Things to do in Algarve
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Algarve
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Best months: warm sea, long days, everything open, below-August prices.
Hot, crowded, priciest. Book everything; the west coast is cooler and emptier.
Mild, good walking, wildflowers in spring; some beach restaurants closed.
Quiet and mild; good for walking and golf, not a beach trip. Carnival in Loulé.
What's on
- Carnival of Loulé February/March
The region's biggest carnival, three days of parades.
- MED Festival late June
World music across Loulé's old town.
- Fatacil late August
The Algarve's big craft and food fair in Lagoa, 10 days.
- Sardine Festival early August
Grilled sardines on the Portimão waterfront.
Best things to do in Algarve
Ponta da Piedade
Lagos headland of arches and grottos, best walked then seen from a small boat.
Benagil Cave
The sea cave with the roof hole; only kayaks and SUPs can still land inside.
Ria Formosa
A 60 km lagoon of islands and oyster beds, best seen by boat from Olhão.
Tavira Castle
Hilltop castle with a garden inside the walls and views over the lagoon.
Fortaleza de Sagres
The fortress at the end of the known world, best in the last light.
Cabo de São Vicente
Mainland Europe's southwestern tip; the classic Algarve sunset spot.
Silves Castle
Red sandstone Moorish castle with walkable cisterns above orange groves.
Praia da Marinha
Double arches and clear water; the start of the best cliff walk.
Where to stay in Algarve
Lagos
a first trip
A real town with the cliffs on foot, restaurants worth repeating, and day-trip range.
Tavira and the east
food and quiet
Slower, more Portuguese, the best eating per square metre; far from the west.
Sagres and the west
surf and empty horizons
The wild end; stay for the outdoors, accept quiet evenings.
Quinta do Lago / Vale do Lobo
golf and polished comfort
Manicured resort belt; drive out for character.
Think twice about
- The Albufeira strip
A bar street built for package nightlife; base in the old town or elsewhere unless that is the trip.
- Quarteira's high-rise seafront
Dense apartment blocks with a fine beach but little reason to choose it over its neighbours.
- Deep inland without a car
Lovely villages to visit, but basing there without transport strands you; buses are infrequent.
Best restaurants in Algarve
Cantinho Algarvio
Lagos local favourite; the set menu and cataplana are the order.
A Forja
Traditional Portuguese cooking in Lagos, the twice-a-week kind.
Restaurante Alcatruz
Octopus every way in the village that calls itself the octopus capital.
Marisqueira Rui
Fresh-catch seafood lunch inland, paired with the castle.
Restaurante Europa
Thirty-year family tasca; the shrimp curry is the regulars' dish.
Ode Mar
Modern Algarvian cooking; tuna tartare with avocado mousse leads.
Tascarda
Small Tavira room; order the piri-piri shrimp risotto.
Vila Joya
Two-star clifftop tasting menu; the region's special-occasion dinner.
Outdoor things to do in Algarve
Seven Hanging Valleys Trail
Six kilometres of arches and sinkholes along the cliff tops.
Praia da Arrifana
The west coast's beginner surf beach, surfed in the morning.
Ilha de Tavira
Eleven kilometres of empty barrier-island sand, reached by ferry.
Fóia
The Algarve's highest point at 902 m, cooler than the coast in August.
Quinta do Lago
The region's flagship championship golf, booked days ahead in season.
Best hotels in Algarve
Casa Mãe
Design hotel in a 19th-century estate with a farm-to-table restaurant.
Vivenda Miranda
Terracotta boutique hotel with Atlantic views, quieter than the centre.
A Hospedaria
Five-suite rural retreat among orange and fig trees near Cacela Velha.
São Paulo Boutique Hotel
18th-century house on a pretty square with a small saltwater pool.
Martinhal Sagres Beach Family Resort
The family resort with kids' clubs and beach villas on the west coast.
Pousada de Sagres
Clifftop pousada in the fortress walls; the view is the room.
The Magnolia Hotel
Retro-styled boutique hotel, good value for the resort belt.
Conrad Algarve
The big luxury resort with a spa and serious dining.
Is Algarve expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | €70 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | €170 a person |
| Splurge | €400 a person |
| No limits | €800 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Benagil Cave: a few days ahead
- Ria Formosa: a few days ahead
- Quinta do Lago: a few days ahead
- Casa Mãe: weeks ahead
- Vivenda Miranda: weeks ahead
- A Hospedaria: weeks ahead
- São Paulo Boutique Hotel: weeks ahead
- Martinhal Sagres Beach Family Resort: weeks ahead
- Vila Joya and Ocean Restaurant: weeks ahead in season.
- Benagil kayak first departures and August boat trips: 2 to 3 days ahead.
- Quinta do Lago tee times: days ahead in season.
Is Algarve safe?
- Petty theft is seasonal: lock cars at remote beach car parks. The sea is the real risk: currents, red-flag days, unfenced cliff edges. Emergency number 112.
Algarve travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Albufeira strip and marina-front tourist menus.
- Big-boat Benagil tours that cannot land inside the cave.
- Party boats sold as sunset sails; check passenger counts.
Getting around Algarve: public transport and more
- A car is close to essential outside Lagos town. The A22 motorway is electronically tolled.
- Trains run Faro to Lagos but miss most beaches. West coast buses are sparse.
- Island ferries run from Olhão, Faro, Tavira and Cabanas on seasonal timetables; mind the last boat back.
Who Algarve suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Great |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | OK |
| Families | Great |
| Bachelorette parties | OK |
Make Algarve your trip
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