Salema
Salema is what the western Algarve looked like before the volume went up: a small fishing village folded into a valley mouth, ending in a beach where the boats are still drawn up on the sand. It belongs to the parish of Budens in Vila do Bispo, on the quiet stretch of coast between Lagos and Sagres where planning protections have kept the building low and the coastline honest. The beach is the daily event: broad, gently shelving and Blue Flag awarded, with a short seafront where the restaurants grill fish landed a few metres away. At its eastern end, the tilted rock slabs hold something unexpected: dinosaur footprints, pressed into what was soft lagoon mud around 125 million years ago, and visible to anyone who knows to look. Beyond the village, the coastal path towards Burgau and Sagres gives cliff-top walking with barely another soul in sight for most of the year. There is no strip and no nightlife to speak of, and that is the point. Salema suits travellers who measure a place in swims, long lunches and early nights, and it rewards anyone who stays past the day-trip hours, when the village gets its beach back.
23°C
Clear sky
Flawless
The kind of day postcards are jealous of.
Salema, right now
The Salema circle
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Questions & answers
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Ask the first questionBeaches near Salema
Offers in Salema
News from Salema
PT
Postal27 JunDespiste de mota em Faro faz uma vítima mortal: homem de 35 anos não resistiu aos ferimentos
Acidente de mota em Bela Salema, no concelho de Faro, provocou a morte de um homem de 35 anos. GNR investiga as causas do despiste
PTPostal27 JunDespiste de mota em Faro faz uma vítima mortal: homem de 35 anos não resistiu aos ferimentos
Acidente de mota em Bela Salema, no concelho de Faro, provocou a morte de um homem de 35 anos. GNR investiga as causas do despiste
Salema FAQs
- How many places are listed in Salema on Algarve Circle?
- 7 places in Salema, including restaurants, services and things to do, each contactable directly with no commission.
- Are there beaches near Salema?
- Yes. Beaches near Salema include Praia Andorinha, Praia da Boca do Rio, Praia da Figueira, Praia da Foia do Carro. See them all at algarvecircle.com/beaches?town=salema.
Run a business in Salema?
Eat & Drink
O Lourenço
Traditional Portuguese restaurant in Salema village, open Monday to Saturday, no reservations needed, just walk in.
Do
Golf Santo António / Parque da Floresta
An 18-hole course by Pepe Gancedo running over hills behind Salema, with a signature par 3 5th and green fees published from €57.
Salema Tours
Boat trips offering dolphin watching, cave tours, fishing and kayaking from Salema beach.
Stay & Live
Salema Beach Hotel
Three-star beachfront hotel in Salema village, 40 metres from the beach on the Vicentina Coast.
Salema Eco Camp
Sustainable camping and glamping resort with regenerative tourism practices near Salema beach.
A Maré
Family-run guesthouse in the centre of Salema fishing village, 50 metres from the beach, renovated in 2024.
Aroma di Casa
Family holiday apartments in Salema village with sustainability focus and upcycled finishing touches.
Nearby towns
More of the Algarve, a short hop from Salema.
