Ten waves worth building a trip around: right-hand points, reef barrels and sand-bottom beach breaks, ranked, with the season and the level each one asks of you.
We ranked these ten by the wave first, its quality and how reliably it breaks in season, and then by how well the town around it serves a visiting surfer, from boards to rent to a place to sleep near the lineup.
Supertubes is the benchmark right-hand point: long, fast walls that link down the bay on a winter groundswell. The town is built around it, with surf shops, rentals and guesthouses a walk from the lineup.
The most famous barrel in surfing, a shallow left over lava reef and the final stop of the 2026 pro tour in December. Watch it from the beach unless you are an expert; Haleiwa, down the road, has the rentals and food.
A long left under the cliffs, reached down a staircase through a cave, that holds the Indian Ocean’s dry-season swell. The Bukit around it is packed with surf camps, warungs and board hire.
The top of the Superbank, a sand-bottom right that runs past Greenmount toward Kirra when the banks line up. Cyclone swell is the season; Coolangatta puts cafes and rentals across the road.
The heaviest wave on this list, a thick left that breaks over shallow reef and hosted the Paris 2024 Olympic surfing. You reach it by boat from the end of the road, and the village is small.
Europe’s first World Surfing Reserve, named in 2011: seven quality breaks on four kilometres of coast, from Ribeira d’Ilhas to Coxos. Surf schools and rentals fill the old fishing town an hour from Lisbon.
La Gravière is the strongest beach break in Europe, hollow peaks over sand that shift with every storm. Autumn brings the swell and the offshore wind; the town has the shops, and the rips demand respect.
Zicatela is a heavy beach break that barrels on summer southwest swell, which is why surfers call it the Mexican Pipeline. La Punta, at the south end, is the softer left for everyone else.
Anchor Point is a long right peeling off a headland on winter northwest swell, and the village beside it runs on surf camps. It is mostly flat in summer, so come between October and March.
Cloud 9 is a hollow right over reef off a wooden boardwalk, home of the Siargao International Surfing Cup since 1994. General Luna is the base, with rentals, guides and boats to the outer breaks.
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