7-DAY TRIP TO ALGARVE

Algarve, from Arabic word: al-Gharb "the West", is the southernmost region of Portugal.

The capital of the Algarve is the city of Faro, where we arrived with our direct flight from Bergamo, Italy.

1st day: 

Arrive at the International Airport of Faro, rent a car and start your journey!

We decided to stay in an apartment in Praia da Rocha, Portimão. Where the prices are cheaper then other cities and from where you can arrive with a 20/30min ride to all the best beaches of Algarve.

In Portimão you can visit Praia da Rocha, one of the most famous beach in Algarve. It's quite big and is easy to reach, but for us was a bit too crowded and touristy.

We decided to move to Praia dos Três Irmãos in Alvor to see the sunset (only 10min ride from Praia da Rocha). The beach is really suggestive with all this rocks inside the water and at sunset the atmosphere become magical.

2nd day: 

Lagos stole my heart. You have to visit it both for its historical and beautiful city both for the best beaches of the area.

We started our day in the best way, with a breakfast at Coffee and Waves, and amazing café offering delicious food and specialty coffee (read more at the Restaurant section at the end of the page).

After breakfast we visited Lagos old town, full of white houses, colorful graffiti and flowers.

In Lagos there are a lot of beautiful beaches to visit, that day we visited:

• Praia de Dona Ana, sheltered by high cliffs, bathed by a crystal clear and calm sea, is one of the most famous images of Algarve region. The rocks emerge from the sea giving an incredibly picturesque touch to the landscape.

• Praia dos Estudantes, a small beach well-known for its roman style bridge connecting two rock formations right on the beach. It is divided in two sides connected by a tunnel. Usually is not as crowded as other beaches.

• Praia do Pinhão, is a small beach near Praia dos Estudantes. It shares the same crystal clear waters and fascinating rock formations as the neighbouring beach of Praia Dona Ana but it is somewhat less touched by the hand of commercialism.

3rd day:

This was the most epic day of the trip. We woke up super early because we reserved a kayak tour to visit the Algar de Benagil at 7:00 AM. Benagil Cave is one of Portugal’s most frequented spots in the Algarve and can get quite crowded. Visiting it at sunrise, is the only way to enjoy it completely, without the crowd of tourists and boats. This cave is only accessible by water and going by kayak was an amazing experience. You don't have to be a professional to do it (is not a large distance) and it is super funny.

We met in Praia de Benagil, we were a very small-group of people and we found no one inside the cave. It was breathtaking. I never saw something similar in my life, the cave is an amazing work of nature. We had time to walk inside the cave, take pictures and swim. After this visit we went inside another cave near the Benagil one, it was lightless and the roof was low. Really suggestive.

It was without any doubt the best experience had in Algarve, for this reason I leave you the link here if you are interested in this kayak tour.

After getting rid of the adrenaline of the kayak tour we went to Praia de Marinha, which is near by Benagil. In Praia da Marinha there are plenty of strange rock formations to explore, caves cut in the cliffs and many rock pools harbouring all sorts of marine life. The water quality and clarity here is good.

At midday the beach started to become crowded and we decided to change location. We went to Praia de Albandeira, a not so touristy small cove. The water there was clear and the atmosphere quite more relaxed.

Dinner at Arte Nàutica beach restaurant, in Armação de Pêra.

4th day:

Another day in Lagos, this time to visit other beaches. First, we went to Praia do Camilo.

From the street, a long wooden staircase leads down to the beach. The view from there is amazing. A huge rock formation divides the beach; you can cross it through a narrow, damp tunnel that was dug out by hand. The cliff which round the first small beach are impressive.

We stayed there quite long because we really liked that beach, but at midday was quite crowded (it is well-known beach) and we decided to leave and go eat something.

We had lunch at Sol Nascente, the only one bar/restaurant located in Ponta da Piedade. It is quite touristic but they have a lot of traditional plates which are worth to try. Prices are really low.

After a slow lunch we went to Praia Canavial, on the other side of the coast. It is not easy to reach and the path to get there is quite bumpy. But it was worth the effort. The beach is rounded by high rock walls and the water super clear. Is not a touristic place and we found the beach empty, perfect to relax a bit.

At sunset we went to Ponta da Piedade, is a fantasy landscape of caves, grottoes and sea arches that nature has sculpted from the cliffs over thousands of years.

It consist of yellow-golden cliff-like rocks up to 20 meters high. The water is wonderfully clear there and it is perfect to visit it at golden hour because of the perfect light. The views from Ponta da Piedade are stunning, you can't miss it!

5th day:

New day, new city (and beaches) to visit; Albufeira. Here we found the best beaches in terms of clear water. We started with Praia de São Rafael, the crystal clear, shallow waters and silky soft golden sand make this beach one of the most popular in the Albufeira area. At lower tides there is a second little cove which offers a little more seclusion than the main beach. There you can find a small cave with a hole on top, like the Benagil one.

Then we decided to take a break from the beach and visit the center of Albufeira. Is a beautiful blue-and-white city, in some way similar to Lagos but less commercial. In fact here you can find various traditional restaurants and shops.

If you want you can also get to a beach (passing under a tunnel) which is located just in front of the center, but it was a bit too touristy for us and we decided to go to another one.

We went to Praia da Ponta Grande, a hidden gem of Algarve. The water there is crystal clear and the atmosphere relaxed. We enjoyed a lot the water and the sun there.

6th day:

Next stop Sagres, "the end of the old world".

Sagres is at the extreme western tip of the Algarve and is like no other destination in southern Portugal. It is primarily a surfing destination, its beaches are windy and full of waves. However, we went there to visit the Sagres' Fortaleza located in the most south-westerly point of mainland Europe. Sagres fort is not a classical one. Inside you can find a church, a lighthouse, a cave and so on. It is a fundamental place for the history of Portugal and you can discover a lot of interesting things. Here you will also find great panoramic views over the ocean. In this place, looking at the horizon, you can really think "this is the end of the world".

After the visit of the Fortaleza (which took more or less 1 hour of time) we went to Praia do Tonel, a popular surfing destination in Sagres. It is a magical place, where you can really feel the nature. The wind in your hair, the crystal blue water, the amazing view on the ocean. It is a completely different kind of beach compared to the one of Lagos, Portimão and Albufeira and it was worth the visit.

Unfortunately in Sagres the wind was very strong and started to annoy us. So, we decided to change location and find a beach while coming back to Portimão. We found Praia da Figueira, one of the most relaxing and beautiful beach visited. It is in the middle of nature and to arrive you have to walk 10/15 minutes in a country path. We found very few people there and we were able to fully enjoy the crystal clear water (with a lot of fishes!) and unbeatable surroundings.

Dinner at F restaurant in Portimão.

7th day:

Since we were supposed to be at the airport at 5am the next day, we decided to spend the night in Faro, in order to be closer. We chose to stay at Happen!ng guest house in the center of Faro. The price are very low and the place is ok to spend few days.

However, before arriving to Faro, we decided to visit Tavira. A good-looking little town which, despite ever-increasing visitors, it continues to make its living as a tuna-fishing port. It is crossed by the Gilão River, which flows into the inlets and lagoons of the Ria Formosa Natural Park. In the historic center you can visit the panoramic medieval castle and various churches. Then, after passing by Praça de República you can cross the seven arch bridge, over the river. Every corner of this city is very characteristic and interesting, I highly recommend you to visit it.

After Tavira we went to Faro, we checked in at the guest house and we started visiting the city. Actually I was quite disappointed, the city is very famous but there were not many things to visit. Furthermore, as it was already afternoon there were no longer ferries to visit the islands. So, if you visit Faro, I recommend you mainly to visit the nearby islands or the Ria Formosa park, but pay attention to the timetables!

In few hours we already visited the city and so we decided to go to the nearest beach to have an aperitivo. We went to Faro beach at the Tropical beach club. The bar is cool and they have a lot of original and tasty drinks. Is a good location to see the sunset even if the beach is nothing special. If you go to this bar you must have to try the mango cocktail which is served in a beach bucket.

Restaurants and Cafés

Here I have some restaurants I really recommend to try if you visit Algarve. In Portugal the food is quite cheap and you can eat a lot with few euros.

Restaurant F, Portimão

F is located in the main street of Praia da Rocha area (in Portimão) and the view on the beach is amazing. The restaurant is elegant and chic, perfect for a romantic dinner.

It was absolutely the best restaurant tried during this trip. High level cuisine and service. The food was superb with original and refined plates. Good offer of wines and drinks; the vintage Negroni (+600 days) is a must to try.

Arte Nàutica beach Restaurant, Armação de Pêra

We chose this restaurant mainly for its location and because we wanted to try a good Cataplana. Arte Nàutica is a restaurant on the beach, not too elegant not too casual, with good food and service. First, we tried the typical Portuguese starter composed by bread, butter, cheese and tuna pate. We finished with a hot Cataplana (at the end of the post you can find traditional food recommendation and explanation). The fish was fresh and tasted good, the portion was huge. Everything was paired with some local white wine. A perfect dinner.

Coffee and Waves, Lagos

In this coffee shop you can count on healthy food (and not), professional and friendly staff.

Coffee and Waves serve specialty coffee, with a good offer of different origins. But also matcha latte, chai latte and so on.

If you want to enjoy a refreshing meal, we recommend their Açaí Bowl, super tasty and with a lot of good toppings. While if you are looking for a guilty pleasure to pair your coffee, we definitely recommend a Toast/Bagel with peanut butter and banana, topped with maple syrup and coconut flakes.

Food recommendations

Food is always important for me, especially when I'm traveling. I consider it fundamental for understanding the local culture and traditions.

Bola de Berlim

If you visit algarve you need to try this guilty pleasure. You can find it in almost every beach, sold by street vendor. It is basically the Portuguese version of a German Krapfen (a doughnut filled with cream). Are really popular between Portuguese people and for this reason we decided to try it.

We tried an original version, made by adding Carob (which is also really popular in Algarve) in the sweet dough, and it was really good!

Cataplana

Cataplana is a traditional seafood dish originating in Algarve. The name comes from the copper cooking device used for cooking it. This dish is a combination of different delicious seafoods (prawns, mussels, clams, crayfish, and several types of firm white fish) and vegetables (tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, onion).

If you want to try it during summer make sure to do it for dinner, because the plate is served quite hot.

Bacalhau à Brás

Portugal is famous for its codfish and, after trying this dish, I understood why. It was my fist time eating grilled codfish (usually in Italy we don't grill it) and was amazing.

The codfish has a delicate flavor, not so salty. Soft inside and crunchy outside. You can't ask for nothing better in a summer day.

We tried it in Sol Nascente restaurant, near Praia do Camilo beach. They served us the Bacalhau with baked potatoes and garlic, seasoned with good olive oil.