18 Things to do in the Algarve, Portugal

When to visit the Algarve?

We visited the Algarve in September, the weather was pleasantly warm, hot enough you could still sunbathe but not unbearable for walking around and exploring. May and June would be a similar temperature too. The peak of summer (July-August) does get very hot and busy. The Algarve is a very popular family holiday destination so the school holidays might be best to avoid if you can!

Where to stay in the Algarve?

This all really depends on what you’re looking for! Do you want a quiet little place by a beach? A city centre apartment? A hotel with a pool and a view? You can find it all in the Algarve! We chose to stay in Albufeira because its fairly central so this allowed us to travel around the region easily. It also has an old town, harbour and beaches all within walking distance.

Getting to and around the Algarve

You can find lots of super cheap flights from the UK to Faro! If you’re keen to do lots of exploring, I would recommend hiring a car from near the airport.

Nature

1. Seven Hanging Valleys Trail

The Seven Hanging Valleys trail is a hiking route with beautiful views along the Algarve coast! The entire hike is 12 miles, 6 miles there and back, rather than a loop. We aren’t super experienced hikers but with a few stops for lunch and an ice cream, it took us around 4 hours in total.

Try to start the trail early in the morning or in the evening to avoid the heat of the mid-day sun, I was surprised how many people didn’t do this! When we set off at 9am there was hardly anyone around but I think we should have started even earlier. When we finished early afternoon it was super busy and the car park was packed. Maybe if you’re used to hot weather you’d cope better than my body which is more acclimatised to the chills of Northern England.

2. Benagil Caves

The Benagil Caves are a famous feature of the Algvare. If you’re googled “Algarve”, you will likely have seen photos of the caves already! The caves aren’t accessible by land but there are a few options to view them. You can take a boat tour, which will likely show you other caves and rock formations too. We took a boat trip that doubled up the caves with dolphin watching (15). Unfortunately the waves of the Atlantic were too much for my quezy stomach but a tour of just the caves may be calmer. There are lots of options to take the tours from the main towns like Albufeira and Portimao. Another option would be to rent a kayak to see the caves. We didn’t do this ourselves but saw plenty of groups going in and out.

Whilst the caves aren’t accessible by land, you do walk past the top of them on the Seven Hanging Valleys Trail but you really can’t see much from there and there are barriers to stop you getting too close.

3. Tres Irmaos

Praia dos Três Irmãos translates to the Beach of Three Brothers. This refers to three rock formations emerging from the sea along the beach. The beach is fairly big with four different bays plus it merges with the expansive Praia de Alvor so plenty of space to explore and also plenty of space to spread out and settle in for a beach day. The beach is nearby to the city of Portimao (14) and Alvor (11) so you could quite easily visit all three in a day.

4. Ponta da Peidade

Ponta da Piedade (meaning point of mercy) features a boardwalk along the clifftops of the dramatic headlands of Lagos. You can also view the cliffs from below via a boat tour or kayak rental. We chose to stick to the land and wondered around the cliff top and hundred-year old light house. There is a small carpark nearby but it gets very busy so most people park along the road.

5. Algar Seco

Algar Seco is a rock formation near the town of Carvoeiro. It consists of a series of caves, tunnels and holes which form natural windows, framing the view over the Atlantic. There are plenty of man-made stairs so its fairly easy to explore. Whilst you’re in the area, I’d also recommend taking a stroll along the Carvoeiro Boardwalk (13).

6. Roman Bridge

The Roman Bridge can be found spanning across cliffs in Lagos. To get the best view of the bridge, you need to venture from Praia dos Estudantes through a little tunnel in the cliff to a hidden beach. I’m not sure if the tide was in or out when we visited so it might not always be accessible. We had to paddle through some shallow water, nothing too treacherous!

There didn’t seem to be a way to actually walk across the bridge but the best views are from below it anyway! The bridge itself seems to be a bit of a mystery with no one knowing exactly when it was built.

Towns and Cities

7. Albufeira

8. Lagos

Lagos would also make a good base for a holiday in the Algarve. It’s the largest city in the region so has plenty to do nearby including seeing the Roman Bridge (6) and walking around Ponta da Piedade (4). There was also a great choice of restaurants in Lagos with more options to suit a variety of diets. Whilst we struggled to find many vegetarian options in other town, Lagos actually had an entirely vegetarian restaurant – Estudio Vegetariano. Unfortunately it was fully booked when we were there so we popped down the street to the Green Room instead, which was delicious. I’d also highly recommend Empanadas & Co for lunch.

9. Loule

Loule was perhaps one of my favourite towns to visit because of its stunning buildings, particularly the very instragramable Mercardo Municipal. Look out for signs which lead you around a historic trail of the town and and tell the story of some it’s buildings. I believe the trail begins near the castle.

10. Olhão

Olhão is just to the East of Faro and features a traditional old town. Look out for the old market along the seafront and the Municipal Museum and Igeja opposite, nestled in the old town streets. Looking out over the sea from Olhão, you’ll find part of Ria Formosa National Park which is a network of natural islands and sand banks hosting a variety of wildlife. You can take boat tours of the islands from marina in Olhão

11. Alvor

Alvor has a lovely old town to stroll around but there isn’t tonnes to see there, but there are great beaches nearby. We attempted to see the castle but were quite surprised to see its now a playground!

12. Faro

If you’re flying to the Algarve, you’ll likely fly into Faro airport so the town itself is well worth a visit either on your way in or out of the region.

There are lots of ornate old buildings in Faro, starting with the gateway to the old town, Arco De Vila. Igreja do Carmo and the bone chapel (16) are also worth seeking out. Other areas of interest in Faro include marino which features a huge “Faro” sign that you can take pictures with and the shopping district around Rua de Santo Antonio.

13. Carvoeiro

Just along from Algar Seco (5), the Carvoeiro Boardwalk is a nice easy stroll along the coast with stunning views. It leads from the rock formations of Algar Seco to Forte De Nossa Senhora da Encarnação. The fort dates back to the 1670s but is now a fairly simple looking chapel. Just around the corner from this is the main beach and town of Carvoeiro.

14. Portimao

Portimao has a blend of older buildings with traditional tiled facades mixed in with a more modern city. Some of the more spectacular buildings to look out for are the Nossa Senhora da Conceição and Igreja do Colégio.

Other Activities

15. Dolphin Watching

There are lots of options to go on a boat trip out to the Atlantic to see pods of dolphins in their natural habitat. As they are wild, there is no guarantee that you will actually see them, however, we were assured that all the boats radio one another so if someone sees dolphins, they will tell the others where they are.

We boarded a tiny little boat with 20-30 others, all seated in rows, the only cover was a little shelter over the captain. I was quite surprised at how far out into the Atlantic Ocean we went in the tiny little boat. Perhaps we didn’t go as far as I thought but as someone who isn’t a fan of boats and is prone to sea-sickness, it definitely felt far to me! Luckily we did see dolphins and I managed to snap a few photos and videos before succumbing to my queasiness. I spent the rest of the journey throwing up at the back of the boat. The crew were great about it and kept giving me more sick bags. Apparently I wasn’t the only one being sick!

To avoid another boat trip, we combined dolphin watching with a cave tour to see the Benagil Caves (2) but sadly the caves came second so I didn’t see much of those! Just beware if you are prone to sea sickness like me, this may not be the best activity for you, or perhaps pick a shorter duration journey.

16. Praia Do Carvalho

Praia Do Carvalho was one of our favourite beaches that we visited. We stumped upon it during our walk along the Seven Hanging Valleys Trail (1) but you could fairly easily drive to it too. The beach sits within a valley and the only way to access it is to venture down some stone steps and through a narrow tunnel that runs beneath the main path. When we first walked past we didn’t even notice this entrance so it all feels very secretive and secluded – that is if you don’t go at peak times!

17. Bone Chapel

The Chapel Dos Ossos, otherwise known as the Bone Chapel in Faro is a very peculiar sight! For €2 entry (must be paid in cash) you can see the interior of the Igreja do Carmo church and its adjacent chapel of bones. The walls of the chapel are completely covered in the bones from 1,250 long dead monks. Their bodies were removed from an over-crowded cemetery in 1816 then used to decorate every inch of the chapel. What makes this place even stranger is that it isn’t even unique! There is another Bone Chapel in the Algarve in Alcantarilha which has 5,000 skeletons!

18. Palace of Estoi

The Palace of Estoi is the one place on this list that I haven’t actually been to but wish we had gone! The palace and gardens are just a 15-20 minute drive from Faro. The palace has been recently renovated and restored to have a grand pink and blue exterior. Inside it is now a luxury hotel but you don’t need to be a guest to visit and explore the immaculate gardens.