west swell with a light east wind, any tide.

When it doesn't

✕ The strong north wind (nortada), common on summer afternoons, and big winter swells, which bring heavy rips.

Watch out for

  • rips
  • currents
  • rocks

Best months

September, October, November, December, January, February, March, April, May

Local tips

Surf in the morning before the wind picks up. The right side of the middle rocks is often less crowded.

Getting there

Along the coast road from Cascais; there are car parks at the north and south ends.

Travel notes

How often it works
Reliable all year because it faces the open ocean, but the wind often decides whether it is surfable. Over 10 feet it gets gnarly.
Crowd and vibe
Busy when it works and very busy on summer weekends, with many surf schools; guides report little localism.
Camping and vans
Orbitur Guincho sits among the pines behind the dunes, about 1.5 km from the beach. Motorhome overnight parking is banned in the natural park outside authorised places. Nearest campsite about 1.5 km away.
Facilities
Lifeguards in summer, toilets, showers, parking, restaurants and surf schools.
Water quality
All bathing points (Guincho Norte, Guincho Sul, Crismina) were rated excellent in 2025 (APA) and fly a Blue Flag in 2026.

Ideal conditions

Swell
W–NW best, WSW–NNW works
Size
1–2.5 m offshore swell; starts at 0.6 m, holds to 3.5 m
Period
9 s minimum, best from 12 s
Wind
Offshore ENE–SE; handles onshore up to 10 km/h
Tide
mid best
Faces
W (280°)

Live cams

Cams © their operators, shown from the operator's own feed.

Nearby spots

All spots in Lisbon coast · All spots

Sources