Top 10 spots to visit in the Algarve, Portugal

Are you looking for the top spots to visit in the Algarve? Then look no further! We’ve put together our top 10 spots that you really can’t miss in the Algarve, Portugal.

Enclosed by soaring rocky cliffs, powdery golden beaches, and turquoise water, the Algarve is one spot in Europe not to be missed! Reasonably priced flights from most airports in the UK have encouraged thousands of tourists to flock to the Algarve each year, the moment the sun starts shining and it’s easy to see why. From families to stag weekends to travellers alike. There’s something for everyone along the beautiful coastline.

With so much to see along the rocky coastline, it’s hard to know where to start. From touristic towns to small fishing villages to huge long stretches of white sandy beaches to small little alcoves tucked away, just waiting to be found. There really are so many incredible spots to visit on the Algarve.

If lounging on idyllic beaches, exploring castle-crowned towns or hiking along epic clifftop trails sounds appealing to you. Then you’ll probably love visiting this spot in Portugal.

Heading to Europe? You might also enjoy reading 10 Incredible Things To Do In Cinque Terre, Italy

Where is the Algarve?

The Algarve is located on the beautiful southern coastline of Portugal around 280km from Lisbon and less than 1 hour from the border of Spain.

How do I get to the Algarve?

If you travel through mainland Europe, Portugal can easily be accessed via Spain. The Algarve, Portugal has one airport; Faro. Most UK airports fly here making it an easy summer holiday destination. You can also easily get to the Algarve from the Northern tip of Morocco. 

When is the best time to visit the Algarve?

The Algarve in Portugal is known for its sunny climate and is best explored when the sun is shining. Thankfully, it has a long stretch of sunny weather from April all the way to October. This is when temperatures are at their highest and rainfall is at its lowest making it the ideal time to book your flight and visit the Algarve!

How should I travel around the Algarve?

To travel around the Algarve easily, we highly recommend renting a car or even a campervan! A campervan is a great option if you want to save on accommodation and wake up right in nature. We hired a car for a few days and our only regret was not hiring one for longer. If you can’t drive or don’t want to then there are regular buses that travel along the Algarve, it might just take a bit longer to get places!

Top spots to visit in the Algarve

Discover our bucket list below of top spots that you can’t miss in the Algarve.

Praia da Marinha

Located in between Faro and Lagos along the Algarve coast is Praia da Marinha, one of the most incredibly rugged beaches we’ve seen with incredible views in each direction.

To get here first type in Praia da Marinha into Google Maps, when you arrive there is a car park which is free with a few stands next to it selling fresh orange juice, ice creams and some other snacks. From here you can walk down to the beach or follow the coastal path. A 1.5-kilometre walk where you pass the Arco Natural, the so-called heart-shaped rock, which is actually an optical illusion, that you can see if you sit in ‘just the right spot’, towards the popular Benagil Cave.

Look to the right and you’re met with a mixture of unique rock formations over the azure blue sea. Look to the left and there is the most beautiful long stretch of beach surrounded by jutting rocks in the water.

Praia do Pinhao

Praia do Pinhão, is a secluded beach surrounded by towering orange cliffs just outside of Lagos centre. It’s a short distance from the old town (about a 10-minute walk). It’s the perfect spot to spend the day if you’re staying in Lagos and one of our favourite spots to visit in the Algarve. Make sure to arrive here early to get a good spot and see the beautiful beach without anyone else on it.

We visited here with the intention of making our way to Lagos Roman Bridge however, the tide was in making the tunnel inaccessible. If you’re planning to visit here make sure that you check this!

Praia Da Barrinha – Top spots to visit in the Algarve

Incredibly different to the rest of the Algarvian coast. Praia Da Barrinha is a beautiful long sandbank jutting out into the water. This sandbank is only accessible by foot and is located right near Faro airport. So close in fact, that you can watch the planes taking off from it. It’s a beautiful little spot with crystal clear azure blue water surrounded by other sandbanks on the horizon.

There are a few small houses built on the water’s edge full of people living a truly off-the-grid lifestyle. We were almost the only ones here apart from a few fishermen and a couple of locals sunbathing, an incredibly beautiful experience. Add this spot to your top spots to visit in the Algarve list!

To get here head to Ilha de Faro and just keep walking! There are a few bars and restaurants at the beginning of it and we also noticed a hostel here. There’s a boardwalk that will take you most of the way to the sandbank. Once you come to the end of this continue on the sand (note it’s a little sharp) to the end. The walk takes around 1hr in total. Make sure to bring suncream and water as the sun can get hot and there’s no shade.

Also, note that you can’t fly your drone here due to it being so close to the airport.

Praia Do Camilo

Known as one of the most beautiful spots in the Algarve. Praia do Camilo is a gorgeous little cove with stairs down to a small beach surrounded by incredible rock formations. Over time, the weather has created holes in the cliffs, forming natural tunnels and archways you can walk through to get to other little beaches.

The water is a vibrant mix of emerald and turquoise that gently laps against the shore. Although, when we visited was also full of black seaweed – not that this stopped it from being any less beautiful. Praia Do Camilo was our favourite spot to visit in the Algarve.

It’s a wonderful spot to spend the day. At the top of the stairs, there’s one restaurant which looks out towards the sea. It’s mainly a fish and seafood restaurant so we ordered a mixture of vegetable soup, olives and bread. The perfect small lunch!

Praia da Gale – Top spots to visit in the Algarve

Praia da Gale is a hidden treasure 4 kilometres west of the town of Albufeira. This beautiful golden beach was right on our doorstep when we visited the Algarve, Portugal. So, we became regulars. There are 3 restaurants/ beach bars and a spot where you can hire sunloungers for the day. Praia da Gale is a very picturesque beach with the added advantage of having all of the amenities that you might want for a day spent relaxing on the Portuguese coast.

Albufeira Old Town

Perhaps the most touristy spot on our list of places that you can’t miss on the Algarve. Albufeira has the reputation of being a bit of a party town. But, hidden behind all of the English restaurants and sports bars are some beautiful traditional white houses covered in Bougainvillea and incredible views over the long stretch of beach.

Faro Beach

Faro as a city doesn’t have much to offer other than the airport (sorry Faro). It’s definitely not one of the top spots to visit in the Algarve. However, drive, or walk, across the small little bridge that connects the city to the beach and you’ll find a wonderful stretch of white sand beach. With some small beach bars, restaurants and a more upmarket rooftop bar. The whole area has a wonderful atmosphere and reminded us far more of certain spots in Central and South America than anywhere that we have visited so far in Europe.

If you keep walking along Faro Beach then you will reach Praia Da Barrinha, mentioned above. If you’re wondering what else you in do in Faro you can find out here.

How close is Faro to Faro Beach?

Praia de Faro is located 10km to the southwest of the city of Faro and 3.5km from Faro airport. You can easily access it by driving (there’s a free car park at the beach) or by bus; number 16. This is the same bus route which also serves the airport.

Marina Vilamoura

Modern, lively and sophisticated. That is exactly how we would describe Marina Vilamoura. Packed full of boats (it’s our dream one day to have one so we love spending an afternoon, walking around and looking at them). The marina is also home to an abundance of restaurants and bars. Despite also housing a few Irish pubs the marina feels different and less touristy than some of the other popular areas. It’s more of a destination to sit back with a glass or sangria, a good book and watch the world go by.

Marina Vilamoura was also one of the only spots where we managed to get a good oat milk iced latte in so for this, it will forever make our list!

Benagil Caves

The only spot on our list that we didn’t visit but, we couldn’t write a post about the best places to visit in the Algarve and not include the Benagil caves! The area of Benagil is most famous for this incredible sea cave located just around the corner from the beach. You could attempt to swim here. (Please don’t do this unless you are a really strong swimmer and check the tides before going). But, the most popular way to visit is via a boat or kayak tour.

Lagos town

After visiting Albufeira we were in search of a town with a bit more authenticity and Lagos was just that! Perched within the west of the Algarve, Lagos is surrounded by some of the area’s most stunning beaches. The cute cobbled streets are lined with quaint boutiques, and an abundance of restaurants, cafes and bars.

If you visit Lagos town and have a bit of time to spend here then visit Fort of Ponta da Bandeira and the Castle of Lagos. It’s safe to say, we absolutely fell in love with Lagos town.

Wherever you end up in the Algarve we hope that you have the most amazing time and enjoy these top spots to visit in the Algarve.