Ericeira for beginners: planning your first surf trip

New to surfing and thinking about Ericeira? It is one of the best places in Europe to start. Here is how to plan a first trip that sets you up to actually improve.

Ericeira is an unusually good place to learn to surf. The southern beaches, especially Foz do Lizandro and São Julião, offer sandy-bottomed beach breaks that are forgiving on a small day, and the town is packed with experienced surf schools that run lessons all summer.

Come in late spring or summer for the gentlest conditions, book a few lessons rather than just one, and stay somewhere within reach of a beginner beach. A surf camp bundles lessons, board hire and a social scene, which makes a first trip easy and fun.

Keep your expectations realistic and your sessions short at first, surfing is tiring. Listen to your instructor about where to paddle out, respect more experienced surfers in the water, and stay away from the heavy reefs of the northern Reserve until you are ready.

Pack a wetsuit mindset: even in summer the Atlantic is cool, so a 3/2 suit is normal. Beyond the surf, you will have the beaches, the seafood and the sunsets waiting when your arms give out.