A surf trip guide to Ericeira with teens

Ericeira is a classic Portuguese fisherman’s village that also happens to have some of the best waves in Europe. Since 2011 it’s been the rightful owner of the title ‘Europe’s only World Surfing Reserve’.

Located just a 30 minute drive from Lisbon airport, this town has it all: a beautiful historic centre with great restaurants, and many golden sand beaches with surf spots for all levels. Because Ericeira has a little something for everyone, it’s the perfect place to go on a surf trip with your teens.

Surfing with teens

Maybe your kids have never surfed before, or maybe they’re like a fish in water. Either way they’ll enjoy surfing in Ericeira. There are many surf schools that offer family lessons, so you can all learn and enjoy together. They can also join a group lesson with other kids their age. Surf Riders Ericeira is a local surf school that offers fun lessons every day, for all levels.

Each lesson is around €30 per person, but after 2 lessons they all become €25 each. Prices include board, wetsuit, booties and transfer from and to your guesthouse/hotel.

Surfboard and wetsuit rental

In the center of Ericeira you’ll find multiple surf shops where you can rent (beginner) boards and wetsuits. If you are more advanced, you can take a look at 58 Surf. In this gigantic new surf shop they have so many boards on offer it’s a challenge to choose. If you are looking for a specific or more alternative shape, Magic Quiver is the place to go to.

Prices vary from €15 for ½ day soft top hire, up to €40 per day for a high performance board. Wetsuits start at around €10 for ½ day, boots at €5 for ½ day.

Surf spots

A cool family friendly beach in Ericeira is Foz do Lizandro. Just a couple of minutes driving south, you’ll find this beautiful beach that has a beach break and a reef break. There are multiple bars (try Nalu Bowls and Barbatana), and ample parking. For beginners, this is a good place to surf when swells are small.

Ribeira D’Ilhas is one of Ericeira’s most famous beaches. A world class wave, that works well with almost any wind direction and tide. Lessons are held on the reef with low-tide, for intermediates mid to high tide will be best. This beach has one beach bar, surf school and a big parking area.

Just south of the historic center is Praia do Sul (South Beach), a family friendly beach with some small cafes and a sheltered reef break that works well when swells are a little bigger. Being so close to town, parking is difficult.

If you’re adventurous, have a rental car and some surf experience, there are countless surf spots to discover along the coast. Check out Olá Onda’s Ericeira Surf Spot Guide for all inside info for all spots in the Lisbon-Ericeira-Peniche area.

Accommodation

Olá Onda Guesthouse is located in a quiet neighborhood, just a 10 minute walk from the historic centre and the beach. The perfect place for a holiday with teens, because they can have their own room in the guesthouse, or you can book the family holiday home.

There’s a big garden with a swimming pool, ocean view, lounge areas and enough privacy. The easy walk to town and the beach gives your youngsters enough freedom if they want to go out on their own. Olá Onda offers breakfast every day, and the hosts will provide you with the best local tips for restaurants, bars, hiking trails, surf spots and day trips. Upon request they can arrange all sorts of activities like surf lessons and mountain bike tours.

Restaurants

Being a fisherman’s town, locally-caught fish is always on the menu. And one of the nicest things about Ericeira is there’s lots of small, family-owned restaurants. They serve high quality food and wine, for a very reasonable price. A tip for a local and delicious dish: polvo (octopus, in the picture above).

For fresh fish we recommend you go to Mar D’areia. A classic Portuguese fish restaurant: tv with football playing at all times, paper table cloths, fluorescent lighting and very good food. You can choose your fish yourself, and it’ll go straight on the barbecue just outside the restaurant.

If you want to enjoy the sunset whilst enjoying your food, Mar das Latas is your best choice. They have an A-location and a great selection of regional wines. For lunch or cocktails, check out Sunset Bamboo Bar on the centre square in town. In the mood for drinks after dinner, or a little dance? Go to Adega Bar 1987 and you’ll not be disappointed.

Weather

The climate in this part of the west coast of Portugal is mild in general, winters are not too cold and summers not too warm. The temperature of the Atlantic ocean is around 17 degrees in summertime (so bring a full wetsuit). April to October is the best time to travel to Ericeira. In these months, it’s usually sunny and dry. Nevertheless, the cold Atlantic has its impact on the weather. It can get very foggy and humid, even in summer. And nights always cool down, so don’t forget to bring your sweater.

Fun activities for non surfers

Even if you don’t like surfing, Ericeira has a lot of other fun things on offer. Taking a family mountain biking trip is our number one tip, for an activity that you and your teens will remember. Ericeira Bike offers tours for all levels, beginner to advanced. It is a great way to see more of the surroundings, while being active and together as a family.

The Ericeira area also offers a lot of great sightseeing. Go south and explore Portugal’s colourful capital, or the many castles in the magical forest of Sintra. Go north and you’ll find the medieval town Óbidos or the surfers mecca Peniche. Even more north you can witness the world’s biggest waves at Nazaré.

Getting there

Fly to the international airport in Lisbon, rent a car, take the A8 Oeste and within 30 minutes you’ll be in Ericeira. It’s that easy! If you don’t want to rent a car, you can take a taxi (€50-€80) or if you have enough time, take public transport. In that case you’ll have to take the metro from the airport to Campo Grande (€1,50 pp) and there you can take the direct bus to Ericeira (€6,35 pp).