Visiting the Algarve?
Plan it with the people who live here. Where to stay, the beaches worth the drive, what's on while you're here, and the restaurants and towns we'd actually send a friend to. No tourist traps, no pay-to-win rankings.
The best beaches
Over 200 in the guide, with the details we've verified.
Praia da Falésia
Praia das Primas
Praia do Camilo
Praia da Batata
Praia de Dona Ana
Praia do Castelo
Praia dos Tesos
Quinta Amoroso
What's on
Markets, music, food and festivals during your stay.
Cinema Sessions - CinemaLua
Cinema Sessions - CinemaLua at São Brás de Alportel. Hours: 7.15 pm. Organised by CinemaLua. Listed in the official Visit Algarve events guide. Details: www.cinemalua.pt.
Dr John Sanchez: Traditional Chinese Medicine
A month-long residency in traditional Chinese medicine, with treatment plans built per guest.
Tiles & Tales: Design Your Own Azulejo
Paint your own azulejo using seventeenth-century techniques, every Monday into December.
Piazzetta Summer Nights
The Piazzetta by Adega turns into an evening of Portuguese food, music and company.
Exhibition " Here come all the others! " by Nélia Duarte
An exhibition of narrative paintings characterised by a strong illustrative and caricature-like style, in which humour, sarcasm and more macabre elements intertwine to create an emotive and direct vis
Day guides
Real places strung into a day out, the way we'd do it.
Perfect Yoga & Brunch in Vilamoura
A slow Vilamoura morning done properly: an expert-led class at the town's top rated yoga studio, then breakfast next door at the cafe run by the same team.
British-Curriculum Schools in the Algarve
Nine places teaching the British curriculum across the Algarve, from the west coast at Aljezur to Tavira in the east: what each one offers, from first enrolment at age 3 through to A-Levels and the IB.
Moving to the Algarve: The Settling-In List
The paperwork half of a new life in Portugal, handled: visas and NIF numbers, a lawyer for the house, insurance in plain English, pension advice and a doctor.
Where to base yourself
Lively resort or quiet fishing village, every town has its own feel.
When to come, and how to get around
The Algarve is good all year. July and August are hot and busy; May, June, September and October give you warm sea, quieter beaches and lower prices. Even winter is mild, with bright days made for coastal walks and long lunches.
Faro airport sits in the middle of the region, with the west coast about an hour one way and the Spanish border an hour the other. A hire car opens up the hidden beaches and villages, though the train and buses link the main towns along the coast.
Save the spots you love.
A free account lets you save beaches, events and places to a list you can come back to, and follow the towns you're visiting for what's on while you're here.