Praia de Ribeira d'Ilhas

A world surfing reserve, and a car park with a view.

How we rated it: up one for a world surfing reserve. The shallow reef is in the catch. Photo: Andrew Comings · CC BY 2.0

The hang

Ribeira d'Ilhas is the most popular wave of the Ericeira World Surfing Reserve, which was classified in 2011 among the first surfing reserves in the world. It is 2 km north of Ericeira, with a large car park on the clifftop overlooking the bay and stairs down that take about a minute. It is a reef break. The reef gets shallow on the inside section at low tide, the line-up has rules and some localism, and it is crowded all year on days with swell. If you surf, you already know all this. If you do not, there is a restaurant at the top with a view of people who do. We measured 180 metres of sand.

The real intel

Best months · warmest sea: August (17.8 °C), then November and October. Coldest: February (14.9 °C). One year of data, 2025.
Best months · emptiest: Crowded all year on days with swell, and most of all during the World Surf League contest window.
Getting there: 2 km north of Ericeira, about 5 minutes by car along the coast road. Signposted, with a large car park overlooking the bay.
Cost reality: Parking is free out of season and €5 a day in summer. Board and wetsuit rental is about €25 for a half day.
The catch nobody tells you: The reef gets shallow on the inside section at low tide. There is moderate localism and line-up etiquette is mandatory. It is not a beginner's wave.

The year at Praia Ribeira d' Ilhas

Warmest sea in August. Fewest wet days in June and August. Pick your fight.

Sea (°C)

15.9

14.9

15.9

16.6

17.1

17.8

16.7

17.2

17.6

15.6

Air (°C)

13.2

12.9

15.6

16.6

19.3

20.1

20.5

19.1

18.7

14.6

12.4

Sun (h/day)

6.3

7.3

8.5

10.1

12.7

13.1

12.2

10.9

8.4

7.1

Rain (days)

One year of data, 2025, from Open-Meteo at this beach's coordinates. A rain day is 1 mm or more. The red bar is the month to aim for in each row.

The crowd

High all year on days with swell.

The receipts

A restaurant at the clifftop car park, public showers, and board and wetsuit rental nearby.

The facts · we measured

Length: 180 m
Mean width: 64.5 m
Area: 11,598 m²
Warmest sea (2025): 17.8 °C in Aug
Coldest sea (2025): 14.9 °C in Feb
Sea by month, °C: Jan 15.9 · Feb 14.9 · Mar 14.9 · Apr 15.9 · May 16.6 · Jun 17.1 · Jul 17.1 · Aug 17.8 · Sep 16.7 · Oct 17.2 · Nov 17.6 · Dec 15.6