BEST RESTAURANTS IN VIANA DO CASTELO

TASQUINHA DA LINDA

Kick off your time in Viana with the best seafood and fish restaurant in Town. This elegant restaurant on the banks of the Lima River, in the little fisherman’s harbor prepares classic Portuguese dishes with fresh ocean catch, coal grilled, cooked to perfection in the most simple traditional why!
This restaurant in decorated in a trendy, elegant yet cozy style and has a nice terrasse.
The staff is friendly and professional, they will guide you to choose your food and the best wine to accompany your dishes.

O GRELHADOR

This local Diaria (daily) restaurant is a must go to !
Here you won’t be disappointed neither buy the delicious home style food nor by the extremely fair price !
Careful this pearl is only open for lunch.
This is a Family business the wife is in the kitchen and the husband does the service.
Generous, fresh & well cooked food with a different menu every day.

Full course 7,50€ !!
Soup / main / dessert / bread / drink

Just unbeatable.

CASA PRIMAVERA

Want to try Portuguese classics ?
This is a traditional taberna that serves great dishes to share. Come and enjoy the traditional rustic atmosphere, eat and drink delicious specialities for a very reasonable price. You can choose between the Pataniscas (starters) or the mains, all the choices are tasty and perfect to share !

CHURRASQUEIRA OCEANUS

This is another unmissable Portuguese traditional specialty, the local comfort food by excellence, the famous bbq grilled piri piri chicken and piri piri pork ribs. All the food is home made and the fries are freshly cut.
Perfect to take away or to eat there.
Great taste, fast and satisfying!

TABERNA DE VALENTIM

This is one of the best restaurants in town when it comes to fish. The chefs of this simple yet very tasty taberna know how to prepare the different fishes, soldes by there weight, to perfection. The fish is grilled on the BBQ, served with greens and potatoes and is insanely good.

Simple is sometimes the best!!

PATTAYA THAI

While you don’t make a trip to Viana for Asian food, there are a few good addresses in Town and this Thai restaurant is one of them.
So if your craving some authentic, exotic, spicier cooking this place will delight you.

This Thai cuisine will make you want to come back for sure!

INDIAN PUNJABI

This is definitely another great Asian address. So if you need to get Indian food this is the perfect place. The flavors are authentic and the food is good.
The staff are very friendly and the service efficient.

Best kitesurf spots in Portugal

We visited the best kitesurf spots from north to south of Portugal and we are happy to share them with you! Portugal is world known for its surf conditions but it is still to discover for its amazing kitesurf conditions ! You’ll find plenty of empty spots all along the coast with a great variety of conditions, from the large sandy beach, the flat lagoon or the waves spot.

Cabedelo, praia Luzia Mar (Viana do Castelo)

At the top north of Portugal, in the iconic city of Viana do Castelo, you will find one the best and windiest spot of Portugal located on the beautiful beach of Luzia Mar in Cabedelo. Only 45 min drive from Porto and it’s international airport, the spot is easy to access.

The Nortada wind is blowing along the Portuguese coast from May to October, plus here in Viana do Castelo, there is a local thermal wind (due to the proximity of the Lima river and the green hill around) that adds strenght to the wind, making this place the windiest spot in Portugal with an average of 20-30 knots.

The spot is a large sandy beach, with one side protected from the atlantic swell by a pier offering a flat calm water zone perfect to learn and on the other part of the beach you can ride medium to head size waves. So this spot offers amazing kiteboarding, kitesurfing, foil, wing and surf conditions, perfect for beginners to advanced and all the way to pro riders !

Moreover, Viana do Castelo is one of the most beautiful, authentic & vibrating cities in northern Portugal with plenty of things to do and see for the non-kitesurfers or after the session (restaurants, bars, skate parks, wake park but also churches and monasteries, monumental, and bicycle ride, walk on marked trails, jet skiing, sailing, rowing and canoeing on the River Lima).

More info here

BEGINNER

SHALLOW WATER

FREE RIDE / BIG AIR

WAVES

FOIL

Esposende

The spot is located in the Cávado river delta, 30 min from Porto, it is a great flat spot in northern Portugal with shallow water.

South wind works good here, the northern wind is not as strong as in Viana do Castelo. It can be a good place for very windy day in Cabedelo .

To access the spot in Esposende, you have to cross the estuary by boat (the kite schools there offer a boat transfer service from the pier to get you to the natural reserve). Or you can walk about 2km to reach it.

BEGINNER

SHALLOW WATER

FREE RIDE / BIG AIR

WAVES

FOIL

Obidos Lagoon

1h30 from Lisbon, you’ll find the beautiful lagoon of Obidos, one of the best and most famous kitesurf spot of Portugal. The lagoon can be divided into 2 areas. The first area is the estuary of the lagoon, the most beautiful part, were it meets the ocean. This spot has two sides one is Bom Successo beach, on the south (best side, more wild, wide beach, best orientation, little cool café) and on the other side Foz de Arelho on the north (big camper area and restaurants).

You can only kitesurf there from 15 of September to 15 of June, so in the summer you need to go to the 2^nd area of the lagoon, more inland.

BEGINNER

SHALLOW WATER

FREE RIDE / BIG AIR

WAVES

FOIL

Gincho

Mytic spot for surfing in Portugal, Gincho beach is also a great spot for kitesurfing.

The wind is reliable here, consistent and strong. It is a wave spot, with a solid short break and many surfers in the water, so probably not the best for beginner or to have lessons, but great sensations if you look for a wave kites session.

Very easy access from Lisbon, Gincho beach can be reach in 30min.

BEGINNER

SHALLOW WATER

FREE RIDE / BIG AIR

WAVES

FOIL

Costa de Caparica

Costa de Caparica is Lisbon’s spot. It’s a sandy beach, with shre break. The water can be a choppy to waves. The wind is usually light here but if your lucky you can get stronger days, so check the forecast before planning your kite session.

During high season, this location can get crowded.

BEGINNER

SHALLOW WATER

FREE RIDE / BIG AIR

WAVES

FOIL

Alvor lagoon in Algarve

South of Portugal is home to many kitesurf spot, the most famous is the alvor lagoon. The water is flat and shallow which make it a good place to start learning kitesurfing, but the beach is very shelly so you’ll need some surf shoes.

The Nortada wind starts there usually around 3pm and stays around 20 knots and is often onshore/sideonshore in this lagoon. This landwind is very gusty.

BEGINNER

SHALLOW WATER

FREE RIDE / BIG AIR

WAVES

FOIL

Today we’re going to talk about trade winds.

Trade winds are constant winds that blow all year long in the same direction, i.e. from tropical latitudes to the equator.

The term comes from the early 14th-century word «trade» that meant «path» or «track».

Due to their constancy and strength trade winds greatly simplified the movement of ships coming from Europe to the New World in the Age of Sail.

Why do trade winds maintain their direction throughout the year?

Let’s recall how heat is distributed across our planet. The Earth receives heat from the sun’s rays. The closer the angle of incidence of the sun’s rays is to the right angle, the warmer the Earth gets.

Rays fall at right angles on the equator, but at the poles, they go tangentially. Therefore, during the year, the equator receives more heat, and the area of the equator is the warmest on our planet.

The heated surface heats up the air as well. When it heats up, it expands, becomes less dense and therefore lighter, and goes up.

While warmer (and therefore lighter) air is surrounded by colder (heavier) air, it has the ability to rise. This process is called convection.

Now we have to recall what atmospheric pressure is.

Atmospheric pressure is the force with which air presses on a point or surface. In other words, it is the weight of the ‘atmospheric column’ that is the weight of the entire atmosphere, from its upper boundary to the surface.

Important! Weight is a force, not to be confused with mass. The weight of an object can change even if its mass does not change.

For example, the weight of your hand on the scale without additional pressure will be different from the weight of your hand if you put additional pressure on the scale, although the mass of the hand is the same in both cases.

The same goes for the atmosphere – the weight, i.e. air pressure on the surface, depends not only on its mass.

Yes, when we are climbing a mountain, the total number of air molecules above us decreases (and thus the air mass above us), and therefore the pressure in the mountains is less than at the foot of the mountains.

But the pressure is also affected by air movements in the atmosphere. If the airflow is directed from top to bottom, it additionally pressures the surface and the pressure is high, if there are no vertical movements, the pressure depends only on the air mass, and if the air rises, the pressure on the surface will decrease.

Let's return to the heated surface at the equator:

upward movements of air above the equator (convection) lead to a decrease in pressure there. Therefore, a low-pressure area forms at the equator.

Rising air at the height of about 10-15 km spreads out from the equator towards the poles. As it moves, this air loses its energy and descends in the tropics. As it descends, the air puts additional pressure on the surface. The downward movement of the air forms an area of high pressure in the tropics.

The last thing we have to recall is that the wind always blows from high to low pressure areas. This means that the wind is directed from the tropics towards the equator all year round.

On a non-rotating planet, trade winds would be directed strictly from high to low pressure areas. But on the Earth, their trajectory is influenced by the Coriolis force, so they twist a little clockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and counterclockwise in the Southern.

They meet around the equator. The convergence zone of trade winds is called the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ, you may have seen the abbreviation).

What happens in this zone? Winds are constantly colliding there, which means that there is always a «surplus» of air that is displaced upwards.

Remember us saying that the rise of air at the equator is caused by heating? It turns out that there is an accompanying mechanism of vertical movements at the equator: when trade winds collide, a «surplus» of air is formed and displaced upwards.

The air rises and as a result, the pressure at the equator drops. Rising air at the equator often results in cloudy weather and heavy rains.

Text: Windy.app team

Cover photo: Unplash

Kitesurfing gear Ozone & Mystic

Kitevoodoo choose the best kitesurfing gear, from Ozone & Mystic so you live and amazing kiteboarding experience and learn in the best conditions !

OZONE

https://ozonekites.com

Ozone is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of Kites and Paragliders, created around a dedicated team of passionate riders and pilots that share the same outstanding passion for nature, exciting sports and progress.

Keeping true to our philosophy of creating products that we love to use, we extend that same passion into every aspect of the brand. Indeed, we are working hard to innovate not only the products we create but also in our business practice and manufacturing process.

We are proud of what we do and of who we are. Our core mission is to progress our sport through technological innovation, intensive R&D and sustainable business models.

The ‘Ozone Feeling’

We believe you will feel the difference

Ozone products conjure an experience that is nearly impossible to put into words. Invoking emotion, excitement, exhilaration and joy. The Ozone ‘feeling’ is something that transcends the product itself. Ozone kites and boards provide a sensation unlike any other – a sensation that is wonderfully cohesive, yet novel and surprising every ride. This feeling is what Ozone is known for and we invite you to experience it too.

Technology and Innovation

Trailblazing from the beginning and setting benchmarks

Ozone designs, software and version strategy take technology and innovation further than any other brand. Since the development of our very first kite in 2001, Ozone has brought more innovative concepts and industry leading designs to market than any other brand. While we creat category-defining products that set the standard for all those that follow.

Investing into the future

Ozone believe strongly in investing in tools that allow our team to advance designs with high efficiency and accuracy. We have developed our own proprietary software OzCAD by collaborating with some of the most brilliant minds in the fields of engineering, aerodynamics and software development.

The use of performance prediction models generated by this valuable tool provides us unparalleled insight throughout the design process.

Committing to a ‘full life’ product cycle

Ozone have created the Version Concept for all products rather than confining them to model years. Designs are updated to a new version when we believe we have developed a better performing product from the existing design.

We have adopted this approach to avoid confusion in model updates. This also gives our design team time for true innovation. We strive to be transparent in our innovation. This is good news for customers, as the performance of a new version will be an improvement, and the value of the existing version will remain higher for longer.

Manufacturing Facility

True quality comes from owning the process from the first stitch to delivery.

Our strong commitment to the highest quality begins in our very own factory. Not long after we started, we realized that we needed to be in control of every step of the manufacturing process to ensure the integrity of all our products.

The Ozone factory in Vietnam is a state of the art facility were we employ only the highest trained craftsman whose expertise and attention to detail shine through in every product that is manufactured. Our factory produces exclusively for Ozone Kites, Ozone Paragliders, Ozone Speedwings and Squirrel Wingsuits.

All Ozone products are checked and batch tested throughout the manufacturing process and must pass final checks before they leave the factory. Close contact between our product development teams and production facility ensures that every product is manufactured to spec and is guaranteed to be worthy of the Ozone name.

Ozone is synonymous with quality and the materials that go into each product are based on this factor alone. Ever since our humble beginnings we have carried out constant performance and longevity evaluations of every material and component available to maintain our position at the forefront of durability and performance.

We do not produce in large batches. All products are manufactured to order using our bespoke B2B ordering system. This method of production is unique to the Kitesurf industry, and means there is no extra stock flooding into the market, which can devalue a product at the end of the season.

As a brand we are Inspired by Nature and Driven by the Elements. We thrive on people getting out there and having fun with our products, we couldn’t be happier seeing riders on the water, snow or land who share our values and stoke.

MYSTIC

https://www.mysticboarding.com

« A group of kiteboarders and windsurfers who loved everything in the extreme wanted to go after strong winds and bigger waves in harsher conditions. Passionate as they were about kiteboarding and windsurfing they felt that the majority of the existing equipment on the market was holding them back, so they decided to break out on their own and fill the gap.

They set out to create kite and windsurfing equipment that was durable and able to support a rider in extreme conditions allowing the rider to go harder, faster, higher. »

Mystic aimed to create a range of equipment that embraced modern technologies and techniques, which in combination with the riders’ natural physical skills would allow them to reach and even surpass their maximum potential. Mystic wanted to create products that push riders further, allowing riders to break all the existing boundaries and take the sport to a totally new level.

click here to visit kitevoodoo info page.

I.K.O

WHAT IS I.K.O (international kiteboarding organisation)

https://www.ikont.com

KITE VOODOO is an I.K.O affiliated Kitesurfing school that follows IKO standards and teaching methods. We register all our students with them to allow you after your training course is complete to rent equipment and ride by your self almost anywhere in the world.

What is IKO certification?

The IKO CERTIFICATION certifies your skill level and is a mean of verification as you continue to train and develop. In fact, this Kiteboarder Certification is proof of your ability and training.

Insurance

I.K.O can also provide you with:

Worldwide Kitesurf Insurance

They’ve got you covered!

Specifically designed for your personal and professional kitesurfing activities, the IKO Insurance Program offers all IKO members peace of mind and covers you in case of unexpected incidents. This master insurance policy is provided by XL Insurance Company SE through the insurance broker Saam/Verspieren Group, two major experts in the field of sports insurance.

Benefits

Get Covered While You Kite

For students and all kiter levels, the recreational third party liability insurance covers you against claims resulting from injuries and damage to other people and/or their property.

Work With Protection

For Pros from Assistant and Instructors up to Trainers, the professional third party liability insurance covers you against claims for which you are responsible.

Personal Accident Coverage

Compensates you or an assigned beneficiary in the event of disability, rescue or death during your kitesurfing activities.

Kitesurf Events and More Activities Covered

Kitesurf competitions as well as snowkite, stand up paddle, surf and kayak activities are also covered.

Coverage and Amounts

Recreational and Professional Liability

Maximum limit per claim € 150,000
Equipment damage excess € 250

Accident (NOT medical coverage)

Rescue € 8,000
Disability € 15,000
Death € 15,000

BEST RESTAURANTS IN VIANA DO CASTELO

TASQUINHA DA LINDA

O GRELHADOR

CASA PRIMAVERA

CHURRASQUEIRA OCEANUS

TABERNA DE VALENTIM

PATTAYA THAI

INDIAN PUNJABI

Best kitesurf spots in Portugal

Cabedelo, praia Luzia Mar (Viana do Castelo)

Esposende

Obidos Lagoon

Gincho

Costa de Caparica

Alvor lagoon in Algarve

Why do trade winds maintain their direction throughout the year?

Now we have to recall what atmospheric pressure is.

Let's return to the heated surface at the equator:

Kitesurfing gear Ozone & Mystic

OZONE

The ‘Ozone Feeling’

Technology and Innovation

Investing into the future

Committing to a ‘full life’ product cycle

Manufacturing Facility

MYSTIC

I.K.O

WHAT IS I.K.O (international kiteboarding organisation)

What is IKO certification?

Insurance

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