Map › Portugal › Lagoa de Albufeira › Fonte da Telha
Lisbon region · Costa da Caparica · Setúbal
Fonte da Telha
also known as Costa da Caparica, Praia da Fonte da Telha, Fonte da Telha Kitebeach
Nearby Lagoa de Albufeira 2 km · Praia do Meco 6 km · Praia da Bela Vista 7 km · Praia Nova Vaga 7 km · Cova do Vapor 15 km · Praia de Carcavelos 20 km · Bico das Lulas, Tróia 26 km · Guincho 32 km · Moinhos / Alcochete 33 km · Comporta 39 km · straight-line distance
When it fills in
Mornings are usually calm. The Nortada fills through the afternoon and holds into the evening on sunny days from late spring to early autumn; no local fill-in hour is published.
The wind
locals call it Nortada
Direction
Kite sizes
metres · typical quiver highlighted
Character
thermal
fills in: Mornings are usually calm. The Nortada fills through the afternoon and holds into the evening on sunny days from late spring to early autumn; no local fill-in hour is published.
Typical strength
12-22 kt on a normal thermal afternoon, most often in the upper half of that band. Frontal and winter systems run harder.
Also on record
12-25
The quiver, in words
For a 75 kg rider, 9-10 m for frequent 18-22 kt, 7-8 m on stronger days and around 12 m for low-to-mid-teens light wind.
Direction to shore
Side-shore to side-onshore from N and NW on this west-facing beach. W and NW are reportedly the cleanest deliveries; N, NE and SW are the ones to be wary of. Cliffs stand behind the sand, so anything with an offshore component is out.
Dominant direction
N to NW in the spring-summer Nortada pattern
Forecast
Month by month
- Jan21
- Feb23
- Mar21
- Apr, riders' month7
- May, riders' month13
- Jun, riders' month10
- Jul, riders' month5
- Aug, riders' month10
- Sep, riders' month12
- Oct18
- Nov13
- Dec13
windy days per month (3 h+ at 12 kn+)
Ringed months are the ones riders and schools name: Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep.
- 21%Jan16°
- 23%Feb15°
- 21%Mar15°
- 7%Apr16°
- 13%May17°
- 10%Jun19°
- 5%Jul18°
- 10%Aug17°
- 12%Sep18°
- 18%Oct19°
- 13%Nov18°
- 13%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 | 21% | 35% | 24% | 9.8 kt | NE | 13:00 | 12°C | 15.5°C | 62 |
| Feb | 23% | 39% | 35% | 10.5 kt | NE | 13:00 | 12.7°C | 15.1°C | 57 |
| Mar | 21% | 34% | 27% | 10.4 kt | WNW | 15:00 | 13.9°C | 15.2°C | 62 |
| Apr | 7% | 35% | 22% | 9.6 kt | WNW | 16:00 | 16.3°C | 16.4°C | 60 |
| May | 13% | 47% | 31% | 10.6 kt | W | 16:00 | 18.6°C | 16.7°C | 62 |
| Jun | 10% | 27% | 13% | 9.8 kt | NW | 16:00 | 20.4°C | 18.6°C | 60 |
| Jul | 5% | 26% | 6% | 9.4 kt | NW | 16:00 | 22.7°C | 18°C | 62 |
| Aug | 10% | 24% | 15% | 9.6 kt | NW | 16:00 | 22.7°C | 17.3°C | 62 |
| Sep | 12% | 20% | 17% | 9.1 kt | W | 15:00 | 20.6°C | 17.6°C | 60 |
| Oct | 18% | 34% | 27% | 9.8 kt | W | 14:00 | 19.2°C | 19°C | 62 |
| Nov | 13% | 25% | 15% | 9.1 kt | NE | 13:00 | 15.9°C | 17.9°C | 60 |
| Dec | 13% | 24% | 18% | 9.3 kt | ENE | 13:00 | 13°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
mixed
Standing depth
Open Atlantic beach with gently shelving sand, but no standing-depth zone comparable to a lagoon.
Tides
No reliable kite-specific tide window is published. The beach is tidal Atlantic sand, with wide sand and wave/chop conditions, so read launch width and shorebreak off the tide.
Temperature
18°C summer · 15°C winter
Wetsuit
Usually a 3/2 or shorty in summer depending on wind chill; 4/3 or thicker is sensible from late autumn through spring.
Currents
No site-specific rip or current data appears in the kite records. Treat it as an open Atlantic beach and follow the lifeguard flags during the bathing season.
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
4 schools name this spot
On your own
Room to launch: huge
Somewhere else
Lagoa de Albufeira, 2 km
Every spot within 40 km is on the map at the top of this page, with its distance under it.
Rescue
Launch
Spacious sandy Atlantic launch south of Lisbon. Riders move north or south along the beach to get away from the crowded summer bathing areas.
Space
huge
Rules & access
- 2020: Capitania do Porto de Lisboa Edital 16/2020 is the instrument that governs kiteboarding here, and it is still the one in force. From 1 May to 15 October rigging and riding are restricted to the zones in its Annex A. Three of those sit at Fonte da Telha: Zone III, 250 m of beach front whose southern limit is 405 m from the northern limit of the Terminus concession; Zone IV, 250 m whose southern limit is 50 m from that same concession limit; and Zone V, 250 m whose southern limit is the northern limit of Praia da Adica, immediately south of Fonte da Telha. A maximum of three licensed operators may work each of those zones at any one time. Outside the Annex A zones in that period you have to be beyond 150 m from the shoreline where the beach is lifeguarded, or beyond 100 m elsewhere. The exception is a 500 m strip of shoreline whose southern limit is 655 m from the northern limit of the Terminus concession: inside that strip the offshore limit does not apply, and you enter and leave the water through the Annex A zones. Riding is permitted only with good visibility, from sunrise to half an hour before sunset, and up to Beaufort force 7 (33 kt), and is banned outright while an IPMA orange wind warning is running. More than 750 m offshore you need a motorboat escort, which may cover at most four riders and must stay within 500 m of them; 1,500 m from the shoreline is the hard limit. Kitefoiling requires a helmet, a line knife and a 50 N buoyancy aid. Licensed schools get 60 m2 of sand, must signpost the ends of their zone, and run at most eight students at once with no more than four per instructor.
- 2026: the national beach edital prohibits surf, kitesurf and windsurf in areas reserved for bathers, and the Fonte da Telha integrated lifeguard plan applies from 1 June to 30 September.
Access rules drift faster than anything else we hold — check locally, and propose an edit if this has changed.
Rider tips
- Ride mid-to-high tide for the cleanest water near the jetties; low tide puts their rocky bases in play.
- Use only side-shore or side-onshore wind. The cliffs behind the beach make offshore days dangerous.
- In summer, set up well away from the lifeguarded bathing areas and the school and surf zones.
- Bring a 12 m for the lighter thermal days and a 7-8 m for a strong afternoon Nortada; 9-10 m covers the frequent 18-22 kt.
- Plan extra time for the single access road on hot weekends.
- Do not park a campervan overnight on the beachfront.
- Check the current year's beach concession layout before assuming an old kite corridor still exists.
- From 1 May to 15 October you rig inside a marked zone or you stay beyond 150 m from shore. Find the signposted zone ends before you unroll anything.
- The three Fonte da Telha zones are pegged to the Terminus concession: 50 m north of it, 405 m north of it, and one down at the Adica end.
- Save 112 and MRCC Lisboa on +351 214 401 919 before you go afloat. Nobody on this beach is watching the kites.
Getting there
Airport
Lisbon Humberto Delgado Airport (LIS)
Route
Drive south from Lisbon across the Tagus toward Almada/Costa da Caparica, then follow signs to Fonte da Telha. Public transport is possible with bus/train/bus combinations but is much slower with kite gear.
Transfer
About 30-45 minutes by car from Lisbon Airport in normal traffic; public transport examples are around 1h50-2h.
Cost level
medium
Staying
Guesthouses, beach hostels and rentals in Fonte da Telha and Costa da Caparica; Aroeira and Almada add hotels and apartments, while Lisbon is practical for day trips.
No-wind days
Surf at Costa da Caparica/Fonte da Telha, beach restaurants, Aroeira golf, Arriba Fossil viewpoints and walks, Lisbon sightseeing, Sesimbra and Cabo Espichel day trips.
Photos
FAQ
Is Fonte da Telha suitable for beginners?
The wide sandy beach and school presence make supervised lessons plausible, but independent beginners must stick to side-shore or side-onshore wind and stay clear of bathing zones.
When is the best time to kitesurf here?
The main season is April to September, peaking June to August, with steady afternoon Nortada wind of about 15-25 knots.
Are there kite schools nearby?
Yes, including Gustykite, WindSpirit, 24kiteboard and a Fonte da Telha contact for AlvorKiteCenter.
What hazards should riders know about?
Stone jetties with rocky bases at low tide, cliffs behind the beach that rule out offshore wind, and crowded bathing areas in July and August are the main concerns.
Are there rules or restrictions?
Kitesurf, windsurf and surf are barred from areas reserved for bathers under the national beach edital, and the 2026 lifeguard plan runs 1 June to 30 September.
Last updated: August 2026