Cities are great places to surf. When you have little time, between work and studies, a city beach break can be an excellent option to relax and have fun with friends. City surfing is growing because the global population is moving further to the urban regions.

Many world cities have local beaches with very interesting surf conditions, webcams and by-the-sea cafés where you can have a sandwich and beer after your ride. Many surfers can even travel by underground or buses, with their surfboards, to the local peak.

There are thousands of surf cities on Planet Earth. SurferToday.com has selected some of the best urban surf spots for you to enjoy a few waves in lunch time. Park your car, have quick snack and hit the surf. Enjoy, because in 45 minutes, you will be back to work.

In North America, it's almost like an impossible mission to name the best. There are hundreds of great surf cities. Huntington Beach is a classic. With the Surf City in its name, this is the perfect picture of California, waves, surfers and piers.

Malibu is also unforgettable. The beachfront city in western Los Angeles offers a very high percentage of quality surfing during the 365 days of the year. If a surfing celebrity drops in, you're definitely in Malibu. Santa Cruz, also in California, is a synonym of surfing and skateboarding. It is the home of O'Neill Wetsuits, Santa Cruz Surfboards and Santa Cruz Skateboards.

On the East Coast, Cocoa Beach is the surf Mecca of every Floridian rider. Kelly Slater is the most famous local of this sunny town and even as statue of his own. Long Island is surf spot of every New York surfer. The place has incredible surfing conditions and attracts a large number of wave riders, everyday.

In Hawaii, the cities of Honolulu and Haleiwa should not be missed. Here, you've got more surfboards than local citizens. Also, waves are always bigger than local buildings. Have you ever heard of Pipeline?

In South America, the "olas" and "ondas" pump 24 hours a day. Rio de Janeiro, capital of Brazil, delivers warm waters and perfect waves a few metres from the fresh 'caipirinha' drinks. The beach resort city of Pichilemu, in Central Chile, is considered to be one of the finest prime surf spots of Latin America.

Europe offers long and sandy beaches. In Portugal, in Matosinhos, you can leave the subway and, in a few minutes, hit the urban waves of this Northern crowded line up. This is the largest Portuguese surf city, but Nazaré is an incredible big wave surf spot for intrepid surfers and bodyboarders. In the South, Peniche has the coolest Mayor of the ASP World Tour and plenty of top class surf spots, while Ericeira delivers one of the most famous waves of the continent.

In Spain, the coast line is immense. Tarifa is windsurfer's best European spot. Lots of wind, hostels, camping, tapas and night parties. In the North, Mundaka is Basque Country’s lost pearl of surfing. If you're looking for an island, try Tenerife. The city offers waves and winds for all tastes and styles.

England has excellent surfers. Although you might not believe, Newquay is a splendid surf city with incredible support equipment for wave riders. In Boscombe, near Bournemouth, we may test how it is to ride an artificial reef wave in salt waters.

In Central Europe, there are three important cities where surfing is very much possible. Sylt is windsurfer's heaven, Podersdorf shakes the adrenaline of the Austrian riders and Munich is known for offering a popular river wave that was star of the surf movie "Keep Surfing".

In Africa, a stop in the island of Sal (Cabo Verde) is a must for every windsurfer. The PWA World Tour has a permanent stage in this beautiful windy paradise. Essaouira, in Morocco, is a marvelous and exotic beach city with plenty of good waves and tasty food. If we forgot Jeffrey's Bay, the best surf spot of Africa, that would be unforgivable.

We end up this endless journey with the Gold Coast, probably the best surf city in the world. With a population exceeding 400,000, the Australian wave riding metropolis has 57 kilometres of world class surfing beaches. Surfers Paradise, Burleigh Heads, Currumbin Beach, Kirra, Coolangatta, Snapper Rocks, Froggies Beach and Duranbah Beach are just a few examples of surfing, urbanity and nature.