Baleal Surf Guide – Peniche’s Beginner Area Explained
Baleal is a small village north of Peniche but it’s where most beginners surf. It offers two beaches with better protection that others down the coast and loads of great surf schools and surf camps.
Baleal is often seen as an extension of Peniche but it’s sort of come into its own in the last couple of years, offering some of the more protected breaks on this long run of what’s now legendary surf shoreline.
That’s all down to the shape of the coast, which protrudes out into a fishhook-shaped island that’s fringed on its northern side by a run of beaches that have fantastic shelter from the biggest W and NW swells, plus those killer Atlantic onshores.
The upshot? The breaks here tend to be tempered and small compared to Supertubos and Nazare and others that face direct into the ocean. It’s for that reason that surf camps have popped up in the town ad infinitum and you get some of the very best total-beginner offerings in Portugal if you ask us.
Beyond the waves, Baleal is a charming town of whitewashed cottages. Prettier than Peniche, it also has it’s own buzzy nightlife scene and stretch of cantinas with views of the surf.
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This guide is just one part of our complete guide to surfing Portugal
Key takeaways about Baleal
- Beginner friendly beach breaks
- Beaches that face west, southwest and north so there’s usually an offshore
- Good surf schools and surf camps
- A bit busy
What’s in this guide to Baleal surf?
Baleal surf spots
Baleal is just a tiny village located on a headland with beaches to the south and the north.
There are surf spots on both sides of the town, each of which offers different conditions depending on the swell and wind on the day.
The good news is that there’s almost always something well protected for beginners and improvers, mainly becuase Baleal Norte (the north beach) gets great protection from the biggest swells thanks to the village islands themselves.
There are also a few other breaks surrounding Baleal Isalnd that are worth knowing about
Gigi
Gigi Beach is a little walk along from Praia do Baleal Norte. It’s a stretch of about 390m that offers extra space and some of the quieter line ups in town.
During the smaller summer months, it’s known as one of the finest longboard waves around, mainly because dominant W swells are tempered a lot this far beyond the Baleal island.
It’s a mix of rock reef and sand but fairly forgiving and generally a good all-level break in the warmer months, though can show some size in winter. Will max out around 8 foot though.
Praia do Baleal Norte
Get to know Praia do Baleal Norte well – this will likely be your main playground if you join a surf camp in Baleal or even Peniche.
A north-facing beach that arcs around the headland where the old town of Baleal makes its home, it’s about 800m long in all.
There’s space for two separate named breaks, which are actually pretty different:
- Prainha – This is the place where you’re likely to start out. It’s the easiest wave in Baleal and pretty much all of Peniche, mainly thanks to the high levels of protection that’s offered by Baleal island that sits immediately to the west. NW-W swells bend around the rocks there and filter into the bay to give nice clean sets that you can ride in any direction, though we’d say that the lefts are better. Try not to stick too close into the cliff as there’s a small rip. Crowds come by midday so dawnies are best.
- Lagide – The middle section of Praia do Baleal Norte sees a bit of extra size on any swell direction to Prainha. You can move in here to start scoring slightly larger green waves when you’re ready.
Cantinho da Baia
This is the other side of Baleal Island from Praia do Baleal Norte. It’s a sweeping bay that has far more exposure to the main W and NW swells so will get big and can be a bit of a daunting paddle out during peak winter months or when storms come through.
Summer surf schools come here after graduating from the smaller waves in Prainha.
Generally speaking, the further south along Cantinho you go the bigger the sets get. That’s a gift and one of the main reasons Peniche is consistently hailed as one of Europe’s best beginner surf locations, because you can basically treat the beach as a sliding scale. If you want more size/power just go south a bit along the bay.
E is offshore. Works on all tides but best on the push.
Peniche
Peniche has a whole clutch of other surf spots. It’s 10 minutes’ drive from the center of Baleal.
Perhaps the most famous is Supertubos, a tuck-in barrel shorebreak that’s often on the cover of surf mags. That’s to the south of town.
But there are multiple peaks for all levels scattered down Praia do Molhe Leste all the way to Praia da Consolação.
We won’t go into depth on them here since we have a full guide to Peniche that covers them separately.
We’ve got a complete guide to surfing in Peniche
Surf camps in Baleal
One of the reasons that we think Baleal is worth a whole separate guide on its own is that it’s now home to some of the very best beginner surf camps in the country.
That’s really saying something in Portugal, where there are thousands on offer.
Sadly, the selection is now muddied by some that aren’t so great. But we can recommend the following for sure…
- The Salty Pelican Yoga & Surf Retreat – The Salty Pelican’s lodge in Baleal is an uber-cool hostel-poshtel-hotel that has walking access to some of the best beginner waves in Portugal. They do this package with UNLIMITED yoga, plus 5x surf lessons throughout the week. We rank it as the best surf camp in the country for a reason!
- Alex Surf Hostel – For value for money, you cannot go wrong with Alex Surf Hostel. This 8-day package includes five days of twice daily surf lessons and accomodation in one of the town’s best surf hostels.
We also have a complete guide to the top surf camps in Portugal, some of which – mainly for the beginner crowd – are in Baleal and Peniche.
Best hotels in Baleal (for surfers)
There’s a fantastic array of surf hotels in Baleal these days.
Many have arrived precisely because the town is now considered one of the very best of the learner spots in the country. We think you want to focus on the options that string down the main road away from the beach and the places close to the old town of Baleal Island.
All of those will be within walking distance of the key waves.
- The Wave Baleal – Gets you literally a stone’s throw from the peeling beginner waves of Praia do Baleal Norte. A cozy surf lodge with a proper Portuguese look to it, it has apartments and doubles that open to face the Atlantic. The joint is in the old town of Baleal – the most charming part of the whole place
- Balili Surf House – Your chance to stay in a super-welcoming surf house that’s actually in the old village of Baleal. Only a few rooms and you’ll leave feeling like family.
- Surfness Lodge – A proper surf lodge that’s perched up on the cliffs at the eastern end of the main beach, this one’s great for access to Gigi and Lagide. We love the vibe and the view from the terrace, from where you can check the surf conditions at a glance.
When to surf in Baleal?
Beginners should surf in Peniche between May and September, while intermediates and advanced surfers should come between November and March.
There’s surf all year round in Baleal. The biggest swells come from the fall onwards, with strong NW swells hitting between October and March most years.
That doesn’t disqualify any would-be learners looking to do a surf school entirely. There’s lots of whitewash to keep you going plus there’s more protection on the north-facing beaches here than in virtually any other surf destination on the central Portuguese coast.
That said, we’d still recommend the spring and the summer months for total beginners. they offer smaller, easier waves and less wind, which is a real doozy since it can churn up the sets here like it’s nobody’s business.
Book early for then, through – Peniche and Baleal are like the Hossegor of Portugal (AKA: It’s popular).
One thing we wouldn’t skip on is sunscreen.
I use Suntribe’s blocks because they’ve made a real effort to strip out any unneccessary chemicals.
Plus, they offer Surf Atlas readers 10% off orders with code Surfatlas10.
Surf lessons in Baleal
Baleal is a great place to do surf lessons.
In fact, as we’ve already mentioned, we think it’s one of the best places to come as a complete learner (perhaps only the Algarve is better) or intermediate improver (maybe only Ericiera’s south beaches beat it!) in the country.
A lot of that is down to the north- and west- facing beaches, which mean there’s usually somewhere sheltered and a bit smaller than the main swell.
Surf schools know all that, which is why there are 100s in the area. Most are based either in or around Baleal for a reason, you know! Pre-booking is a great idea for any trips between May and October, because classes are in high demand between those times. Check out…
- Surfing Lessons with Experienced Instructors – A better pick when it’s smaller in the summer or if you’re after bigger waves, this one is a 90-minute lesson that tends to focus on the west-facing beaches south of Baleal. Prices are like $30 pp, which is a bargain.
- Surf Experience in Peniche (don’t worry, it’s actually in Baleal!) – These guys run a highly-rated surf lesson package that can be tailored to all levels. Surfboards and wetty included. They meet at the bar just at the entrance to Baleal village. All in for under $50 isn’t bad!
Where is Baleal?
Baleal is a part of the Leiria District of Portugal, which spreads north from the city of Lisbon along a coastline that’s become super-famous for its waves.
When people are coming to Baleal they usually just say they are going to Peniche, which is only 3km to the south of Baleal itself and basically considered the same town, even though the best learner beaches and many of the surf camps are actually based in Baleal.
You can get between the two in a taxi (20 euro) or by car (10 minutes).
More generally, the town occupies a small tombolo (a isthmus beach) that offers surf on two sides. The nearest airport is in Lisbon.
How to get to Baleal?
Obviously you’ll need to fly to Portugal first.
Lisbon Airport (LIS) is the best access point for getting near to Baleal. It’s only 42 miles away to the southeast.
The good news is the airport in the capital also has the largest array of flights for getting to and from Portugal from both Europe and the US. There are tons every day going there and I’ve even paid <$20 to get to Lisbon from London on shoulder season deals, so it can be done cheap.
Once on the ground, first, aim to get to Peniche.
That’s easy from Lisbon, because there are hourly or even half-hourly buses RedeExpressos out of the Sete Rios station on the north side of the city. The fare is just under $10 each, each way. (We rode with them in 2018 and they didn’t seem to have an issue with boards, but we’ve heard that’s changed.)
Obviously, the faster and comfier way to go is to rent a car. Book them to be collected from Lisbon Airport using RentalCars.com. They are our go-to site for hires all over Europe, mainly because most bookings have free cancellation up to like 24 hours before pick up.
The roads up to Baleal from Lisbon airport are super easy to drive and generally very well maintained. It takes about 1h15 but a bit longer if you go for the scenic inland route, which I’d reccomend.
We might use affiliate links in this post. Basically, you click em’ and we get a little something from your booking or purchase. They help us keep offering more and more in-depth surf guides to awesome places all around the globe. So, thanks for that!
