Last checked November 2026.
Europe has excellent surf beaches and reefs, with a huge range of breaks and of landscapes and cultures to travel through. From the green fields that overlook the breaks in Britain and Ireland, to the endless dune-backed beaches of France, to the volcanic landscape of the Canaries, the choice is endless. In 2006 and 2007 Darren spent nine months surfing down the Atlantic coast of France, Spain and Portugal in a campervan. The waves haven’t changed since then, but where you can sleep has: most of the beach car parks where Darren and other surfers used to spend the night are now off limits at night.
Where vans can stay overnight near the breaks
Wherever you go, plan every night on a campsite or in a motorhome area, especially on the coast. In brief:
- France: in the Gironde and the Landes, sleeping in a vehicle in or within 200 m of the forest counts as camping. It needs the landowner’s written consent and a low fire risk, and it’s never allowed in the state forests; most beach car parks there are in or next to the forest. Many resorts ban vans overnight outside their motorhome areas in summer: Hossegor from 20:00 to 08:00, May to September, and Biarritz from 21:00 to 07:00 on its seafront roads, mid-April to October. See camping in France, West coast France and South West France.
- Spain: a van can park wherever a car can, with you asleep inside, as long as nothing is put out and nothing drains from it. Wild camping is banned in most regions, and many coastal towns and natural parks ban vans at night. See camping in Spain and surfing in Spain.
- Portugal: since 2021, staying overnight in a vehicle (between 22:00 and 07:00) has been banned on the coastal strip and in Natura 2000 sites, except in places authorised for it, with fines of €120 to €600. That covers most of Portugal’s coastline. See camping in Portugal.
- Britain: some councils let self-contained motorhomes pay to stay the night in marked car parks, such as Cornwall Council’s at Watergate Bay near Newquay; many others ban sleeping in their car parks. See Cornwall and Devon.
Recommended European surf spots
Europe has many great places to surf. Some are famous world-class breaks, and some are beautiful places with great surf. In Darren’s view the famous spots, such as Mundaka, Rodiles and Supertubos, aren’t good places for travelling surfers to try, because of the crowds. The lists below are places Darren recommends to escape the crowds and get good waves, with suggestions for less experienced surfers too, as they’ll be looking for slightly different conditions.
Recommended French surf spots
From north to south:
| Surf spot | Region | Comments | Experienced | Beginner | Where to stay |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie | Vendée | A nice town with a big beach, and several other beaches around. | Bigger peaks around the beach. | Plenty of room, mellow waves, smaller peaks. | La Rabalette motorhome area (about 100 places, open all year), and campsites on the coast road towards Les Sables-d’Olonne. |
| Les Sables-d’Olonne | Vendée | A bustling, pretty town with a good-sized beach, and others around. | A good long right-hander off the rocks. Can handle big swells. | Lots of mellow places to choose along the beach. | Three motorhome areas, and La Dune des Sables campsite, open April to early November. |
| Lacanau-Océan | Gironde | A true surf town, with massive, endless beaches. | Home of the Lacanau Pro, a World Surf League contest first held in 1979. Picks up lots of swell, with big hollow waves. | With so much beach it’s easy to find a quiet spot; the north beach is more chilled. | The Grands Pins campsite by the north beach, open May to mid-September, is one of the best campsites in France, and surfer-friendly. There are two motorhome areas at Le Huga. |
Recommended Spanish surf spots
| Surf spot | Region | Comments | Experienced | Beginner | Where to stay |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Playa de Merón and the other beaches of the Oyambre natural park | Cantabria | Lots of beaches, in a beautiful location. | Lots of good peaks, fast and hollow waves at all tides. | Lots of beaches with mellow areas. | San Vicente de la Barquera now fines parking a motorhome anywhere in the natural park €1,501 to €3,000, so the free camping Darren used to recommend here is over. Stay at Camping El Rosal, at the west end of Merón beach (Easter to mid-October), or another campsite nearby. |
Recommended Portuguese surf spots
| Surf spot | Region | Comments | Experienced | Beginner | Where to stay |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peniche | Estremadura | Peniche may be the home of Supertubos, but there are lots of beaches in the area, including the big crescent bay of Praia do Baleal. If the wind is onshore for most of the beaches, Lagide and the edges of Baleal will be offshore or sheltered. As long as there’s swell you can normally find a wave that’s working. Expect crowds and surf schools though. Popular with travelling surfers. | Supertubos and lots of big reef breaks. | Lots of room at Baleal; Lagide is sheltered. | Peniche bans sleeping in a vehicle anywhere outside campsites and authorised motorhome parks, so the free camping in the Baleal car parks is over, and the cheap municipal campsite closed in 2022. Stay at the PenichePraia campsite or Urban Art Camping in Ferrel. See surfing Peniche. |
More surf spots
- Ericeira, Portugal (November 2006). Its coast became Europe’s first World Surfing Reserve in 2011, and Darren stopped at Ribeira d’Ilhas to watch big waves on the outer and inner reefs. The municipal campsite is open all year. See Lisbon.
- The Algarve’s west coast, Portugal. Darren spent much of the winter of 2006 to 2007 at Praia do Barranco, where in the right conditions a right-hander peels across the bay. It’s in the natural park, so staying overnight there is now banned. See the Algarve.
- São Torpes and Malhão, Alentejo, Portugal, where Darren surfed often in early 2007. Malhão is a big, little-visited beach, with deserted sand and clean waves out of season. See the Alentejo.
- El Palmar, Andalucía, Spain, Darren’s base from February to April 2007. See Andalucía.
- Hossegor and Biarritz, France: Darren arrived in Hossegor in September 2006 during a contest, with massive, overhead barrels. See South West France.
- North Devon, England: Croyde, Saunton, Woolacombe and Lynmouth are in the North Devon World Surfing Reserve, dedicated in 2023. See Devon.
The best European regions during the year
Morocco is included, as many people visit Morocco during European trips.
| Month | Region | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| January | Morocco, Canaries, Algarve | Warm only in the south |
| February | Algarve, Canaries | Warm only in the south |
| March | Algarve, Canaries, Andalucía, northern Spain | Warm in northern Spain (to escape the crowds) and the south |
| April | Algarve, northern Spain, south-west France | Warm from south-west France and south |
| May | Cornwall, south-west France, western France | Warm enough from Cornwall and south, with good swell |
| June | South-west France, Devon and Cornwall, Galicia | All areas are warm, best swell to the north |
| July | South-west France, western France, northern Spain | All areas are warm, best swell to the north |
| August | Northern Spain, western France, south-west France, north-west Portugal | Hottest month, all areas are warm, best swell to the north |
| September | South-west France, western France, Lisbon, north-west Portugal, northern Spain, Devon and Cornwall | Northern areas are cooling, but much less crowded. Great swell from Cornwall down to the north of Portugal |
| October | Northern Spain, south-west France, north-west Portugal, Peniche and Ericeira | The warmth and swell are moving south |
| November | Canaries, Algarve, Peniche and Ericeira, Morocco | Cold in the north, consider only Peniche and south |
| December | Morocco, Algarve, Canaries, Lisbon | Cold in the north, consider Lisbon for a city break surf |
In winter, many campsites on the north coast of Spain and on the French Atlantic coast close, so check before you go. See weather in Europe and winter in Europe.
Surf trip transport in Europe
Europe has an extensive network of railways and buses, and lots of places to stay, from cheap hotels to campsites. In Darren’s view, though, the very best surf trip happens with your own transport, and a van is the best option: you and some mates, a van you can sleep in, and your surfboards stashed inside. For shorter trips in summer and early autumn, a car and tents for camping is also a good option. See the guide to buying a van or converting your own, and living in a van, free camping and campsites.
Surf shops and surfing equipment in Europe
Popular surf spots and surf towns have surf shops, but there may not be many, or they may have limited stock. Take a spare leash, and keep a good supply of wax: stock up well in advance.
In Darren’s experience the biggest choice of surfboards and wetsuits is in the big surf towns: Lacanau-Océan, Hossegor and Biarritz in France, San Sebastián and Santander in Spain, and Peniche and Ericeira in Portugal. Outside these areas it can be difficult to find a range of equipment. In October 2006 Darren found little choice of boards in Peniche town, and bought a mini-mal at one of the bigger shops on the Baleal road instead.
If your board gets damaged, you can find a board repair service at a good surf shop. Until then, seal the damage with gaffer tape; if you leave it too long, you risk damaging the board for good.
Surfing etiquette in Europe
With more and more surfers in the water, especially travelling surfers, make sure you travel and surf respectfully. If you find yourself in a difficult situation, stay calm and polite. As a visiting surfer, expect to surf when you can, not all of the time. Stay friendly and respectful and you’ll be accepted much more quickly.
At crowded and hyped breaks such as Mundaka, Rodiles and Supertubos, sit and watch for a while before you decide whether to paddle out. When Darren stopped at Rodiles in October 2006, the waves were big and the local surfers were taking every one. If a famous break is packed, try the other breaks on the same beach.
Beaches and the sea
Europe has a great diversity of beaches, from long stretches in France to small bays everywhere. Water quality at the official bathing beaches is checked through the summer, and most are clean: in 2025, 88% of the EU’s coastal bathing waters were rated excellent by the European Environment Agency. Its interactive map shows the rating for each beach; check it if you’re surfing near a city, a port or a river mouth. Always respect the environment.
Risks in the sea in Europe
If you’re stung, get help from a lifeguard or someone with first-aid training if you can. Call 112 if you have difficulty breathing, chest pain, severe swelling or bleeding, vomiting, or you feel faint. Otherwise the NHS advice is to:
- rinse the area with seawater, not fresh water
- remove any spines with tweezers or the edge of a bank card
- soak the area in very warm water, as hot as you can bear, for at least 30 minutes
- take painkillers such as paracetamol or ibuprofen.
Don’t pee on the sting, put ice on it or cover the wound, and don’t touch tentacles or spines with your bare hands.
Weever fish
Weever fish are small fish found in the shallows around low tide. They’re very difficult to spot and avoid. If you tread on one, the spines on its back give a very painful sting. Wear boots or water shoes in the shallows, and shuffle or stamp your feet as you walk in, so sea creatures know you’re coming.
Sea urchins
Urchins live on rocky reefs, and in Darren’s experience they’re most common in warmer places such as Portugal, the Canaries and Morocco. They have a hard, spiny armour, and if you stand on one the brittle spines break off and lodge in your foot. Wearing boots stops most urchins. If in doubt, wear them!
Jellyfish
Jellyfish are found throughout Europe. They travel on the wind and currents, so they’re more common in the shallows after onshore winds. Most give only a small sting from their tentacles, but even washed-up jellyfish can sting, so don’t touch them.
The history of surfing in Europe
European surfing started in Biarritz in France, and in Newquay in Cornwall, in the late 1950s and the 1960s, when visiting American and Australian surfers saw the potential of the Atlantic waves. Contests followed: Lacanau’s dates back to 1979, and in the 2000s Mundaka hosted a round of the men’s world championship tour. The surf boom has also brought crowds to the top breaks. If you take the time to surf in Europe, you’ll experience surfing like nowhere else.
Darren’s trips
- Surfing in Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie (September 2006)
- La Rochelle to Lacanau-Océan (September 2006)
- Biscarrosse-Plage to Hossegor and Capbreton (September 2006)
- Capbreton, Biarritz and Bidart (September 2006)
- San Vicente de la Barquera: surfing and sunshine (October 2006)
- Campsite and a good surf at Lagide beach, Peniche (October 2006)
- I finally leave Peniche and go on to Ericeira (November 2006)
- Sines and surfing at São Torpes (February 2007)
- Surfing in El Palmar (April 2007)
- Big surf at Malhão (April 2007)
- Summary of Darren’s 2006 tour of Europe
More on surfing and Europe
- Surfing in Spain and surfing Peniche
- France, Spain and Portugal
- The Canary Islands
- Weather in Europe and Winter in Europe
Sources: Gironde, Landes and Lot-et-Garonne forest fire order (7 July 2023); Soorts-Hossegor and Biarritz parking orders; Spain’s Reglamento General de Circulación, article 92.4; Portugal’s Lei n.º 66/2021; Peniche council’s camping and caravanning regulation; Cantabria nature conservation law and San Vicente de la Barquera ordinance; Cornwall Council; World Surf League (Lacanau Pro and Mundaka event records); Save The Waves Coalition (World Surfing Reserves); Portugal’s Alcobaça to Cabo Espichel coastal plan (Resolução do Conselho de Ministros n.º 66/2019); European Environment Agency, European bathing water quality in 2025; NHS, jellyfish and other sea creature stings; campsite and motorhome area websites; checked November 2026. Know of a change? Tell us in the comments below.