Portugal – Algarve beaches, the most beautiful beaches in Europe

Are you tired of winter and cold weather? :) So it will be sunny and holiday :) We take you on a journey through the famous beaches of the Algarve!

The Algarve region is located in the south of Portugal, and this is where many tourists choose to spend their vacations. No wonder, Portugal is now one of the safer destinations, nice weather is almost guaranteed, and also flights from Poland are not the most expensive.

Algarve beaches

The Algarve is beaches, beaches and more beaches! Ok, maybe not only, but about that another time, because today we are not moving from the towel ;)

Being in Portugal, we wanted to see the most beautiful beaches of Europe, although we knew that nothing would come out of swimming. We didn’t set our sights on the heat either, but as soon as we arrived the first hot days in the area began, so the swimsuits went on as well.

Here you will find long sandy beaches and smaller ones that can only be accessed from the water. Of course, there is nothing unusual about a traditional beach, but something that makes it truly phenomenal here are the numerous cliffs and rock formations that crisscross these beaches. Driving along the coast every bit of the way, we’ll hit another even smaller and more inaccessible beach.

We were enchanted, but we must point out that we were before the season, so we could easily take pictures without people :)

Low season

We hit a very cool period. Everything is just getting ready for the season, pubs are just waking up from winter lethargy, owners are hiring employees for the summer season, hotels are renovated and ready for the influx of tourists, and accommodation prices are not yet high. The streets are lined with the first tourists, and there is no problem with a place in the restaurant, on the beach or in the parking lot. Of course, there are downsides like the aforementioned cold water or a smaller selection of places to eat, but let’s not be too picky.

We came here to relax :) After several active days in and around Lisbon, we were looking for peace, quiet and nothing to do. With the first and the second we were a little disturbed by the increasing groups of tourists coming to the hotel, and with nothing to do ourselves :) We already have it so that we prefer to see everything around us rather than lying on the beach placidly.

Where to go to the beach?

We stayed at a hotel in the town of Alvor. We recommend you to stay in this area, because one of the nicest beaches – Praia dos Três Irmãos– is located here. We walked about 15-20 minutes to the beach, but our hotel also offered shuttles, and there is also a parking lot right on the beach.

The town itself is tiny and doesn’t have many attractions – typically touristy.

Unable to sit still, we used “our” beach but traveled to other beaches as well. We didn’t mean to spend two hours on the sand. More fun for us was simply walking along the beach, discovering new nooks and crannies among the numerous rock formations, of which there are indeed many here.

As we mentioned, there are also several hidden beaches here, which we can get to by water. An additional attraction is boat, motorboat cruises to caves and tunnels among colorful rock formations, but this is not recommended for pregnant women due to bumps in the sand, rocking, etc.

But let’s get to the specifics :)

The prettiest beaches

We have not been to all the beaches, of course, because it is impossible to count and remember them. Seriously. For us, a few in particular stuck out.

First of all, Praia dos Três Irmãos and Praia da Rocha – we write about them together because they are close to each other, and separated by the most picturesque rock formations. It was the beach closest to our hotel, so we had the most time to explore it. Interestingly, depending on the tide, you can walk between the rocks to the next and the next beach. Of course, there are a lot of tourists, but the farther you sneak between the rocks, the greater the chance to experience solitude.

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Similar beaches include Praia do Camilo, Praia Dona Ana, Praia da Marinha and Praia de Sao Rafael.

An example of a completely different beach is Praia de Vale Centeanes. It is a medium beach between the cliffs, and worse between the hotels ;) It is reached by a narrow street between the apartments. So why are we writing about it? Because here you can take a boat trip and see the cliffs from the perspective of the water, see beaches that you can’t get to by car.

Fortunately, there are also quieter beaches in Portugal located picturesquely in coves between cliffs, such as Praia do Carvalho and Praia de Beliche.

We were particularly captivated by another beach: Praia Da Bordeira – beautiful, wide and wild. There are piers here, which we can use to walk up the hill and view the beach in all its glory. There were surprisingly few tourists and cars….

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Of course, these are not all the noteworthy places, but only a percentage. What is noteworthy here is that there is something for almost everyone: there are beaches right next to the hotels, there are some that are hard to find, there are those sheltered from the wind by cliffs and some that stretch for miles.

Water sports are also possible, and even if you’re not a big fan, you can take advantage of offers from one of the many cruise operators.

Map of Algarve beaches

Below you will find a map showing the beaches mentioned above:

Not just beaches :)

The Algarve is a region that also abounds in restaurants. There are many typical tourist destinations where we will eat Italian, Spanish, American, Mexican cuisine, etc. Portuguese will also be found ;) Restaurant upon restaurant, it’s hard to choose, although we had it so much easier because some were still closed.

Mostly, we chose fish (although after Lisbon we’ve grown a bit fond of it). Unfortunately, several times we got frozen instead of fresh, so always ask before ordering :)

But it’s not just eating and beachcombing that man lives by. There are several destinations in Algrave worth noting, which we will describe in an upcoming post. You are welcome :)

Zobacz galerię zdjęć z Algarve >>>