The 15 best places to see in the Algarve!
Algarve is the southern region of Portugal and receives millions of visitors every year, miles of coastline and sunny days attract many visitors.
Here we are going to see 15 unmissable places to add to a route through the Algarve. The order will only be from east to west, so that you can organize a route.
Indice:
TAVIRA
Just 25 kilometres from the border with Spain we find this town, one of the places to see in Algarve
Named as one of the most beautiful villages in the Algarve, it welcomes us with its old houses, the Gilao River and its bridge.
A network of small streets make Tavira on both sides of the river a beautiful city for a day trip or to stay there for a few days of rest.
Traces left by the Moors since they inhabited the city are still visible in its buildings today.
The walls, the churches, the white houses will accompany this charming tour. Perhaps what gives it the most charm is the right mix between the touristy and the local that you breathe in its streets.
The palaya de Tavira, the Prahia da Ilha de Tavira, can be accessed by ferry, which leaves from the city center.
And we leave these picturesque streets to move to the next point and no less beautiful
LIGHTHOUSE
We arrived in this beautiful city, a good place to stay and use it as a base to tour the eastern part of the Algarve.
Its historic center is very beautiful as well as its marina. It is not a very big city but it has a special charm.
Remains of the wall can be found during the tour, the cathedral, and chapels such as the Igreja do Carmo which has a chapel of bones inside. A free tour of this city can be a very good option
A large strip of beach can be visited from here.
As I was saying, although it is a good accommodation option, this is not the one we chose, we continue our journey
VILAMOURA
Vilamoura is a refined summer resort, with several golf courses as well as water parks.
In Algarve we will find something for all tastes, for those of us who prefer small coastal towns, or those who like cities or also large tourist complexes like the ones we have here.
What the Algarve areas do have in common are the stunning beaches.
And leaving Vilamoura behind we go to the next destination, welcome to
ALBUFEIRA
Also belonging to the district of Faro, this coastal town welcomes us with a particular charm and is one of the places you have surely heard about.
What used to be a fishing village has become one of the most popular tourist destinations, so it is very busy. It was just beginning of autumn when we did this tour and there were still a lot of people, so I imagine it must be very busy in summer.
It was past midday the day we visited Albufeira so we took advantage of the opportunity to eat there, as I said, that tranquility that only comes from the off-season, that autumn that had just arrived and that still allowed us mild days.
We loved the place, Restaurant 54, the view towards the beach and the food were good too.
And now, yes, we leave Albufeira and we go to Albufeira.
Pear armacao
Located in Silves, Armacao de Pera is a small but very nice tourist center, its beautiful coast calls us to enjoy it. And we continue our journey to
BENAGIL
Benagil Beach is a small cove with a wonderful setting where we find caves and caverns.
Benagil Cave is perhaps the most famous and well-known, as it appears in many photos. You can see it from above by walking a short distance from the beach. Or from the sea, but we’ll leave that for our last recommendation.
Are you planning to visit Lisbon? Check out this complete guide to Lisbon
CARVOEIRO
And a short distance away we will visit a new coastal town and it is the one we chose to stay the days we were in Algarve
And it is that this fishing village is also a tourist center having a balance between the local and the touristy that gives it that different charm, more so at the time that we went, the beginning of October.
The tranquility and beauty of its coast makes it a nice option to base yourself in one of the places.
Here we will find the Algar Seco, these rock formations that take whimsical shapes due to the work of water and wind, it is an essential walk in the area.
Going down the stairs in the area called Boneca we find Boneca Bar, a wonderful place to which we returned at night for dinner, we will also talk about that later.
Find accommodation in Carvoeiro
FERRAGUDO
This town offers another of the beautiful postcards of the Algarve. White houses on a bay and fishermen’s boats
The day we visited Ferragudo we had not stopped to rest so we stopped here for some pizzas while enjoying the views, it is a beautiful town
And you can see very close what our next visit will be
PORTIMAO
This city in the Faro district is the largest city in the western Algarve.
The city centre is located on the banks of the Arade River and two kilometres from Praia da Rocha (Rock Beach). An industrial city that today also revolves around tourism.
Find a hotel in Praia da Rocha
And we leave this city to which we will return for an activity and we will go now to
LAKES
We arrive in one of the most beautiful cities in the Algarve, Lagos. It should also be a nice option to stay and enjoy it.
A very beautiful historic city, and very visited by everything we have near it to see how
PONTA DA PIEDADE
This is another of the beautiful places in the Algarve, Ponta da Piedade is in the Lagos district, and walking along its wooden walkways and its viewpoints will allow us to enjoy some dreamlike coastal landscapes. It is only 4 kilometres from the city of Lagos and is one of the essential visits in the Algarve.
The action of the sea and the wind gives us these panoramic views to which we do not have much more to add, just enjoy the images.
They have boat trips from Lagos to get to know them in a different way.
Book Ponta da Piedade boat tour
But we continue our journey and we go to the
PRAIA DA LUZ
Just 6 kilometres from the lake we find this small town with a beautiful beach. Beaches that are known for the cleanliness of their waters, which has earned it the Blue Flag awarded by the European Foundation for Environmental Education.
Praia da Luz is located in the municipality of Luz, in the western end of the Algarve, and as we said very close to the city of Lagos.
And now we’re going to the extreme your western we’ll visit
CAPE OF ST. VINCENT
We have arrived at the most southwestern point of the Algarve and a must-see in the Algarve. The ruggedness of the area will make this arrival a pleasure. Sunset is a good time to reach this point if the weather is clear. Upon reaching this cape we cannot miss visiting
THE FORTRESS OF SAGRES
Built in the 15th century as a defensive point, this military construction dominates the landscape of the area.
Within its walls is the Church of Nossa Senhora da Graça, a cistern tower and a large compass rose.
Inside is the Museum of Portuguese Discoveries, an interactive museum focused on the discoveries of Portugal.
And we will also pay a visit to
BELICHE FORTRESS
Located in Cabo San Vicente we find these remains of what was once a defensive fortress, a small visit is worth it.
Before moving on to the practical data to make the view, let’s go to the promised plus
*VISIT TO THE BENAGIL CAVES BY BOAT
I recommend you, if sailing does not hurt you, that you embark on it, it is a beautiful experience and another activity to see and do in the Algarve.
Let me tell you our chosen excursion was the Benagil Caves Boat Tour. It left from Portimao early in the morning, the duration is 1 hour and a half and it was worth every minute spent on this ride.
Book the Benagil Caves Boat Ride
The tour along the Benagil Coast will allow us to see various cavities that have been formed by the collision of water with the cliffs, giving way to some wonderful places. We will then arrive at the Cave that we had seen from above.
I tell you that although my interest was exclusively to see this cave, the truth is that absolutely the entire trip is worth it. Places that we have seen in this video, such as Carvoeiro, we saw again from the water, which always changes the perspective.
So here I leave you this plus and recommendation in the Algarve and now if we are going to
PRACTICAL INFORMATION
Tolls
We made the trip by car from Spain. The tolls within the Algarve area are mostly electronic, so you will need to link your car registration to a credit card so that the tolls can be debited from there.
When you enter Portugal you have a place to do it, but we did it online in advance and it worked well. You have to keep in mind that the charges don’t arrive right away. Then you will go through the toll without stopping, you will practically not notice that you are going through them. Toll website in Portugal.
Find your car for the Portugal tour on DiscoverCars
Lodging
We stayed four days, which is very little to enjoy the area.
As for where to stay, it is difficult to choose a city, we after evaluating it quite a bit chose Carvoeiro.
The hotel chosen was the Carvoeiro hotel, it is a little far from the center but the room is very spacious and you have a place to park the car on the property.
Dinner
For dinner we chose two places, Boneca Bar that I recommend for the experience, go down the stairs to dine with a beautiful setting.
And the other place already in the center of Carvoeiro, O Patio, was also very good and very good service.
Unlimited internet
To be able to use the map that guides us on our itinerary, also to be able to access the tickets and the audio guides, and there are many other things we need internet for. We travel with Holafly eSims, which have unlimited internet throughout Europe. The ease of purchase and installation and, I repeat… it is UNLIMITED!, makes them our chosen option every time.
We leave you a discount code for your EUROPAACOMPAÑADA5 purchase
If you want more information, you have a post here where we detail all the steps from purchase to activation of Unlimited Internet with Holafly
MAPS AND VIDEO
NOTE: The information in this article is based on our own experience, being totally objective. This article contains affiliate links
