Praia do Guincho

A great cliff side on the way to Guincho.

Along the coast of Portugal this beach is best known these days for its great surfing conditions. If you have the time the is a bike path that starts in Cascais and goes all the way to the beach. It’s a bit tiresome going there because you are going against the wind but it is a great workout. It will, however, feel like it takes forever but trust me it does eventually take you to the beach. Better still is the fact that the city provides free bike rentals at a number of kiosks but the draw back is that there are no locks so bring your own and you must return the bike where you rented it.

Praia do Guincho at first glance.

Now more on the beach, as I mentioned before the beach is best known for the surf. It is actually part the World Championship Circuit. Naturally, this means that there are a few surf schools based out of this beach. I had the pleasure of taking some surf lessons with the Moana Surf School. My instructor was a pretty awesome guy that was really flexible and willing to give you a chance to try things out for yourself. For 25 Euros I got my lesson, the rental and about an hour on my own. It was a lot of fun and since he gave me a beginner’s board I was able to catch waves almost immediately. While I was surfing I noticed that there were a lot of kitesurfers out and so I took a few pictures. I then decided that kitesurfing is now on my list of things to try on my next vacation in Portugal.

If you are feeling hungry then the beach has some great restaurants around it. I ended up eating at the Bar do Guincho which has a wide range of dishes available. The burgers there are great and so is the grilled fish. It’s a great place to spend a few days learning to surf and soaking up the sun.

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