Algarve Coast, portugal
Attractions Guide

The Algarve Coast region is located along Portugal's incredibly scenic southern coast, with its main attractions being its many beautiful sandy beaches and coves which sit below picturesque cliffs. The most popular beach cities along the Algarve Coast from west to east to include Lagos, Portimão, Carvoeiro, Lagoa, and Albufeira.

Transportation

The westernmost resort town of the Algarve Coast is Lagos, which can be easily reached via bus from Lisbon. Lagos is also the most famous town along the Algarve Coast, known for its amazing coastline of tall cliffs and many sea caves and rock formations. Between the rugged cliffs are many beautiful sandy beaches and coves with vibrant light blue waters.

Boat Tours

The best way to experience the coastline of Lagos is via a boat tour, for which there are countless options. Walking along the city’s marina boardwalk you’ll find many vendors offering different boat and kayak tours.

Most of these tours will take will take you underneath sea arches and into several different caves along the Lagos Coast at Ponta de Piedade Point. You’ll also get to see the most beautiful beaches of Lagos from the ocean. The kayaking option is the most enjoyable however, giving you more freedom to go through the caves and also accessing smaller ones that are difficult to reach even in small boats.

Lagos Town Attractions

At the entrance to the Port of Lisbon is the small but impressive Castle of Lagos, which was built in the medieval era. Nearby you might like to see the lovely baroque Igreja de Santo Antonio Church.

Lagos Coastal Hike

Just south of Lagos’ Old Town is the beginning of the extremely scenic coastline hosting many beaches. You can walk along the cliffs above the coast and the beaches from the Old Town all the way to the end of Ponta de Piedade Point, and then continue back up the other side of the point, concluding around Praia do Canavial Beach. This route will pass by all of Lagos’ most beautiful beaches and all of its incredible coastal formations.

The distance for the route along the coast of Ponta de Piedade from the Castle of Lagos the Canavial Beach is about 3.1 miles (5 km) one-way, with the return distance only half as long 1.6 miles (2.5 km). You can even return to Lagos Old Town via Uber.

The first beach you’ll encounter south of Lagos Old Town is the Praia dos Estudantes cove, which is located next to the picturesque Lagos Roman Bridge. This stone bridge connects a tiny plateau island to the mainland above tall cliffs, and while the bridge itself is privately owned, you can still access the beach below it and enjoy marvelous views.

The next beach is Praia do Pinhão Beach, which sits below the cliffs. The walk along the cliffs between this beach and the next one (Praia Dona Ana) is incredibly scenic.

Praia Dona Ana Beach

The second most popular beach in Lagos is the Praia Dona Ana Beach, which is also one of the largest. This sandy beach offers gorgeous green-blue waters below the cliffs looking down the coastline at the many rock pillars of Ponta de Piedade.

Continuing south along the coast you’ll see many tiny coves below the cliffs which can only be accessed via kayak or a swim. This part of the coastline is very rugged and scenic with many excellent photo opportunities.

Praia do Camilo Beach

Soon you’ll reach the most popular beach in Lagos, the Praia do Camilo Beach, which requires a long walk down a wooden staircase to reach. From the top of the stairs you can enjoy exceptionally beautiful views over the coast. The sandy Camilo Beach is surrounded by cliffs and is connected to another beach via a cave that you can walk through.

Beyond Camilo Beach the coastline somehow gets even more rugged, with many caves, sinkholes, sea rocks and pillars, and unique formations. This part of the coast a natural point known as Ponta de Piedade and is definitely the most scenicand highly recommended to hike. Along this stretch of coastline you’ll also see many tiny sandy beaches which people reach either by steep hikes or by kayaking / swimming to them.

At the tip of Ponta da Piedade is a small lighthouse, the Farol da Ponta da Piedade. Below the lighthouse is the Karst of Ponta de Piedade, the area where boat tours operate taking tourists through many sea caves and beneath sea arches. You can enjoy some exceptional views over this area, and even walk down to the tiny marina.

Continue along the cliffs of the breathtaking western side of Ponta de Piedade, which offers more unique scenery. You’ll pass the Praia do Barranco do Martinho Beach, and the Miradouro da Praia do Canavial, which overlooks the large sandy Praia do Canavial Beach and the striking white cliffs of Porto de Mos Beach. After Canavial Beach the scenery becomes much less rugged and interesting, so this is a good point to turn back.

To the west of Lagos at the very southwestern tip of Portugal is the Cape of Saint-Vincent (or Cabo São Vicente), which is set amongst dramatic steep cliffs that you can hike along. This cape is located near the town of Sagres, which you can reach via bus from Lagos. From Sagres you can take another short but infrequent bus to reach Cape Saint-Vincent.

Sagres is also home to the Fortaleza de Sagres, a fortress built atop a peninsula which is actually located further south than Cape Saint-Vincent. This old fortress is popular for its stunning views overlooking the coastline. On either side of the fortress’s peninsula are beautiful sandy beaches, including the Praia do Tonel offering views out to Cape Saint-Vincent.

Another picturesque beach is the Praia do Beliche, located about halfway between Sagres and Cape Saint-Vincent. The bus that connects Sagres to Cabo São Vicente also stops at this beach.

Praia da Rocha

Portimão is one of the largest cities along the Algarve Coast and apart from its beaches the city is also known for its exciting nightlife scene along the the Praia da Rocha Beach. The Praia da Rocha is a large sandy beach which isn’t particularly scenic in comparison with other beaches along the Algarve Coast.

On the eastern end of the beach is the Fortaleza de Santa Catarina, an interesting medieval fortress offering excellent views overlooking the harbor and coastline.

Three Castles

At the western end of the Praia da Rocha you can enjoy amazing near-panoramic views overlooking Portimão, the Praia da Rocha, and the Praia dos Tres Castelos from the Miradouro dos Tres Castelos Viewpoint. The Praia dos Castelos (Beach of the Three Castles) is located west of Praia da Rocha and is named for the stunning castle-like rock formations along the beach’s coastline.

Just west of this beach is the Praia dos Careanos Beach, which is known for a large rock halfway between the sand and sea which hosts several arches that you can walk under.

Praia do Vau Beach

Further west of Praia da Rocha is one of Portimão’s most stunning beaches, the Praia do Vau. This beach and the adjoining Praia do Alemão Beach are known for their incredibly scenery overlooking countless striking rock formations which stick out of the water along the western coastline.

Prainha Beach

By far the most beautiful beach of Portimão is the famous Praia da Prainha Beach, consisting of several sandy coves below the cliffs connected by caves, rock arches, and sandy walkways. Prainha Beach also features several rocky islands rising up out of the sand and water, making it incredibly scenic. You can reach Prainha Beach via bus from Portimão.

Prainha Coastal Hike

The most scenic portion of coastline in Portimão is located between Prainha Beach and Praia do Vau Beach, consisting of many rugged coastal features including many arches, pillars, sea caves, and cove beaches. You can easily hike down to many of these beaches, which often won’t have any other tourists.

To the east of Portimão is the small popular resort town or Carvoeiro. This town hosts a beautiful sandy beach, the Praia de Carvoeiro Beach, which is best admired from atop the cliffs on either side of the beach. Atop the cliffs east of Carvoeiro Beach is the wooden Carvoeiro Boardwalk, a long pathway offering coastal views.

Algar Seco

The Carvoeiro Boardwalk leads to the extremely popular Algar Seco, an extremely rugged and unique coastal landscape featuring rocky staircases and pathways, caves, rooms, and windows that you can freely explore around. Algar Seco also hosts a stunningly beautiful natural pool surround by rocky cliffs which is connected to the ocean.

Vale Covo Beach

Continue walking along the cliffs past Algar Seco to the breathtaking Praia de Vale Covo Beach, which features a massive sea cave that you can overlook from atop the cliffs. You can even swim from the beach to the nearby cave, which is so giant that tour boats frequently go into it.

Vale Centeanes Beach

The next beach beyond Vale Covo is the Praia do Vale Centeanes Beach, which you can enjoy highly photogenic views over from atop the tall cliffs on either side of the sandy beach. Vale Centeanes also features some large caves.

The Seven Hanging Valleys Trail is perhaps the most famous hike along the Algarve Coast, and maybe even the most scenic in Portugal. Traditionally this path starts at the previously mentioned Praia do Vale Centeanes Beach and ventures along the coast past the Benagil Caves before concluding at famous Marinha Beach.

The hiking distance for the Seven Hanging Valleys Trail is approximately 3.8 miles (6.1 km) one-way, with the option of extending the hike in either direction.

Although it is possible to reach many points along this trail via bus, this form of transportation can be very difficult and unreliable in this part of the Algarve Coast. Instead you might consider taking Uber rides to connect the ends of the trail.

Extended Hiking Route

The most highly recommended route is to start further this hike further west from Carvoeiro Beach (in the town of Carvoeiro) in order to see Algar Seco and the gigantic sea cave of Vale Covo Beach. On the eastern portion of the hike you can extend the trail to Praia de Albandeira Beach to see the gorgeous natural Albandeira Sea Arch. This extends the hike to a distance of approximately 6.5 miles (10.5 km) one-way.

Vale de Centeanes Beach to Benagil Beach

After hiking for a bit from the Vale de Centeanes Beach you’ll encounter the lovely Alfanzina Lighthouse, which sits beside a large sinkhole. After the lighthouse is the calanque-like Praia do Vale Espinhaco Beach. From atop the cliffs on the other side of this beach you can enjoy amazing views of the Alfanzina Lighthouse.

Continuing along the coastline you’ll encounter Floating Rock, a large sea cave which tourist boats often go through. Adjacent to Floating Rock is another large sea cave at Cabo Carvoeiro cape. Further east is the stunning Praia do Carvalho Beach, which is known for its incredible tunnels and windows carved into the side of the cliff above the beach.

Next you’ll reach Praia de Benagil Beach, which is extremely popular due to its proximity to the famous Benagil Caves. At Benagil Beach you can take a boat tour to see the many striking caves and cliffs of the coastline below the Seven Hanging Valleys, as well as the Benagil Caves. There’s also the option to take a quick boat tour to only see the Benagil Caves.

Alternatively, you can rent an inexpensive kayak or SOP (Stand Up Paddleboard) to reach the Benagil Caves on your own, so that you may experience these stunningly beautiful caves at your own pace.

After journeying inside the picturesque Benagil Caves, you can hike up along the cliffs to look down into the caves from above. Just beyond Benagil Beach is the Praia da Corredoura Beach, which sits below tall cliffs and can only be accessed via boat, kayak, or SOP. This beach is frequently visited by tourists to the Benagil Caves as it is very close-by.

To the east of the Benagil Caves is the most famous beach of the Algarve Coast and one of the top attractions in Portugal, Praia da Marinha Beach. This beach is most famous for its incredibly gorgeous Arcos Naturais natural double sea arch which is connected to the cliffs. You can enjoy the best views over the arch from the cliffs above it.

Be sure to also visit the sandy Marinha Beach below, and consider walking along the coast to the neighboring Praia da Mesquita Beach to see the sea arches close-up from below. Here you'll see many brilliant formations including rock pillars sticking out of the ocean set amongst striking light blue waters.

Arco de Albandeira Arch

Consider hiking along the coast beyond Mariha Beach to see another amazingly beautiful natural sea arch, the Arco de Albandeira. This sea arch is located in between Estaquinha Beach and Albandeira Beach and is best admired from a top the cliffs. You can reach this sea arch via a very scenic hike along the cliffs from Marinha Beach of just under 2 miles (3.2 km) round-trip. The hike passes several beaches, coves, and sea caves.

Nossa Senhora da Rocha Church

You can even extend this hike an additional 1.2 miles (1.9 km) east along the coast to the Church of Nossa Senhora da Rocha, a lovely white church which sits atop the cliffs of a rocky peninsula between two beaches in the town of Alporchinhos. This town also hosts a major bus stop connecting to other towns along the Algarve Coast.

Albufeira is known for charming Old Town with densely-packed white homes along the coastline. Below the Old Town is the large sandy Praia dos Pescadores Beach with its light blue waters. Wandering around the narrow streets of the Old Town you’ll find many great photo opportunities.

You can enjoy the best views of the Old Town however from the Miradouro do Pau da Bandeira Viewpoint above Pescadores Beach. On the western side of Pescadores Beach you can ride up the Elevador do Peneco elevator to a viewing platform offering views high above the coast.

Falesia Beach

In the eastern suburb of Olhos de Agua just outside of Albufeira is one of the largest and most beautiful beaches of the Algarve Coast, Praia da Falesia Beach. This sandy beach is extremely long and sits below stunning red and white cliffs, making Falesia Beach incredibly picturesque. The western end of the beach (closer to Albufeira) is known as the Praia do Barranco das Belharucas Beach.

Both Falesia Beach and Barranco das Belharucas Beach require a moderate walk to reach from their closest bus stations. Both of the beaches also host parking lots, or can be reached via Uber.