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Open water swimming stage on Praia da Restinga in Alvor on 8 August, part of the Algarve's open water circuit.
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The Prova de Mar de Alvor is the 8 August stage of the Circuito de Águas Abertas do Algarve, held off Praia da Restinga and organised by O2 Portimão with the Câmara Municipal de Portimão, the Junta de Freguesia de Alvor and the Associação de Natação do Algarve. In past editions the day has run in three parts, a kids' race, a shorter divulgação swim open to all, and the main open water race for federated swimmers, with prize giving on the beach afterwards.
Alvor's sheltered estuary mouth makes for calmer water than some of the more exposed Algarve beaches, which is part of why the race has kept coming back here for well over a decade.
Timings for the 2026 heats had not been published at the time of writing; check the Circuito de Águas Abertas do Algarve registration page nearer the date.
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A few minutes from the venue, and taking bookings or requests.
Seafood restaurant in Alvor village serving oysters, prawns and other dishes from local suppliers, with mostly Algarve wines.
100 m from the venue
Holiday apartment rentals in Praia da Rocha, Alvor and Portimão with a reservations office in Alvor and a shop in Praia da Rocha.
100 m from the venue
Trattoria L'Allegria is an Italian restaurant in Alvor serving handmade pasta, Italian pizza and Italian wines.
100 m from the venue
100 m from the venue
Irish pub built in the heart of Alvor in 2004, with live music most nights, big screen GAA, football and rugby, and Guinness imported straight from Dublin.
100 m from the venue
100 m from the venue
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Spots found by members, the town’s own circle, and people who answer whatever you want to ask.
A necropolis of 5,000 year old monumental tombs in farmland behind Alvor, with a walk-in burial mound at its heart. Alcalar was the ceremonial centre of a Copper Age community that farmed this corner of the Algarve, and restored Monument 7 is the showpiece: a stone mound with a low passage leading to a corbelled chamber, engineering from around 3000 BC that you can peer into from the entrance corridor. Several more tombs lie around it in various states of excavation, and a small interpretation centre sets the scene. Few people come, so you will likely share the site only with larks and the wind. It is signposted from Mexilhoeira Grande off the N125; combine it with lunch in Alvor or Figueira.
“Ponta da Piedade is one of my favourite places around Lagos — breathtaking views, beautiful turquoise waters and amazing rock formations. I never get tired of seeing it! 🌊❤️”
A quiet municipal park at Estômbar where freshwater springs meet the tidal Arade, with a tide mill, boardwalks and a stone amphitheatre. Sítio das Fontes is where Lagoa locals go for Sunday picnics while visitors queue for boat trips a few kilometres downstream. Springs bubble into a pool beside the restored tide mill, boardwalk paths loop through marsh and woodland, and egrets and waders work the estuary flats. A small amphitheatre built into the hillside hosts occasional concerts. It is an easy, level wander rather than a hike, which makes it a good outing with children or grandparents in tow. Follow the signs from Estômbar village; late afternoon brings the best light over the marsh, and picnic tables sit under the trees.
The town circle
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A regional walk and run organised by the Municipality of Alcoutim as part of the Feira da Perdiz programme and the IPDJ annual walk-run calendar. It starts at 10:00 on 11 October at Cerca da Chada, Ma
The fourth Guadiana International Cup, a canoeing race on the Guadiana at Alcoutim, starts at 10:00 on 11 October. It is organised by Grupo Desportivo de Alcoutim with the Portuguese Canoeing Federati
A one hour interactive story session based on the book by Álvaro Magalhães, in which young children discover how nature changes through the seasons. It is for ages 3 and over at the Centro Ciência Viv
