Algarve is Portugal’s most popular beach destination. Discover a coastline dotted with caves, dramatic cliffs, and spectacular rock formations emerging from the emerald waters. Read on to find the most scenic spots.
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Algarve is the southern region of Portugal, expanding from Cape St, Vincent to the west, all the way to the border with Spain to the east. All along the coast, there are countless beaches with beautiful, unique rock formations and crystalline waters.
Table of contents
First things first
If you’re planning to visit the Algarve in summer you might find yourself at a loss, not knowing exactly which are the best beaches, the most beautiful sights, and the clearest waters. Honestly, it’s pretty hard to get it wrong as you can find a great new beach every few kilometers. But if you’re looking for some inspiration I’ll try to make it easy for you with a few top choices.
If you’re traveling by car, keep in mind that the whole coast is around 170 kilometers. This makes it pretty easy to move along while choosing one location as your departure point. If that’s not your plan, the locations you’ll read about are divided into sections, each of them with one town that you can use as your base.
Nevertheless, the destinations included in this article are all between Lagos and Albufeira, along 50 kilometers of coast, with Carvoeiro in the middle.
Here is a map for a quick overview:
Around Lagos
Located on the western side of the Algarve coast, Lagos is one of the most visited cities in the region. The reason is simple: the view of the ocean, beautiful beaches with clear waters and unique rock formations, and a lovely historic center with small white houses. What more could you wish for?
From the city center is quite easy to walk around and even reach most of the beaches. Meia Praia is the biggest and one of the most frequented, but in my opinion, not the most impressive.
So here are a few spots worth a visit if you’re traveling to Lagos.
Praia Dona Ana
This is one of the closest beaches to the city, and can be reached either by walking for around 20 minutes or by bus (A Onda is the local bus service). The beach is surrounded by high limestone cliffs and can only be accessed via a few stairways. Once downstairs, you will find yourself surrounded by rock formations, limestone walls reflecting the sunlight, and crystal-clear waters. It is truly an amazing sight, so if you go during high season you will probably find this beach filled with people.
If crowded beaches are not for you maybe this is not the best choice. But then again, that might be the case for the most beautiful beaches in Algarve. The region is a highly popular destination in summer, for both Portuguese and foreigners.
Anyway, if you don’t dare face the crowd, you can still enjoy a view from above. On a sunny day, the blue background of the ocean seems to be almost blending in with the sky and the scattered rock formations emerging from these turquoise waters where you can see the sea bed even from afar.
Praia do Camilo
This is usually a slightly less visited alternative to Praia da Dona Ana, though very small so it might look just as crowded. Like the previous beach, it is enclosed between high golden cliffs, giving it the feeling of a hidden piece of heaven. That is, if it weren’t for all the people here. Still, from the top, the multicolored beach umbrellas give the place a lively look. From here, you can also admire the unmissable rock formations emerging from the crystalline waters.
There is no public transport to get here, so if you’re feeling adventurous and want to try your luck in finding this impressive little spot, you can walk about 15 minutes further west of Praia da Dona Ana. On your way there you can enjoy the stunning ocean view from the cliffs so it’s worth it anyway.
Again, you can only access the beach by descending around 200 steps down the cliffs. So keep in mind that some physical activity is involved here as well. But don’t let it discourage you, I guarantee it’s worth the walk. Just don’t think about having to climb the stairs back up.
Ponta da Piedade
I would say this is the most stunning spot in all of Algarve. The view from the top offers a combination of rock formations of different shapes and sizes, natural arches, and unique pieces of art emerging from the deep blue of the ocean. One could spend hours there taking in the beauty of nature from its different perspectives, exploring the various viewpoints, and descending countless stairs and paths down the cliffs to discover the hidden caves.
Boat trips are also available if you want to further explore the caves and get closer to the crystalline waters or even have a swim. I recommend booking a boat cruise in advance to avoid the huge lines. This Ponta da Piedade Cruise is one of the most popular tours.
On the cliffs, you can also find the Lighthouse, Farol da Ponta da Piedade. It was built back in 1912 on the site of the ruins of the “Nossa Senhora da Piedade” hermitage.
Around Carvoeiro
Carvoeiro used to be mainly a fishing town until tourism started growing in the area in the 1960s and the town developed and adapted to welcome the increasing number of visitors.
Now it’s quite a popular destination for people who are looking for a relaxed holiday at the beach. The city center, right on the coast, is filled with shops, restaurants, and the small white houses typical of the Algarve region.
From Carvoeiro, go on a boat tour exploring the surrounding beaches and rock formations, including the spectacular Benagil Caves. Check out this Boat Tour from Carvoeiro and book in advance to save time.
Praia de Carvoeiro
The main town beach opens up right at the end of a promenade along the center, enclosed between small cliffs populated by white houses. It’s a small beach but not less beautiful and very conveniently located. Because of its location, you might find it particularly crowded in the high season. That’s also because it’s the only beach close to the town while all the others are a few kilometers away.
This small beach is one of the few mentioned in this article that allows you to enjoy the clear waters typical of the Algarve region and a nice panorama, while still being two steps away from bars, restaurants, and ice cream shops. If you are traveling by public transport, this is a great option.
Algar Seco
Starting from Carvoeiro beach and climbing up the cliffs to the east, you’ll reach a true natural beauty. Algar Seco is the result of the action of marine erosion onto the limestone cliffs that form the coastline in this area. These cliffs contain marine invertebrate fossils from 24 to 16 million years ago, back in the Lower Miocene.
The rocks, formed by the slow deposition of marine sediments, are quite vulnerable to water contact and, therefore easily carved. The action of the ocean formed several cavities, galleries, and crevices, creating this incredible piece of natural art.
You can walk around this stone desert and discover galleries and caves of all sorts of shapes. Sneak through narrow tunnels and explore the hidden cavities. In the meantime, the ocean waves keep breaking on the cliffs, continuing this never-ending shaping and carving of limestone.
Praia da Marinha
This beach is probably one of the most spectacular in the area and also not a crowded one, so it’s quite the combo. The reason why it’s not so visited is that it’s not easily reachable. By public transport, there is a bus that gets there from Lagoa. It takes around 15 minutes, but it’s only twice per day. The alternative is to catch a taxi that can be quite expensive, so the ideal option would be renting a car.
If you do manage to get there, you will find yourself yet again on top of high limestone cliffs overlooking the ocean and stunning rock formations. Before taking the steps down to the beach, go for a walk along the cliffs. As you make your way along the narrow paths you’ll find amazing new sights and various viewpoints. Needless to say, the waters here as just as clear as in the rest of the Algarve.
Heart Rocks
If you make your way west along the cliffs from Praia da Marinha, you will reach a point from where you will notice the cliffs forming a double arch in the ocean. You will need to walk a bit around and find the right perspective to see how these arches along with the surrounding coastline can create the shape of a heart.
They have been appropriately named the heart rocks. Unfortunately, due to the continuous erosion of the cliffs, the shape now is not as defined as it used to be so you’ll need a bit of imagination, as well as the right point of view.
Praia de Albandeira and Praia da Estaquinha
These two small beaches are located just west of Praia da Marinha. Unfortunately, they are almost as hard to reach as the previous one. You do have a few more options to reach this place by bus from Lagoa, with several rides throughout the day.
Now, these are definitely two very small beaches, enclosed between the cliffs and separated by one rock portion extending into the ocean. As you make your way toward the shore, you will find Praia da Albandeira on the left side and Praia da Estaquinha on the right. The good thing is that these are not as popular as the other beaches mentioned in this article. If you’re lucky you might even have one of them all for yourself.
On Praia da Albandeira, the cliffs have been carved by the ocean, forming a small cave where you can enjoy a bit of shadow. The rock in between the two beaches also contains a couple of natural pools where you can enjoy slightly warmer water.
Arco de Albandeira
Walking west from the two beaches mentioned previously, you will notice how the cliff extends into the ocean forming a tall arch at the end of it, creating a small bay with turquoise waters. This is quite a famous spot in Algarve and you have probably already seen this arch in some photos of the Algarve.
You can admire the rock formation against the blue waters or walk to the end and have a view of the coastline and the small bay. Just make sure to bring your camera! This spot is one of the most photographed in the region, you don’t want to miss capturing it.
Around Albufeira
Albufeira is located east of Carvoeiro and about 35 kilometers from Faro, further east. It used to be a primitive Roman settlement named Baltum before the Arabs settled in and gave it the name of Al-buhera, which means castle of the sea, then transformed to Albufeira.
Like most towns and villages in the Algarve, Albufeira used to be a fishing town, until tourism started developing in the 1960s. Nowadays it’s a popular summer destination, especially chosen by Northern Europeans and specifically by English travelers. You will notice it by the fact that you’ll hear more people speaking English than Portuguese.
Praia dos Pescadores
This is the main beach in Albufeira and although there might be no dramatic scenery around it, you can still enjoy its clear blue waters all the while being just a few steps away from the city center.
The name Fishermen Beach is due to the fact that it previously used to be the spot where all fishing boats were located, and fishing activities took place. At the time, the neighboring Praia do Túnel was the one dedicated to tourists. Nowadays these two beaches are connected forming one long and wide stripe of sand.
Apart from just sunbathing, there are a variety of activities you can engage in here. Have fun playing volleyball to taking a tour on a paddleboat. And if you get hungry or thirsty you just need to walk a few minutes to the restaurants and bars area. Keep in mind these are very touristy ones though!
Praia da Falésia
About 10 kilometers east of Albufeira, Praia da Falésia is a 7-kilometer-long stretch of sand. There are no spectacular rock formations here but given the length of this beach, you can easily enjoy a peaceful and relaxed time without the crowds you might find on other beaches.
This long stripe of fine sand is backed by a tall reddish wall made of sand and clay. Its bright warm color contrasts with the green of the vegetation growing here and there and with the blue of the ocean.
You can reach Falésia Beach by bus from the Albufeira bus terminal. There are several rides available throughout the day, especially in summer.
Getting in and around the Algarve
The Algarve can be easily reached by flying to Faro, more or less halfway along the coast. From here you can catch either a bus or a train to move along the coast to the various towns and destinations. I always use Skyscanner to search for the cheapest flights.
Eva Transportes usually has quite frequent bus trips between the main towns and villages in the Algarve, especially in summer. Another option is the train. The national rail company, Comboios de Portugal, covers some of the destinations along the coast. You might want to get your tickets at least five days in advance for a discounted rate.
The alternative is to rent a car, and if you have the possibility, it’s probably the best option. This will allow you to freely explore the many beautiful sights the Algarve has to offer. Find the best car deals on DiscoverCars.
For accommodation in the Algarve, I recommend checking Booking.com, which has lots of options for all budgets. I traveled to the Algarve several times and always found great deals with Booking.com.
For more insights and even more destinations in the region, you can check this Algarve tourism website.
If you’ve already visited the Algarve or you simply want to explore more of what Portugal has to offer, take a look at this article about 10 off-the-beaten-track Portuguese destinations. Also, I have a guide to exploring Porto in two days and to the best viewpoints in Lisbon.
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