Visiting the Algarve
The southern tip of Portugal, a hundred miles of coast facing Africa, from the wild Atlantic to the Guadiana river. In the west, around Lagos and Sagres, ochre cliffs drop into turquoise water, carved into arches and caves. In the centre, from Portimão to Albufeira, one resort follows another. In the east, past Faro, the coast flattens into lagoon and sand islands.
Behind the coast, the hinterland is still farmland: orange groves, almond trees, white villages with lacy chimneys, and the Monchique hills for cooler air. You come for the sea, the clifftop paths and grilled fish. Expect more than three hundred days of sunshine a year, and water colder than you think.
You will love it if
- You are looking for beaches beneath spectacular cliffs
- You like walking the coast from one cove to the next
- You want sunshine in May or October, when the rest of Europe clouds over
Give it a miss if
- You dream of a warm sea: the Atlantic rarely tops 22°C
- You hate crowds: in August the famous beaches overflow
- You travel without a car and want to see everything: the trains barely follow the coast
The must-sees
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1 Benagil cave +3 recs
A cathedral of rock opened to the sky by a round hole, between Carvoeiro and Albufeira. Light falls from above onto a beach of golden sand. Access rules have tightened: you now admire it from the water, by boat or kayak, setting off from the nearby beaches. Go early in the morning, before the queue of boats.
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2 The Seven Hanging Valleys trail Hike
Nearly four miles of cliffs between Marinha beach and Vale Centeanes beach in Carvoeiro. The path runs along the edge, passes above Benagil and dips into small valleys hanging over the sea. Walk it in the direction that keeps the sun at your back, and take water: there is no shade at all.
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3 Ponta da Piedade Coast
South of Lagos, the cliff breaks up into needles, arches and tunnels the sea runs through. A stairway leads down to the water, where the fishermen's boats set off. Come late in the afternoon, when the rock turns orange.
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4 Ria Formosa Lagoon
A lagoon nearly forty miles long, sheltered by a chain of islands from Faro to Cacela. Boats leave Faro and Olhão for Ilha Deserta and Culatra, where you walk for miles on sand without a single road. Stay for a grilled-fish lunch, then catch the last boat back.
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5 Portimão's sardine festival Festival
Every summer, in early August, the port of Portimão fires up its grills along the quays. The sardines are eaten on a slice of bread, with a glass of wine and concerts until late. It is the most popular festival on the coast: arrive early to find a table.
The classic trap
Booking Benagil cave for an August afternoon. At that hour the boats queue at the entrance, and the light no longer gets in. Come first thing, or in September, when the sea is still mild and the quays are quiet.
Our itineraries in the Algarve
| Length | Itinerary | What you see |
|---|---|---|
| 3 days | Lagos › Sagres | Ponta da Piedade, the cliff beaches, Cape St. Vincent |
| 5 days | Lagos › Carvoeiro › Faro | The west, Benagil and the Seven Valleys, the Ria Formosa |
| 1 week | From Sagres to Tavira, with Silves and Monchique | The whole coast, the Moorish hinterland and the hills |
Start in the west, in Lagos, for the old town and Ponta da Piedade, then head out to Cape St. Vincent for sunset at the end of Europe. Come back towards the centre, to Carvoeiro, for Benagil and the clifftop trail. Got a week? Drive up to Silves and Monchique, then finish in the east, between Faro, the lagoon islands and Tavira.
When to visit the Algarve
| Interest | Season | Temperatures | The highlight | Crowds and prices |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WinterDec. to Feb. | 8 to 17°C | The almond trees in blossom | Low | |
| SpringMar. to May | 11 to 24°C | Trails in flower | Medium | |
| SummerJune to Aug. | 18 to 30°C | Swimming and village festivals | High | |
| AutumnSept. to Nov. | 14 to 27°C | A sea that is still mild | Medium |
Our advice
Come in May or September: the sun is the same as in July, the beaches have room and prices drop by a third. July and August remain the swimming season, but the crowds are dense. In January the almond trees blossom inland: a mild winter for walking, not for swimming.
Getting to the Algarve
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By plane to Faro The simplest
Direct flights link London, Manchester, Dublin and many other UK and Irish airports to Faro in under three hours. The airport is ten minutes from the centre and an hour from Lagos by motorway.
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By train from Lisbon No car to start with
Direct trains link Lisbon to Faro in about three hours, across the plains of the Alentejo. The coastal line then takes over between Lagos and Vila Real de Santo António.
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By car from Spain For a road trip
From Seville, allow two hours to Faro over the bridge across the Guadiana. Coming from further afield, most travellers combine a flight with a hire car.
Pick up your hire car at Faro airport: that is where the choice is widest and prices lowest. If you arrive via Lisbon, keep a day for the city before heading south.
Getting around the Algarve
A car gives you the most freedom: the coast can be driven end to end in two hours, and the finest coves lie at the end of small roads. The coastal train links Lagos to Vila Real de Santo António, but its stations are often far from the beaches. For a settled stay in Lagos or Faro, regional buses and shuttles are enough.
Good to know
The A22 motorway across the Algarve has no toll barriers: tolls are electronic. Ask the hire company for a car fitted with the transponder, otherwise you will have to pay afterwards at a post office. A UK or EU licence is enough to drive in Portugal.
What to eat in the Algarve
- Grilled sardines: served whole on a slice of bread, the great business of summer in the ports.
- Cataplana: fish, clams and prawns simmered in a shell-shaped copper pot.
- Octopus: grilled, in a salad or with rice, above all in Santa Luzia, near Tavira, which calls itself its capital.
- Guia chicken: charcoal-grilled and spiked with chilli, in the village of Guia, near Albufeira.
- Almond and fig sweets: little marzipan fruits, and the dom rodrigo of Lagos.
- Medronho: a strawberry-tree brandy distilled in the Monchique hills, drunk after dinner.
To eat like the locals, leave the seafront and look for a tasca in the back streets, where the catch of the day is chalked on a board. At Olhão market in the morning, you will see the lagoon fish come in. And order Ria Formosa clams wherever they are offered.
Where to stay in the Algarve
| Area | What for | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Lagos | Old town, Ponta da Piedade, coves | The most complete |
| Sagres and the west coast | Surf, Cape St. Vincent, wild beaches | Windy, with few places to stay |
| Carvoeiro and Lagoa | Benagil, the Seven Valleys, clifftop villages | The heart of the cliffs |
| Albufeira and Vilamoura | Beaches, nightlife, golf | The liveliest |
| Faro, Olhão and Tavira | Ria Formosa, sand islands, old towns | The east, more authentic |
How much does a trip in the Algarve cost?
| Trip | Length | Budget per person |
|---|---|---|
| Budget (hostel, bus, tascas) | 5 days | €350 to €550 |
| Comfort (boutique hotel, car, good restaurants) | 5 days | €700 to €1,200 |
| Luxury (clifftop resort, fine dining) | 5 days | €1,800 to €3,500 |
- The season: an August room often costs twice the same room in May; shift by a month and you save a lot.
- Meals: a tasca's set menu, fish and a glass of wine included, costs far less than a seafront terrace.
- Boat trips: outings to Benagil and Ponta da Piedade are short and affordable; compare departures on the quay.
- The car: book early for summer, and keep some margin for the A22's electronic tolls.
- Beaches: all are public and free; only parasols and sunloungers are for hire.
Traditions and way of life in the Algarve
The name comes from the Arabic al-Gharb, "the west": for five centuries the Algarve was the western tip of the Muslim world, and Silves, its capital, keeps a castle of red sandstone. It gave the region its almond and orange trees, its water wheels and perhaps the lacy white chimneys that still crown the houses.
In the 15th century, Prince Henry the Navigator made Sagres and Lagos the base of the great voyages of discovery: the caravels sailed from here towards Africa, and in 1444 Lagos opened Europe's first slave market. The earthquake of 1755 flattened much of the coast. Passing through Lagos? Take time to read the plaques by the old harbour: the history is written there without varnish.
