Praia do Guincho

Praia do Guincho (English: Guincho Beach) is a popular Atlantic blue flag beach located on Portugal's Estoril coast, 5 km from the town of Cascais, and is located in the municipality of Cascais, more precisely in the parishes of Cascais and Alcabideche, in the District of Lisbon. Guincho is nearby small villages like Areia, Charneca, Figueira do Guincho and historical Biscaia.

File:Guincho May 2012-2.jpg

The Guincho beach viewed from north, with the Fortess of Guincho in the back

The beach has preferred surfing conditions and is popular for surfing, windsurfing, and kitesurfing. Strong northern winds are predominant during summer time (June–August) as well as smaller north-west swells, making this beach ideal for windsurfing and kitesurfing. During winter (especially December), the predominant winds are from the east, and swells increase in size, making it a perfect spot for surfing, with multiple beach-breaks providing powerful lefts and rights. There are also several surfcamps and surfschools in the area that provide accommodation and services including rentals, repairs and surfing classes.

There is camping available at nearby Orbitur Point, approximately 1 km from the beach.

This beach was famously featured in the pre-titles sequence of the James Bond film On Her Majesty's Secret Service, wherein James Bond rescues Contessa Teresa de Vicenzo from a suicide attempt and foils off two attackers in the surf; the beach still looks as it did in 1969. More recently, the beach served as location for the shooting of the film This Side of Resurrection, directed by Joaquim Sapinho.

In the 90's, Guincho was one of the locations for the windsurfing world cup. Today, several sporting events are held at Guincho regularly, including the Portuguese National Surfing and BodyBoarding Championships.

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Praia do Guincho, west coast of Portugal