Map › Portugal › Lagoa de Albufeira › Bico das Lulas, Tróia
Alentejo · Península de Tróia, Grândola · Setúbal · Tróia
Bico das Lulas, Tróia
also known as Praia Tróia-Bico das Lulas, Praia Bico das Lulas, Troia
Nearby Comporta 14 km · Praia do Carvalhal 23 km · Praia do Meco 24 km · Praia do Pego 25 km · Lagoa de Albufeira 25 km · Fonte da Telha 26 km · Praia da Bela Vista 28 km · Praia Nova Vaga 28 km · Moinhos / Alcochete 29 km · Cova do Vapor 36 km · straight-line distance
When it fills in
No onset time is published for this spot.
The wind
locals call it Nortada
Direction
Kite sizes
metres · typical quiver highlighted
Character
mixed
Typical strength
Around 15 knots almost every day is reported in summer thermal conditions; NW rarely exceeds Beaufort 5.
Thermal or synoptic
both
The quiver, in words
10-14 m
Direction to shore
NW is cross-shore at Praia Bico das Lulas. South through west are the best directions across the wider Tróia stretch, and the exact shore angle depends on whether you are on the Atlantic beach, the river mouth or the inside bays.
Dominant direction
N, S, SW, W, NW
Forecast
Month by month
- Jan, riders' month19
- Feb, riders' month25
- Mar, riders' month21
- Apr10
- May19
- Jun, riders' month15
- Jul, riders' month16
- Aug, riders' month32
- Sep17
- Oct16
- Nov, riders' month12
- Dec, riders' month10
windy days per month (3 h+ at 12 kn+)
Ringed months are the ones riders and schools name: Jan, Feb, Mar, Jun, Jul, Aug, Nov, Dec.
- 19%Jan16°
- 25%Feb15°
- 21%Mar15°
- 10%Apr16°
- 19%May17°
- 15%Jun19°
- 16%Jul18°
- 32%Aug18°
- 17%Sep17°
- 16%Oct19°
- 12%Nov18°
- 10%Dec16°
windy days per month (3 h+ at 12 kn+) · water °C below · season highlighted
| Month | Windy days | Force 4+ | 12 kn or more | Knots | From | Peaks at | Air | Water | Readings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 19% | 31% | 26% | 8.8 kt | N | 14:00 | 11.9°C | 15.5°C | 62 |
| Feb | 25% | 30% | 26% | 9.5 kt | N | 14:00 | 12.9°C | 15.3°C | 57 |
| Mar | 21% | 35% | 27% | 10.2 kt | WNW | 15:00 | 14.1°C | 15.2°C | 62 |
| Apr | 10% | 32% | 18% | 9.6 kt | NNW | 17:00 | 16.7°C | 16.4°C | 60 |
| May | 19% | 60% | 35% | 11.4 kt | NNW | 18:00 | 19.4°C | 16.6°C | 62 |
| Jun | 15% | 43% | 28% | 10.7 kt | NNW | 18:00 | 21.3°C | 18.8°C | 60 |
| Jul | 16% | 45% | 37% | 10.6 kt | NNW | 18:00 | 23.9°C | 18.4°C | 62 |
| Aug | 32% | 56% | 44% | 11.6 kt | NNW | 18:00 | 23.6°C | 17.6°C | 62 |
| Sep | 17% | 27% | 20% | 9.7 kt | NNW | 18:00 | 21.2°C | 17.3°C | 60 |
| Oct | 16% | 32% | 26% | 9.9 kt | WSW | 15:00 | 19.6°C | 18.9°C | 62 |
| Nov | 12% | 25% | 15% | 8.6 kt | NNE | 14:00 | 15.8°C | 17.7°C | 60 |
| Dec | 10% | 23% | 15% | 8 kt | NNE | 15:00 | 12.8°C | 16.4°C | 62 |
modelled
A weather model's cell over this place, not a station on it. Good for comparing places, weaker for one beach.
Modelled from the operational forecast archive at 1.5–7 km (2023-2024), daylight hours only, not a ground station: it resolves thermal, lake and valley winds far better than coarse reanalysis but still tends to understate a strong local thermal. A windy day has at least three consecutive daylight hours at 12 knots or more. The typical daily max and the direction are columns of the table above, month by month. Highlighted months are the riding season from the spot record.
High-resolution weather model (modelled) · Open-Meteo historical forecast archive — best-match operational model (ICON-D2 / AROME / ICON-EU / GFS by region), not a ground station · 2023-2024
The water
Type
estuary/ocean
Standing depth
Over 2 m off Bico das Lulas itself, which is why the rating here is intermediate. The inside of the peninsula, on the Sado side, is a different proposition: a large expanse of standing-depth water that goes mirror-flat in westerlies.
Tides
Atlantic semi-diurnal tide, two highs and two lows a day. Sampled over 6-8 September 2026 the heights ran from about 0.26 m at low water to 2.69 m at high, so roughly two metres of swing on the bigger days of that week. No tide-dependent launch window is published for the beach itself, and no source names a best tide.
Temperature
18-22°C summer · 14-16°C winter
Wetsuit
Short wetsuit in summer and 3/2 to 4/3 mm in winter; more specifically, a 2 mm long-sleeve shorty or 3/2 mm spring suit near the August peak, and 4/3 mm or 3/2 mm with boots near the February minimum.
Currents
Strong current toward the middle of the Sado river. It is the reason the channel is off limits in practice rather than a hazard you can read from the beach, and it sits next to shipping using the river mouth.
Your level
The scene
What riders come here for
Launch and rules
three ways on to the water, and what each one asks of you
With a school or a boat
No school names this spot
Nobody has been recorded teaching or running a boat here.
On your own
Room to launch: large
Somewhere else
Comporta, 14 km
Every spot within 40 km is on the map at the top of this page, with its distance under it.
Rescue
Launch
Large sandy beach on the Tróia peninsula, with Atlantic beach access on one side and the protected Sado-side bays on the other.
Space
large
Rules & access
Access rules drift faster than anything else we hold — check locally, and propose an edit if this has changed.
Rider tips
- Stay out of the middle of the Sado channel: strong current, and ships using the river mouth.
- Take the Atlantic side for the NW cross-shore wave option, and the inside bays only once you have checked access locally.
- Between 30 May and 30 September, rig well clear of the bathing area and ask whether a kite corridor is marked.
- Bring a 2 mm long-sleeve shorty or a 3/2 mm spring suit around the August peak, and 4/3 mm or 3/2 mm with boots near the February minimum.
- Time the crossing: about 30 minutes Lisbon to Setúbal, then a 20 minute ferry, before ferry queues and local access.
- The inside of the peninsula is where the standing-depth water is; off Bico das Lulas itself it is over 2 m and choppy.
- Skip a north-wind forecast if you have a choice: it comes in gusty and unreliable, unlike the south, southwest and west.
Getting there
Airport
Lisbon Airport
Route
Lisbon to Setúbal by car, then the ferry to Tróia. From the south, the road through Comporta.
Transfer
About 50 minutes of driving and ferry time before queues and local access, from 30 minutes Lisbon-Setúbal plus a 20 minute ferry.
Staying
The Tróia urbanisation next to the beach has some restaurants and places to stay.
No-wind days
Beach time, the Tróia dunes and boardwalks, Setúbal and the Arrábida, the Comporta beaches, birdwatching around the Sado, and the Sado dolphins.
Photos
FAQ
Is Bico das Lulas suitable for beginners?
No, it is listed as an intermediate spot with water deeper than 2 m and a documented current toward the Sado river channel.
What is the wind like at Bico das Lulas?
South, southwest and west wind are described as very stable, while north wind is gustier; NW runs cross-shore at the beach.
Are there rules at Bico das Lulas?
The 2026 bathing season runs 30 May to 30 September, during which surf, kitesurf and windsurf are prohibited in areas reserved for bathers.
What hazards should riders know about at Bico das Lulas?
A strong current runs toward the middle of the Sado river channel, and the area sits in a protected Sado estuary environment used by dolphins and other wildlife.
Last updated: August 2026