Head to head

Ericeira vs Peniche: which Portugal surf trip?

Answered with the hindcast, not vibes. Both breaks scored month by month, side by side, with the round-trip fares we have actually observed.

The two waves

Ribeira d'Ilhas (Ericeira)

Europe's first World Surfing Reserve: a whitewashed cliff-top town with a string of right-hand reefs in a few kilometers. Ribeira d'Ilhas is the most consistent of them, a long right that holds a crowd and suits intermediates up.

Supertubos (Peniche)

A working fishing peninsula whose beaches face two directions, so something is almost always ridable. Supertubos is the famous one: a heavy, hollow barrel that hosts world tour surfing and punishes casual takeoffs.

Side by side, from the data

	Ribeira d'Ilhas (Ericeira)	Supertubos (Peniche)
Best months	Jan–Feb	Jan–Feb
Typical face in season	7–9 ft	6–8 ft
Surfable days in season	about 78%	about 75%
Water	15 C / 59 F, [object Object]	15 C / 59 F, [object Object]
Break type	point	beach
Nearest airport	LIS	LIS
Round trip	No observed in-season fare yet	No observed in-season fare yet

Month by month

Month	Ribeira d'Ilhas (Ericeira)	Supertubos (Peniche)
Jan	Best	Best
Feb	Best	Best
Mar	OK	OK
Apr	OK	OK
May	Off	Off
Jun	Off	Off
Jul	Off	Off
Aug	Off	Off
Sep	OK	OK
Oct	OK	OK
Nov	OK	OK
Dec	OK	OK

Bands are relative to each break's own best month, medians from years of hindcast (methodology). Full tables with wave size, surfable days and wetsuit by month: Ribeira d'Ilhas (Ericeira) · Supertubos (Peniche).

The verdict

Ericeira for reef points, a prettier town, and long rights at manageable size. Peniche for consistency and barrels: two coast faces rescue more windy days, and Supertubos on its day is the best beach break in Europe. They are 90 minutes apart. A rented car buys you both.

Fares are round trips we observed from US departure airports; they move daily. Taking a board? Airline board fees · will your bag fit.

Or let the week decide

The honest answer to "which trip" is "whichever is firing when the fare is cheap." BarrelFare watches both and tells you when they line up.

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