Praia de Odeceixe-Mar

Odeceixe

Odeceixe is the Algarve's last village before the Alentejo: the Ribeira de Seixe curls around it and marks the border, and the village climbs a hillside above the valley in whitewashed lanes topped by a restored windmill. The beach, Praia de Odeceixe, lies three and a half kilometres downstream where the river meets the Atlantic, and it is one of the most distinctive on the west coast: a broad triangle of sand with the ocean on one side and the calm river on the other, so small children paddle in the shallows while surfers work the waves a hundred metres away. All of this sits inside the Parque Natural do Sudoeste Alentejano e Costa Vicentina, and the Rota Vicentina walking trails pass through the village, bringing a steady trickle of walkers in spring and autumn. The village itself has cafés, a few restaurants and a slow rhythm that barely changes with the seasons. Surf schools work the beach in summer, and the road out to the sand, along the river past reed beds, is a pleasure in itself. Odeceixe suits families, surfers and walkers who want the wild coast with a soft edge.