Choosing the best area to stay in the Algarve can be overwhelming. With so many options to choose from, it's important to consider what you're looking for in a holiday. Whether you're seeking great waves for surfing, picturesque beach towns, incredible beaches, or off-the-beaten-path hiking trails, the Algarve has something for everyone. In this blog, I'll guide you through the best areas of the Algarve, so you can find the perfect spot for your upcoming holiday. So, sit back, relax, and let me help you plan your dream Algarve getaway. 👇
The South Western part of the Algarve
📍 Between Portimão and Sagres
The south western part of the Algarve is probably my favorite area in the Algarve. It's less touristy but (partly) does have the beautiful iconic coastline and great Algarve weather!
Towns like Burgau, Sagres and Salema are all seaside fisherman's towns that are perfect for spending your vacation but are much more low-key compared to the central Algarve. It's the perfect area if you love beautiful beaches, surfing, road trips, exploring, hiking, horse riding and bird watching.
If you're into a little more coziness and like more amenities, Lagos is the perfect place for you to stay! You'll find a beautiful old town with many restaurants, bars, shops surfschools and rentals and boats tours that take you for dolphin and cliff tours.
Want to know more about beautiful beach towns in the Algarve? Check it out! 👇
My favorite towns
Burgau
Salema
Praia da Luz
Alvor
Lagos
Raposeira
Western part of the Algarve
📍 Between Sagres and Aljezur
This is the least spoiled and non-touristy part of the Algarve. In winter this place can get quite windy and cold but if you love wild unspoiled nature this is the place to go! Huge waves hitting the grand west coast cliffs and wild vast fields make this a piece of paradise for surfers and nature lovers.
You'll find some of my favorite beaches here that are beautiful and wild! There are not too many towns to stay on the west coast. You'll find the more famous surfers town of Sagres on the south west corner of the Algarve and small beach towns like Carrapateira and Monte Clerigo a little more north. Aljezur is the bigger (but still very small) town in the western Algarve.
If you're looking to stay in the beautiful Algarve nature. Make sure to have a look at my blog about the most beautiful nature stays in the Algarve.
My favorite towns
Monte Clerigo
Carapateira
Sagres
Aljezur
Central Algarve
📍 From Faro to Portimão
The central Algarve is absolutely stunning and has (in my opinion) the most beautiful beaches of the Algarve. But there is a downside. You'll find more tall buildings and touristy towns like Albufeira and Vilamoura in this area. However, there are some true gems in the central Algarve! Towns like Carvoeiro and Benagil (and surroundings) are absolutely beautiful with traditional white washed crooked houses, sandy coves and the typical rocky dramatic cliffs. It can still be quite touristy in this region but if you go in mid or low season these places are absolutely perfect for a beach holiday, hiking and exploring. With many cute restaurants, a beautiful coastline and beautiful traditional Portuguese beach towns, the central Algarve can be the perfect area for you to stay. Take a cave or sup tour to explore the beautiful coastline or go one one of the many hiking trails taking you along Europes most beautiful beaches like Praia da Marinha.
My favorite towns
Benagil
Carvoeiro
Ferragudo
Gale
Eastern Algarve
📍 From Spain to Faro
This area/region is a much more unspoiled and rural part compared to the central Algarve. With the Ria Formosa stretching along the coastline, this part of the Algarve provides you with stunning unspoiled beaches, uniquely formed islands and amazing bird watching. You'll even find many flamingo's here! Picturesque towns like Tavira and Faro are perfect if you love wondering trough old cobbled streets and seeing the typical Portuguese azulejos (traditional tiles).
My favorite towns
Tavira
Cabannas
Faro
Fuseta
Summarizing
The south western Algarve is perfect area if you love water sports and a little smaller and quiet towns surrounded with beautiful nature.
The western Algarve (west coast) is the perfect region to stay if you love wild and unspoiled nature and surfing. The weather here is usually significantly colder then the south coast.
The central Algarve is the perfect area for you if you love more liveliness and having more amenities and facilities around. Here you'll find the characteristic Algarve beach towns and coastline.
The eastern Algarve is perfect if you love bird watching, no big crowds, orange coves and wide stretched sandy beaches!