Nazaré's giant waves: when they come and where to watch

Nazaré, a fishing town on the coast north of Lisbon, gets some of the biggest waves ever surfed. They break at Praia do Norte, the beach below the town's lighthouse fort, and only on certain winter days. Here is when they come, where to watch from and how to get there.

Why the waves are so big here

Just off Praia do Norte, the sea floor drops into the Nazaré Canyon, an underwater valley about 225 km long and up to about 5,000 m deep. Swell travels at a different speed and in a different direction over the deep canyon than over the shallow sea floor beside it. The two meet off the lighthouse and stack into one much higher wave.

The record shows what that can do. Guinness World Records lists the largest wave ever surfed as 26.21 m, ridden by Sebastian Steudtner at Praia do Norte on 29 October 2020.

When to go

The season runs from about October to March, when storms in the North Atlantic send long swells towards Portugal. Big days are never guaranteed, even then: the sea is often ordinary for weeks. The local site NazareWaves suggests looking for a forecast of waves over about 3 m with a period above about 13 seconds.

Forecasts can only see a big swell coming about a week ahead, so keep your plans flexible. If you can, base yourself in Lisbon and go on the day the forecast looks right.

The big-wave tow-surfing contest at Praia do Norte has no fixed date either. It runs on one day between November and March, called only when the waves are right. See the Nazaré Big Wave Challenge: dates, alerts and where to watch.

Where to watch

The best-known spot is the Forte de São Miguel Arcanjo, a small fort with a red lighthouse on the headland at Sítio, the upper part of Nazaré. It looks straight down on Praia do Norte. The town council has run it since 2017, and it had 444,910 visitors in 2025. You can also watch from the cliffs around the fort and from the slope down to the beach.

On a big day:

• Arrive early. Big forecasts draw crowds, and the paths around the fort fill up.
• Expect to park well away from the lighthouse and walk. On contest days, parking near it is closed.
• Wear shoes with grip: the paths and the slope can be slippery.
• Bring a warm, windproof layer. The headland is exposed, and you may stand there for hours.
• Stay well back from the water and from the cliff edge. On a big day, waves run far up the beach without warning.

Getting there from Lisbon

• Bus: Rede Expressos runs direct buses from the Sete Rios bus station in Lisbon to Nazaré, and FlixBus runs from Oriente. The trip takes about 1 h 45 to 2 h. Check the operator's timetable for your day.
• Car: most of the way is on the A8 motorway, which has tolls. On a big day, allow extra time for the queues into Sítio.

The buses stop in the lower town. Sítio and the lighthouse are up on the cliff: take the funicular (ascensor) or walk up, then walk on to the fort.

Live cams and forecasts

Check these before you go:

• MEO Beachcam: Forte de São Miguel Arcanjo
• MEO Beachcam: Praia do Norte and the canyon
• Surf-Forecast: Praia do Norte
• IPMA (Portugal's weather service): coastal sea forecast