Seeing the coast
Nazaré canyon and big waves: when to go
How the Nazaré Canyon builds giant waves, which months bring them, and what a day visit shows when the sea is calm, from official and reference sources.
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The Nazaré Canyon is an underwater valley, about 5,000 metres deep and 230 kilometres long, that starts close to the shore and focuses Atlantic swell onto Praia do Norte. The giant waves come in winter: every record ride on Wikipedia's list falls between October and February. On a day trip in other months you see the cliffs, the town beach and the Sítio clifftop, but not big surf.
What the canyon is
The Nazaré Canyon is a submarine valley off the coast of Nazaré and the largest submarine canyon in Europe. It reaches a depth of about 5,000 metres and runs about 230 kilometres out into the Atlantic. Its upper section begins only about a kilometre off Nazaré, which is unusually close to land. You cannot see it from the shore, so what visitors notice is its effect. At Praia do Norte (North Beach), the waves are consistently larger than on the rest of the Portuguese coast, and that is what draws surfers and spectators in winter.
Why the waves get so big
Wikipedia describes the canyon as increasing and converging the incoming ocean swell. Together with the local water current, that raises wave heights dramatically. The canyon also shapes the shoreline: it carries sediment away, which helps explain why the beaches south of Nazaré have no large stretches of sand. The Portuguese Hydrographic Institute and Nazaré's municipality set up an exhibition on the research in the fort at Praia do Norte, which includes a three-dimensional model of the canyon.
When the big waves come
The big-wave competition at Praia do Norte, the Tudor Nazaré Tow Surfing Challenge, is held each year in the winter months. Each record ride on Wikipedia's lists for Nazaré took place between October and February, in November 2011, November 2017, February 2020 and October 2020. Sebastian Steudtner's 26.2-metre wave from October 2020 is given as the standing record, and records can be broken. Maya Gabeira's women's record ride came in February 2020. A winter date gives you a chance of big surf, not a promise, because swell changes from day to day.
What a day trip shows
Outside the winter swell season, what you see from Sítio is the town beach, the cliffs and the open Atlantic, as in the photo. The canyon itself stays underwater. Sítio is the old village on top of the cliff, and the rocky outcrop beside its chapel stands 110 metres above the sea. The day tour makes a stop in Nazaré for lunch, which is not included, and includes a visit to the Church of Nossa Senhora da Nazaré. A day trip is a view of the place, not of the surf. Storm Kristin caused a catastrophic impact in Nazaré in January 2026, according to Wikipedia, so check current conditions before you go.
Read next: Fátima, Nazaré, Óbidos: tour, bus or car?
Where people watch the big waves
The best-known viewpoint is the slope around the Fort of São Miguel Arcanjo, a 16th-century fort on the headland by Praia do Norte that now works as a lighthouse and a museum. The museum area has been open to the public since 2014. It holds an interpretation centre on the canyon, with a three-dimensional model, and an exhibition about the German submarine U-963, which was scuttled off Nazaré at the end of the Second World War. The day tour description does not mention the fort, so ask the operator if you want it included.
Sítio, the funicular and the legend
Nazaré has three parts: Praia, along the beach; Sítio, the old village on the clifftop; and Pederneira, on a hilltop. A funicular railway, in service since the late 19th century, links Praia and Sítio. The tour description does not say whether the group rides it or takes the road, so check if it matters to you. Sítio holds the baroque Sanctuary of Our Lady of Nazaré, with a tiled interior. The legend tells of the knight Dom Fuas Roupinho, hunting deer in fog in 1182, whose horse stopped at the cliff edge after he called on the Virgin Mary. He built a chapel on the spot.
A fishing town before a surf town
The earliest settlements were Pederneira and Sítio, up above the beach, where people were safer from pirate raids that lasted until the early 19th century. Only when piracy ended did people start to live down by the sea in Praia, which is the town centre today. Nazaré then grew from a fishing village into a resort. Women's traditional costume is a headscarf and a flannel skirt embroidered in seven colours, still worn occasionally. The tour description mentions local fishermen hauling in fresh catches, which fits the older identity of the town.
Festival dates to know
Nazaré's municipal holiday is 8 September, part of the Our Lady of Nazaré Festival. It is a ten-day celebration with processions, bullfights, fireworks, folk dancing and a fair. Wikivoyage adds that the town is usually crowded in summer. If you want the sanctuary and Sítio at their quietest, avoid the festival days. If you want a lively town, they are the reason to come, though the day tour will not be built around them.
Getting to Nazaré on your own
Rede Expressos runs express buses from Lisbon's Sete Rios station to Nazaré's bus station, and Rodoviária do Oeste links Nazaré with other towns in the Oeste region. Trains on the Oeste line serve the area, but the station nearest Nazaré is in the outlying village of Valado dos Frades, and the train is often slower than the bus. By car, the town lies on the A8 from Lisbon and Leiria. Once you are there, the funicular and a walk cover the town and Sítio, and the lighthouse slope lies on the headland at Praia do Norte. Wikivoyage lists two tourist information points, one by the municipal market and one beside the sanctuary in Sítio.
Weather, clothes and safety
Nazaré has mild, wet winters and warm, dry summers, and Wikipedia notes that morning and evening fogs are frequent in summer. In winter, unsettled and stormy days alternate with clear ones, so bring layers and a windproof jacket for the clifftops. The tour page asks you to bring a passport or ID card and comfortable shoes. On rough days keep well back from the water. In 2012 a rogue wave killed two walkers on Salgado Beach, which Wikipedia's Nazaré article mentions, so check the sea before you walk any beach.
Who this isn't for
If giant waves are the reason for your trip, a day tour in summer will not show them, and even in winter a single day may be calm. If you want hours at the fort or on the beach, note that the tour's time in Nazaré is shared with lunch and the clifftop. For surf, look at swell forecasts and stay overnight instead. If steps and slopes are hard for you, remember that Sítio sits on a clifftop and the tour description does not say whether the group uses the funicular. If you are choosing between the tour and going alone, the choosing guide on this site covers the trade-offs.
Read next: Fátima, Nazaré, Óbidos: tour, bus or car?
Frequently asked questions
How deep is the Nazaré Canyon?
About 5,000 metres at its deepest, and roughly 230 kilometres long. Its upper section starts only about a kilometre off Nazaré, which is why it affects the waves at the beach.
When is big-wave season in Nazaré?
Winter. The big-wave competition at Praia do Norte runs in the winter months, and every record ride Wikipedia lists happened between October and February. Swell changes daily, so a winter date gives a chance of big waves, not a guarantee.
Can I see big waves on a day trip from Lisbon?
Only if your date brings a big swell, which means winter. In other months the Nazaré stop shows the beach, the cliffs and Sítio. If giant surf is your goal, check forecasts and consider staying overnight.
Where do people watch the big waves from?
The slope around the lighthouse at the Fort of São Miguel Arcanjo, on the headland by Praia do Norte, is the best-known viewpoint. The fort also has a museum with an interpretation centre on the canyon.
How do I get from the beach up to Sítio?
A funicular railway links the beachfront with Sítio, and there is also a road. The day tour description does not say which route its group uses.
How do I reach Nazaré from Lisbon without a tour?
An express bus from Lisbon's Sete Rios station is the usual choice. The train is often slower, and the nearest train station is in Valado dos Frades, outside the town.
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