Overview

Praia do Guincho is Portugal's most legendary kitesurf spot — a stunning 800m beach just 30 minutes from Lisbon and 10 minutes from Cascais, within the Serra de Sintra UNESCO Natural Park.

Guincho has some of the most reliable and powerful wind in all of Portugal. The northerly Sintra mountains funnel and accelerate the Nortada thermal wind, regularly reaching 25-40+ knots on summer afternoons. Former stage of the kitesurfing world championship in the 1990s.

This is a pure wave spot for advanced and expert riders. Waves regularly exceed 1-1.5m, getting much bigger during strong swell. The flat sand bottom creates beautiful clean wave faces separated by rideable channels. A scene from the James Bond film "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" was filmed here.

Despite its intensity, the beach is spacious and the community respectful. Season: April to October, with July-August being the peak months. Water around 17-18°C — 3/2 wetsuit minimum.

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Spot forecast for guincho

Sunrise 07:52 · Sunset 18:53

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< 7 kn7–12 kn13–20 kn21–30 kn31–40 kn41+ kn Gusts Your minimum: 7 kn

Next tides

High tide Tue 20 · 11:06 · 2.3 m
Low tide Tue 20 · 17:34 · 1.2 m
High tide Tue 20 · 23:49 · 2.2 m
Low tide Wed 21 · 05:42 · 1.2 m

Forecasts provided by Open-Meteo

guincho: when to go?

Rideable days and hours computed for a minimum wind of 7 knots · log in to set your own (foil, twin-tip…)

Season · peak

376h

in August · 28 rideable days

The season runs from May to September, peaking in August: 25 rideable days a month and 376 hours of usable wind, at 23 °C. The low point is January, at 7 days.

Rideable days per month

Wind strength when it is rideable

7-12 knots · 69%13-20 knots · 31%21-30 knots · under 1%

When the spot works, wind sits mostly between 7 and 12 knots — 69% of rideable hours. Big-kite territory. The coldest month is January, at 16 °C. The wettest month is March, with 250 mm.

Monthly averages: guincho

Monthly averages — guincho — averaged over 2 years of records — Weather data by Open-Meteo.com — How it is calculated
Month	Rideable days	Usable wind	Temperature	Rain
January	7.0	65 h	16 °C	162 mm
February	11.5	96 h	17 °C	89 mm
March	12.5	125 h	17 °C	250 mm
April	15.0	160 h	19 °C	84 mm
May	24.5	311 h	20 °C	28 mm
June	22.5	306 h	22 °C	13 mm
July	26.5	346 h	24 °C	1 mm
August	28.0	376 h	25 °C	0 mm
September	23.0	244 h	23 °C	5 mm
October	10.5	91 h	22 °C	72 mm
November	10.0	74 h	18 °C	169 mm
December	10.5	104 h	16 °C	97 mm

Photo gallery of guincho

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Technical details of guincho spot

The spot works with winds from N, WNW, NW, NNW.

Rideable Not rideable

Spot opening date · Required level

Spot opening date: Open all year round
Required level: Expert

Hazards

Extreme wind: gusts can exceed 40+ knots in summer afternoons. Not for beginners or intermediates.

Rocks: rocky outcrops in the middle of the bay — stay clear.

Big waves: 1-2m+ regularly, bigger during strong swell periods.

Strong currents: powerful shore break and currents.

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CASCAIS TG10.7 kmsource madis - NOAA

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Additional stations

Aero Club de Portugal10.3 km

Readings reserved for Premium members
source aviationweather.gov
FW5968 Cascais PT5.2 km

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source madis - NOAA

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Webcams near guincho

Webcams provided by Windy.com

Nearby spots

All spots: Lisboa

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guincho kitesurf, wingfoil and windsurf spot