How to Experience the Best of Portugal’s Algarve Coast
If you’re looking to experience a variety of what Portugal has to offer, make your way beyond the cities to the quieter beach towns. The Algarve region is stunning, set against the backdrop of massive cliffs that line the coast. If you’re planning a trip, here’s how to experience the very best of what Portugal’s Algarve coast has to offer.
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Getting Around
The Algarve region is more than just one town. The southern coastline spans about 100 miles, and several of the top spots are spread out. You can take planes, trains, or automobiles to get to the coast, but it’s best to have a car once you’re there so you can go out and explore.
For Americans, we can be thankful that the Portuguese drive on the right side of the road. However, as with all of Europe, manual cars are more common than automatic, so expect to pay more if you can’t (or don’t want to) drive stick.
It’s not impossible to get around without a car, but it is certainly more limiting. You can hire a private driver or order Ubers or Bolts (another Uber competitor in Europe). Alternatively, you can strategically choose activities that are either close by or include pickup/drop off at your accommodation. The other option is to stay close to public transportation and only go as far as the transit/walking/biking can take you. This could work if all you’re looking for is a relaxing time at the beach.
If you’re driving south from Lisbon, you can choose to take the more direct highway route or the scenic route by the coast. We took the scenic route but it took us over twice as long and meant we had to drive on many winding roads. While we got to stop at some beautiful cliffs, in hindsight, we should have just picked the highway.
Where to Stay
We stayed in a lovely Airbnb in Armação de Pêra, but I wouldn’t recommend staying here. There was nothing wrong or bad about this town, but it lacked a lot of the charm nearby areas had and was primarily made of condo towers near the water.
Instead, I’d recommend staying in Lagos, which is right on the water and has true old-European charm . If you come to Lagos, Goldig Café & Takeaway serves a delicious vegan breakfast – I highly recommend!
Faro is also a popular area to stay in and very convenient if you’re already flying into the city.
We stayed in an Airbnb because we needed space to work remotely, but there are also hotels part of large chains in the area if you want to earn loyalty points.
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What to Do
Benagil Caves
There are only 2 countries in the world where you can find algars, which are caves with a hole in the roof. Those are Mexico and Portugal. In Portugal, there is only 1 with a beach you can land on. The rest are too small or dangerous.
We booked a sunrise kayak tour to visit the Benagil Caves and others along the coast. After seeing the waves, I was nervous we’d flip our kayak either getting off the beach or trying to land. Luckily, our guides were fantastic and helped us time the waves perfectly so no one on our tour flipped.
The cave is free and open to the public but only accessible by SUP, kayak, or boat, making a tour the easiest option for tourists. Going first thing in the morning allowed us to avoid the large crowds that arrive later in the day. Our tour group was the only people there!
Enjoy the Beaches
The entire southern coastline of Portugal is dotted with beautiful beaches set against the backdrop of stunning coastlines. There are so many to choose from, but here are a couple recommendations:
- Praia de Marinha – this beautiful beach is also the trailhead for the famous Seven Hanging Valleys Trail
- Praia de Dona Ana – this stellar beach is conveniently located just outside Lagos
Note: many of the beaches in Portugal are accessible via stairs (a tradeoff for having the beautiful cliffs), so be prepared and do your research if accessibility is an issue for you.
Cabo de São Vicente
Located in the Southwestern-most corner of Portugal is a lighthouse called Cabo de São Vicente, also known as “The End of the World” because back before we knew the Earth was round, Europeans literally thought there was nothing further than this point. The lighthouse sits at the top of a cliff and is still in operation to this day to help guide ships.
It is free to visit the lighthouse and surrounding cliffs. You can just drive up to lighthouse and find a parking spot. Be careful near the cliff edges as there are no guardrails to keep you safe.
Make sure to look for wildlife down below. When we were there, we were treated to an awesome view of dolphins jumping out of the water near the bottom of the cliffs!
Learn to Surf
If just sitting on the beach isn’t enough for you, there are options for getting out on the water, including jet skiing, parasailing, etc. However, the most popular in the Algarve region is probably surfing with world class waves at your fingertips. If you’ve never surfed, there are plenty of companies to take lessons from. Otherwise, you can just rent a wetsuit and board and go out on your own.
The Algarve Coast in Southern Portugal is world famous with good reason. It’s beautiful and full of unique landscapes that cater to all kinds of travelers. We spent 2 days here, which was perfect for as since we aren’t “lay on a beach and relax” kind of people, but if you are, you could easily spend a week here.
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