Algarve gems
Hidden spots shared by the community, waterfalls, viewpoints, secret beaches and local secrets. Found one? Add it.
Hidden beachNewIlha Deserta's Empty Far End
Faro
The southernmost tip of mainland Portugal: an uninhabited barrier island of white sand and shell banks, a short boat ride from Faro. Ilha Deserta, officially Ilha da Barreta, has no town, no cars and a single restaurant by the jetty. Most visitors settle within sight of it, which is why we send people the other way: follow the boardwalk or the tideline south-west towards Cabo de Santa Maria and within fifteen minutes you have kilometres of beach to yourself, with shell drifts underfoot and the whole Ria Formosa at your back. Boats run from Faro's old town pier year round, more often in summer. There is no shade beyond the restaurant, so take an umbrella, water and a hat, and note the time of the last boat back.
Hidden beachNewCacela Velha Sandbar
Cacela Velha
A tiny whitewashed hamlet above a lagoon where, at low tide, locals wade across to an empty white sandbar. Cacela Velha is barely a dozen houses, a church and an old fort on a bluff at the eastern end of the Ria Formosa. The magic is below: when the tide drops, the lagoon empties to warm shallows and you can walk out to a long ribbon of white sand with clear Atlantic water on the far side. Oysters are farmed in the channels, and the view from the churchyard wall is one of the finest in the east Algarve. Park at Fábrica or above the hamlet, check the tide table before you go, and carry everything you need, as the sandbar has no shade or facilities.