Vila do Bispo

Vila do Bispo is a quiet market town in the far south-west of the Algarve, the seat of the municipality that also takes in Sagres and Cape St Vincent. Its great advantage for surfers is position: roads run west to the open Atlantic beaches and south to the coves of the south coast, so when one coast is blown out, the other is often clean.

West coast

Castelejo is a very consistent beach break under dark, steep cliffs, reached by a sealed road from town. It picks up swell from SW through N, with W and NW giving the best shape, and works from small peaks up to about head-high. Bigger than that, it turns serious.

Cordoama, just around the corner, is a long white beach of close to 2 km with powerful peaks, an inside bank for smaller days and an outer bank for bigger swells. At low tide you can walk between the two under the cliffs. Both are for intermediates, both face the wind, and both are best early in the day.

South coast

Zavial, below the village of Raposeira, is a quiet swimming beach in summer. In winter, a SW swell or a big W to NW swell wrapping around the cape turns the right off the rocks into a fast, hollow wave for experienced surfers, usually with a local crew in the water. On small days the inside of the bay can work for learners.

When to go

Autumn usually brings the best banks on the west coast, before winter storms rearrange them. December to February is Zavial's window. Summer is small and windy in the afternoons, so surf early.

Getting there

Buses run from Lagos to Vila do Bispo in around half an hour, but they do not reach the beaches. A car is the way to make the most of both coasts. Sagres is a short drive south.