01
Why we picked it
The west’s all-rounder: a genuinely historic centre that works year round, surf beaches one way and calm coves the other, and the biggest international community west of the Golden Triangle.
Everyone who moves to the Algarve has the same first question, and it is not about visas. It is: which town? The coast changes character every twenty minutes of driving, and the difference between a resort marina and a working fishing town is the difference between two entirely different lives. These are eight of the towns we know best, west to east, each with an honest one-liner on who it suits. Treat it as a shortlist for the scouting trip, not a verdict: every town page linked here goes deeper, with the businesses, events and beaches that actually make the place tick.
02
Why we picked it
Village-scale living on the cliff coast, whitewashed and walkable, at its best if you want small and beautiful rather than busy and convenient.
03
Why we picked it
The inland option: a castle-topped former Moorish capital among the orange groves, cooler in every sense, with the coast twenty minutes away.
04
Why we picked it
The resort engine of the central coast. Full-throttle in summer, far quieter in the old town off season, and unbeatable for beaches per square kilometre.
05
Why we picked it
The marina life: polished, planned and international, with golf on every side. The choice if you want everything managed and moorings for the boat.
06
Why we picked it
The capital nobody scouts and everybody flies into: a real Portuguese city with a university, the Ria Formosa on its doorstep, and the airport ten minutes away.
07
Why we picked it
The working fishing town the guidebooks finally noticed: brilliant markets, honest prices, no beach in town but the Ria Formosa islands a ferry ride away.
08
Why we picked it
The east’s elegant one: Roman bridge, tiled townhouses, a slower rhythm and island beaches. The town people fall for on the first afternoon.
