Nearby Cova do Vapor 7 km · Guincho 13 km · Praia Nova Vaga 14 km · Praia da Bela Vista 14 km · Fonte da Telha 20 km · Lagoa de Albufeira 21 km · Praia do Meco 25 km · Praia da Foz do Lizandro 30 km · Praia do Matadouro 34 km · Moinhos / Alcochete 35 km · Ribeira das Ilhas 35 km · straight-line distance
When it fills in
Frontal wind, so a working day can start at any hour and end just as abruptly. The daily average still builds: measured at the Cascais aerodrome readings 10 km west over 2024-2025, hourly means run about 9 kt in the early morning, 11-12 kt from mid-afternoon, and hold into the evening. The legal window closes one hour before sunset whatever the wind is doing.
The wind
Direction
Kite sizes
metres · typical quiver highlighted
Character
synoptic
fills in: Frontal wind, so a working day can start at any hour and end just as abruptly. The daily average still builds: measured at the Cascais aerodrome readings 10 km west over 2024-2025, hourly means run about 9 kt in the early morning, 11-12 kt from mid-afternoon, and hold into the evening. The legal window closes one hour before sunset whatever the wind is doing.
Typical strength
10-30
The quiver, in words
Nothing spot-specific has been published; the following is indicative. For 75-85 kg on the winter S to W frontal wind: a 12 m for the 12-16 kt end, a 9 m for 20-25 kt, a 7 m when the front is properly on.Above 33 kt you are not allowed on the water here, so there is no point packing smaller.
Direction to shore
Onshore for the working winter S-W winds.
Forecast
Month by month
- Jan, riders' month35
- Feb, riders' month41
- Mar, riders' month55
- Apr67
- May71
- Jun64
- Jul74
- Aug83
- Sep48
- Oct57
- Nov, riders' month39
- Dec, riders' month41
per cent of the month at force 4 or more
Ringed months are the ones riders and schools name: Jan, Feb, Mar, Nov, Dec.
- 11Jan16°
- 11Feb15°
- 12Mar15°
- 12Apr16°
- 13May17°
- 13Jun19°
- 13Jul18°
- 14Aug17°
- 12Sep17°
- 12Oct19°
- 10Nov18°
- 11Dec16°
avg knots per month · water °C below · season highlighted
| Month | Force 4+ | Knots | From | Air | Water |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 35% | 10.5 kt | NE | 12.3°C | 15.5°C |
| Feb | 41% | 11.1 kt | NE | 13°C | 15°C |
| Mar | 55% | 12.1 kt | NW | 13.7°C | 15.2°C |
| Apr | 67% | 12.1 kt | NNW | 15.9°C | 16.4°C |
| May | 71% | 12.6 kt | NNW | 18°C | 16.6°C |
| Jun | 64% | 12.5 kt | NNW | 19.5°C | 18.6°C |
| Jul | 74% | 13.3 kt | NNW | 21.7°C | 18.1°C |
| Aug | 83% | 13.6 kt | NNW | 21.7°C | 17.4°C |
| Sep | 48% | 11.5 kt | NNW | 20°C | 17.4°C |
| Oct | 57% | 11.6 kt | N | 19°C | 18.8°C |
| Nov | 39% | 10.3 kt | N | 15.9°C | 17.8°C |
| Dec | 41% | 10.8 kt | ENE | 13.2°C | 16.2°C |
modelled
A weather model's cell over this place, not a station on it. Good for comparing places, weaker for one beach.
Modelled from weather reanalysis on a 10–25 km grid (2022-2024), not a ground station: reliable for trade and synoptic winds, understates thermal sea breezes and valley winds. 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.
ERA5 reanalysis grid point (modelled) · Open-Meteo historical weather API — ECMWF ERA5/ERA5-Land reanalysis, not a ground station · 2022-2024
The water
Type
ocean
Standing depth
Not a standing spot. Sand shelving off an open Atlantic beach with a shorebreak in front of it, and you are out of your depth soon after the break. No depth profile has been published, and the sandbanks move with the winter swell.
Tides
The launch is tidal: low tide in winter leaves more room to land a kite. No best tide has been published.
Temperature
21°C summer · 15°C winter
Wetsuit
Full wetsuit in winter; peak water is around 20-22 C and coldest water around 14-16 C, with a 2 mm long-sleeve shorty or 3/2 spring suit suggested when the wind is up in the warmest period.
Currents
Currents run along the beach and the water flow can be powerful, changing with the time of day.
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
5 schools name this spot
On your own
Room to launch: tidal
Somewhere else
Cova do Vapor, 7 km
Every spot within 40 km is on the map at the top of this page, with its distance under it.
Rescue
Launch
Wide sandy beach, with more kite landing room at low tide in winter; a 1.25 km beach with parking, restaurants/bars and pedestrian access.
Space
tidal
Rules & access
Access rules drift faster than anything else we hold — check locally, and propose an edit if this has changed.
Rider tips
- Plan the session around low tide if you want rigging and landing room.
- Do not use it as a summer alternative: kiting is out from June to August.
- Leave downwind margin. The Marginal road runs right behind the sand.
- Check the frontal wind angle and the swell before you pump.
- The closure runs the length of the bathing season, 1 May to 31 October in 2026, and covers 300 m out from the water line.
- You may only ride between sunrise and one hour before sunset, and not at all above 33 kt or under a yellow sea-state warning.
- The strong summer wind here is the northerly nortada, which is offshore on this beach and forbidden in the season. It is not a reason to come.
Getting there
Airport
Lisbon (LIS)
Route
Drive from Lisbon along the Marginal coastal road to the large beach car park; the same beach is reachable on EN6/Marginal, or by train to Carcavelos station and a walk down.
Transfer
20 min
Cost level
medium
Staying
Carcavelos, Cascais and Lisbon cover hotels, apartments, restaurants and beach services. Beachfront apartments, guesthouses and campsites are all within reach of the sand.
No-wind days
Surfing, windsurfing, bodyboarding, beachfront restaurants/bars, Fort of Sao Juliao da Barra, Cascais/Lisbon sightseeing, cycling or walking along the coast.
Photos
FAQ
When is the best time to kite at Praia de Carcavelos?
The spot works in winter, mainly November to March, on frontal S, SW and W wind of about 10-30 knots; kiting is not allowed there in summer.
Is Praia de Carcavelos suitable for beginners?
No, it is rated for intermediate and advanced riders because of currents, variable seas and winter conditions.
What is the wind like?
The working wind is onshore and frontal, blowing 10-30 knots from the south, southwest or west during winter storm passages.
Are there rules or restricted zones?
As of 2026, kiting is only allowed in winter; the Portuguese beach edict bans kitesurf and similar sports in areas reserved for bathers.
Is there a launch or space constraint?
Low tide gives more room for kite landing, but a road, fortress structures and rocks limit space at the beach edges.
Last updated: August 2026