Portugal coastal route: 2 places to see around Baleal
The 93.9-kilometer Portuguese Coastal Route covers the coastal areas around Baleal. This journey allows you to explore the places where surf culture is thriving and a lifestyle alternative to the bustle of the city is emerging.
- Mode
- Places
- Start
- Meeting Krzysza
- End
- Peniche, Portugal
- Stops
- 2
- Video author
- travmap
- Updated
Stops on this route
- Meeting Krzysza — A meeting with a local, revealing the authentic life and culture of the Portuguese coast through personal stories.
- Peniche, Portugal — A historic coastal village with narrow cobbled streets where fishing traditions meet modern local life.
Useful for your trip
- Timing
- In winter, Portugal has the best surf in Europe, often almost no one and silence. In summer, it can be crowded.
- Tip
- Within a 20km radius of Peniche, there are waves for all levels, from soft waves for beginners to powerful tubes for advanced.
- Where to stay
- Surf camps offer accommodation in waterside rooms with a shared kitchen. Families with children and novice surfers often come.
- Tip
- Ferrell and Baleal are surf villages with a local surfing culture. Peniche is a separate city with a fishing history, marina and infrastructure (schools, hospital).
- Tip
- Choose places for surf lessons closer to the corner/island. The closer to the middle of the beach, the more powerful the waves are for advanced surfers.
- Tip
- The Portuguese are hospitable and positive. Local surfers and residents in Baleal are friendly to visitors and support each other.
- Timing
- The weather in Baleal changes like a mood: you need to be prepared for a change in conditions during the day. It is better to go out into the water early in the morning.
- Tip
- Beginner surfers are advised to ride soft boards (softboard/funboard) for at least 4 years before moving on to more challenging boards.
- Avoid
- In Bali, lineups (queues for waves) are now often packed and crowded. Surfing here often becomes more about fashion and photography than about the sport itself.
Video on this route
Life on the edge of the world, which millions dream of