As stated before, The Algarve is the perfect spot for a 4-5 day beach vacation. The beaches are stunningly beautiful. The high iron content of the soil creates bright red and orange cliffs that have been cut away by the pounding waves leaving finely ground orange sand beaches sandwiched between the cliffs and the clear turquoise waters of the Atlantic Ocean.

The towns along the Algarve Coast are one delightfully, quaint beach town after another. Typically, you will arrive in The Algarve through the airport in Faro. Faro is a complete dump. Do not under any circumstances stay in Faro or plan to spend more than maybe 30 min checking it out (there is a cool bone church to see discussed below). As you move from Faro to Lagos the beach towns get progressively nicer until you reach the area west of Lagos which is just stunning cliffside mansions overlooking the coast. If you are looking for hotels, the more you move west, the nicer of an area you will be in. Unless you are renting a cliffside mansion around the town of Luz to the west of Lagos via Airbnb, we’d recommend the area between Albufeira and Portimão.

We stayed at The EPIC SANA Algarve Resort in the town of Albufiera. The hotel was phenomenal, featuring some of the best beaches, a wonderful pool and pool bar and one of the best restaurants in all of Portugal. The meal we had at the flagship restaurant Al Quimia was one of the best meals we’ve had anywhere on Earth. If you’re going to stay here make sure to put aside time (and quite a bit of money) to have dinner at Al Quimia.

Things to do in The Algarve

Take a Boat Excursion for the Day

Do not leave The Algarve without spending a day on the water. The swimming and snorkeling are great, the views of the coast are unmatched and some of the best caves in the region can only be accessed by boat. Plus there are frequently schools of dolphins that migrate past Portugal throughout the year that you will see more often than not. There’s plenty of companies that offer boat tours to meet your individual needs. The company we used, X Ride Algarve, was fantastic. They did everything they could to personalize our private boat tour and kept us out for an extra 30-40 min when we were surrounded by dolphins on the way in so we could enjoy the show. They have great boats to accommodate parties of any size and have great trips for children as well.

Private tour option for 560 euro (2.5 hours custom trip can fit upwards of a dozen people comfortably)

Algar Experience – Two unique tours. One includes dolphins and a beach BBQ

Algar Experience also provides a catamaran tour that features more of the caves and dolphins

Go Wine Tasting

We stumbled upon one of the best wine tasting and lunch spots we’ve found anywhere while driving around the vineyards just off the coast. The place is called Quinta Dos Santos. They are both a winery and a brewery so they have alcohol for all tastes! They also have a fantastic selection of food. Their steak with chimichuri was fantastic. We highly recommend stopping here for lunch one day, especially if you like wine. Reservations are a good idea since they don’t have many tables.

Also check out this awesome wine tasting tour if you want a full day experience.

Hiking

The Algarve Coastline is known for having some of the most beautiful hiking of anywhere in Europe. The hikes are relatively easy although you should wear athletic sneakers for sure. You’ll mostly be staying at the same elevation, but there are some parts where you hike down a hill and then up. Difficulty level ranges from easy to moderate. There’s sections of the hike that are easy enough for anyone to do. For more information about these gorgeous cliff side hikes check out this website. Also check out this website for advice on how to get to Ponta da Piedade, the Algarves most beautiful and famous lookout.

Beach, Bike & Oysters Tour

Exactly what it sounds like. Check out this cool tour where you’ll take a leisurely bike ride along the beach to a secluded lagoon, before cycling on to an oyster farm where you’ll learn about the farming process, taste oysters and try some of their refreshing white wine.

Explore Praia da Marinha

Praia da Marinha is one of the most emblematic beaches of Portugal. With Mediterranean climate, located on the Atlantic coast in Caramujeira, in Lagoa Municipality, this beach is considered by the Michelin Guide as one of the 10 most beautiful beaches in Europe and as one of the 100 most beautiful beaches in the world. There can be some slight difficulty in finding this beach at times because it is a little off the main road and foot path and there’s a steep descent down to reach the beach, but the views, the superior water and the cliffs are all well worth the effort.

Visit Lagos’ Famous Bone Churches

As stated above, Faro is a total dump. You won’t want to spend a full day here, but as a short stop either on the way to or from the airport it is worth swinging by The Capela dos Ossos (Bone Church) at Carmo Church (Igreja do Carmo). It costs 2 Euros to enter and takes all of 15 min to see, but it is quite the sight to see. The Church of Sebastian (Igreja de Sao Sebastiao), Lagos’ famous ‘Skull Chapel’ is also worth a stop as well.

Other Cool Experiences

Kayaking to the Benagil Caves

Snorkeling

Hike, Swim and Tapas Tour

Places to Eat in The Algarve

Al Quimia

I can’t possibly say enough good things about this restaurant. One of the best fine dining experiences you’ll ever had in a gorgeous tropical setting along the stunning Algarve Coast. The meal is perfectly paced with each course more delicious than the next.

Casa Del Mar

This beachside seafood restaurant overlooking the ocean has one of the best views in all of Algarve, Portugal to go along with some of the best fresh seafood you’ll ever eat…and yet, the restaurant is entirely unassuming. It’s perfect for large groups and even kids. This is one of the best places you could pick to eat lunch during a beach day to the stunning beaches right outside its doors. Try their Portuguese lobster if you want to be blown away. They also have great linguini neri.