Carcavelos

Lisbon's home break and the most-surfed beach in Portugal. A long stretch of sand between the São Julião fort and the river mouth picks up whatever swell wraps into the Tagus estuary, producing punchy peaks that are gentle at knee-to-waist height and genuinely hollow when a solid west swell arrives. Fifteen minutes by train from the city centre, so it is permanently busy and permanently full of surf schools. Water quality can suffer after heavy rain.