A practical guide to kitesurf in Viana Do Castelo

Are you planning a kitesurfing holiday to Viana Do Castelo? Here you fill find practical information about kitesurfing in Viana do Castelo kitesurf.

Viana do Castelo, located at the mouth of the river Lima, offers a series of beaches, which in most cases are excellent options for sports such as surfing, kitesurfing and windsurfing

The most popular beach for these sports is Praia do Cabedelo, as this area benefits from on-shore wind (from sea to land throughout the year), making it the ideal place for both learning and for intermediate level surfers to have fun.

Viana do Castelo kitesurf spot is located in the North of Portugal between the also well-known kitesurf spots Moledo which is further north just next to the border with Spain and Esposende which is further south.

Actually, Viana do Castelo is probably the best kitesurfing spot in the north of Portugal since it is where the thermals best enter with strong and constant wind from noon and rising throughout the afternoon.

There is plenty of space to park the van, where the high-performance surf school and the campsite are located, and right there there is a walkway that leads to the beach itself. And if you want to move to the Moledo and Esposende spots, you have them close by.

Kitesurfing season Viana do Castelo

The best winds to kitesurf in Viana do Castelo are in summer from May to September and it usually switches on at noon with the thermal and rises throughout the afternoon, perfect for a morning surf session for kitesurfing sessions in the afternoon

The wind blows across the coast from the right, increasing the thermal as the day continues. There are lifeguards during the summer and also a rescue boat.

And on the same beach is the Viana Beach Center where you can rest and have a cold beer, rent equipment or store your equipment.

In this spot in Viana do Castelo you need solid kitesurfing skills because the tides are very pronounced, at low tide the beach is huge and many stones come out, at high tide and when it starts to go down you have to be very careful with the stones at the bottom.

There is flat water to the right of the jetty and some land comes in with a slightly gusty wind. In front of the catwalk is where the super-ordered waves begin to form with a super long right.

They work with thermal winds if the wind direction is North or Northwest

Pros: parking, the beach bar with 2 × 1 beers at € 1.50… a paradise! There is no party and it is not overcrowded.

Kitesurfing spots Viana Do Castelo

Cabedelo beach is the main kitesurfing spot in Viana Do Castelo. However, a part from Cabedelo beach, there are other beaches in Viana do Castelo where you can kitesurf: Praia da Arda and Praia de Afife, where the waves easily reach 2 m. high

Slightly further away, about 17 kilometres south of Cabedelo,  you can get to Esposende beach, where you can also enjoy some good kitesurfing sessions, although the conditions here vary very oftern

In the vicinity of Praia do Cabedelo there are several shops specializing in kitesurfing, surfing and paddle surfing, where you can buy, sell and rent equipment to practice your favourite sport. In addition, they also have a workshop so you can have your equipment repaired overnight.

What to do/ visit a part from kitesurfing

Apart from kitesurfing, Viana do Castelo is a cultural city with many interesting attractions.  A number of churches, convents, squares and visiting points make the small town of Portugal an open-air museum. In Viana do Castelo, the itineraries are of the most varied, from religious temples in Baroque art to buildings in contemporary art, as the city is an “Mecca of Architecture”. Check out more options for tours in Portugal.

We invite you to discover the most famous and visited attractions of Viana do Castelo. These are the ones that it is certainly not possible to leave the place without visiting them, this being a serious fault. 

Here you have the most famous tourist attractions in Viana do Castelo:

– Viana do Castelo historic center
– Viana Cathedral
– baroque church of Senhora da Agonia
– costume museum
– Gil Eanes Ship
– Liberty Square
– Monte de Santa Luzia
– Museum of Decorative Arts