r/Algarve

Boas malta,

Alguém me sabe dizer um bom sítio para ir ver o Rally de Portimão? Alguém tem o percurso?

Cumprimentos

Hi!

My husband and I are staying in the Algarve region in the beginning of August. We want to be able to enjoy the "downtown" feeling, we don't want to rent a car, and want to be close to a beach where we can either walk or a hotel/resort that has a shuttle or something familiar. Does anyone have any suggestions, thoughts, comments on an area to stay. At this time, we are thinking Lagos because of the ability to enjoy the downtown area.

Thank you so much in advance!

From experience, is it better to book a boat tour or kayak to the cave?
There’s a lot of tours on getyourguide but idk which one to choose. I read somewhere that they’ve started not letting people go into the cave, but most have said it’s allowed through tours.
I want to be able to spend a bit of time there, I’d prefer not to have a tour where u go in and go out immediately. I read a few reviews on getyourguide of people saying they barely spent a minute before they left (by boat). I’ve never done kayaking before, but i’d definitely go for it if it makes the experience better.
It’s been my dream to visit and I kinda want some time to take it in :')
any tips on which one to go with and tips on which tour to book?
thanks in advance :)

Has anyone stayed here? Any thoughts.. spending three days in the Algarve area in August and looking to see if this is a good place to stay for 3 days. Any information is GREATLY appreciated!!

Hi everyone,

I (40m) am moving to Lagos from Australia for 3 months. I will be working and living in Lagos with family. I have been a good few times to Lagos but I have never lived there for the extended period of time like I am intending. I notice a lot of posts about tourism and places to see. This post in not about that! I am looking for some advice from locals that live in Lagos. I apologize in advance if some of these questions are obvious and stupid.

1. I am working in IT (remote) and want to know what sort of internet options I have / recommended. I would like decent bandwidth.

2. I am a gamer but logistically I can't bring my rig with me. Is there a second hand PC market? Renting? Any advice on where and one one might source a PC for 3 months?

3. Social life, Ive been out there many times in the bars scene and what not which is great but I would like to meet peeps who are more local / permanent (at least for the duration that I am there) Can anyone recommend how one would meet them? Social groups, online FB groups, etc.

4. Along the same lines as above but does Lagos have a good pool (table) scene? I do enjoy a few drinks and some pool. Is there anywhere people recommend for that pub like pool experience? Be good if it involves meeting new people.

5. Online ordering. I have never needed to order stuff but this trip I will be a lot. Does Amazon for example deliver in the city? Is there any gotchas or things to watch out for? Is there a better way?

This is all I can think of at the moment. Thank you very much for taking the time to read this!

Hello! I’m planning a trip to Portugal in September. I’ve been racking my brain on how to spend my time without rushing around too much and enjoying each city.

I was to visit Algarve region, Lisbon, and porto (with day trips to sintra and duoro valley)

I really wanted to see Evora and Obidos as well but i just don’t see a way of doing it where it won’t eat up time in another place.

Here’s my tentative plan:

Sept 10: arrive 10am FAO airport (15 hr journey from the US), pick up rental car, get a day use hotel if possible, sleep wake up 2pm get ready, walk around, sunset acitiviy walk/viewpoint then dinner

Sept 11: algarve, Kayak Ponta da Piedade

Sept 12: algarve, (kayak benagil caves , go to Praia da Marinha , then hike seven hanging valleys trail)

Sept 13: algarve (explore more beaches, visit tavira)

Sept 14: return car, travel to lisbon via bus or train. If in lisbon early enough do a sunset river tour

Sept 15: Lisbon (tuk tuk food tour), fado dinner later?

Seot 16: lisbon

Sept 17: sintra day trip

Seopt 18: travel to porto from Lisbon

Sept 19: porto

Sept 20: porto

Sept 21: duoro valley day trip/tour

Sept 22: flight to US from porto airport

Does this seem like a good plan? Or is there anything i should cut out or add?

Open to any suggestions, thank you!

Born and raised in the Algarve, 28 years old, currently living

in Olhão. I see a lot of "first time visiting" posts here and a

lot of the same advice keeps getting repeated — usually pointing

to the same five beaches and the same three towns. None of it is

wrong, but there's a more honest version of this region most

visitors never get to.

So here's what I'd tell a friend visiting for the first time.

THE COAST

Benagil is genuinely beautiful, but in July and August it's a

circus — boats stacked outside the cave, queues, drone noise.

Go at sunrise (boats start around 7am) or skip it entirely.

Praia da Marinha and Praia do Carvalho have the same cliff

geology with a fraction of the crowd.

It's amazing the view, the smell, the people.

Praia do Barril near Tavira.

The wind rule.** Locals check wind direction before they

choose a beach. North wind → go to south-facing beaches

(Albufeira side). West wind → go east (Tavira, Cacela Velha,

Ilha de Faro). Wrong side of the wind = sand in your face all

day. The forecast everyone uses here is Windguru.

THE INTERIOR (which most visitors skip, and shouldn't)

The Algarve is sold as a beach destination, but the inland is

where the food, the history, and the actual living culture are.

Monchique. Mountain town with thermal springs, completely

different climate from the coast. A Sunday lunch at one of the

family-run restaurants there is worth the drive on its own.

Alte and Salir. Whitewashed villages in the hills where

daily life is still happening, not staged for Instagram. Go

during the week.

Cacela Velha. Tiny village on a cliff overlooking the

lagoon. Twenty minutes there, then have lunch at one of the

three restaurants. That's the whole agenda.

FOOD

Hard rule: avoid any restaurant with photos of the food on the

menu, or someone outside trying to wave you in.

Dishes worth ordering:

Cataplana (slow-cooked seafood stew)

Polvo à lagareiro (octopus with olive oil and potatoes)

Conquilhas à algarvia (small clams, garlic, coriander)

Xerém (corn porridge with seafood) — winter only

Best seafood in the central Algarve is in Olhão and Fuseta

not Albufeira. Best inland food is in Loulé and São Brás de Alportel.

If you only do one food experience: a long Sunday lunch in a

village restaurant where the menu is verbal and the wine is in

an unmarked jug. That's the Algarve.

GETTING AROUND

A rental car is almost essential outside the main coastal towns.

Public transport between coastal cities is okay; into the

interior it's poor.

The N-125 (old coastal road) is slower but far more interesting

service stations).

WHEN TO COME

May–June and September–October are the sweet spot — warm sea,

mild weather, prices manageable, locals not yet exhausted.

April can still be cold and rainy.

July–August is hot, crowded, and expensive. If you have to come

in summer, go inland during the day and the coast at sunset.

November–February: most of the coastal Algarve closes for

business, but the weather is still mild and locals have time to

actually talk to you. Different trip, but worth it.

Happy to answer specific questions in the comments — beaches,

food, villages, day trips from a particular town, whatever.

Just ask.

(I also occasionally take visitors out on private tours when

people want a local to plan and drive the day for them, but

that's not really what this post is about. DM if curious.)

Tenho 29 anos, trabalho, treino regularmente e sou do Algarve. Ultimamente tenho sentido cada vez mais que o Algarve é um sítio muito complicado para conhecer pessoas de forma natural, especialmente na vida adulta.

Sinto que aqui quase tudo gira à volta do verão, turismo, bares, vida noturna e círculos sociais que já vêm fechados há anos. E eu sinceramente não sou muito da noite nem de andar constantemente em festas.

Já usei dating apps numa fase da vida, mas a experiência foi péssima e hoje em dia nem uso. Redes sociais também não são muito a minha cena para conhecer pessoas — não sou de adicionar desconhecidos nem começar conversas aleatórias no Instagram como se isso fosse natural.

O problema é que parece que fora trabalho/ginásio/casa, quase não existem espaços, eventos, comunidades ou atividades onde as pessoas realmente socializem de forma genuína aqui no Algarve. Às vezes até sinto que isto parece uma “aldeia gigante”, onde tudo acaba por ser sempre o mesmo ambiente e as mesmas dinâmicas.

E quanto mais adulta a vida fica, mais difícil isto parece.

Mais alguém do Algarve sente isto?

Como fazem para conhecer pessoas novas sem ser através de nightlife ou dating apps?

I will be spending a week in Vilamoura the second week of July, and was wondering if anybody had any recommendations of maybe must tries or must dos?

Where it’s restaurants or tourist-y things. We won’t have a car but are open to being either the bus or ordering a Bolt/Uber.

I tried Googling ideas, but the only thing that comes up is like kayaking or doing a cave tour. Any suggestions? Thank you in advance!

We are ending our trip with three nights in Praia de Faro, where I figure we will laze on the beach and check out Faro, or drive to other coastal towns to sightsee. We have two nights before this that we still need to book. I am torn in between a coastal town like Carvoiero or Burgao, or somewhere inland like Silves or Bordeiro. Any suggestions?

Traveling to Portugal this summer and will only have 3 full days in the Algarve. We’re planning to stay in Lagos as our base and do a few day trips around the region.

Would you say 3 days is enough to get a good feel for the Algarve, or does it feel too rushed?

Also, does anyone have recommendations for good boat routes departing from Lagos? We’re especially interested in the Benagil Caves (is it feasible to do Benagil as a day trip from Lagos and come back the same day without it feeling exhausting?)

Would also love recommendations for other easy day trips from Lagos, beaches/towns we shouldn’t miss, or any hidden gems around the Algarve.

Any tips would be super appreciated 🙏🏻

we are two friends planning on visiting algarve.
we noticed carvoeiro is the city with closest access to all spots we want to visit i.e benagil cave, 7 valleys hike, praia do carvalho, marinha beach, lagos (a bit further) and albufeira, among others along the way.
we might not be able to rent a car, so we were wondering if it’s doable without.
we’ve read ubers are cheap over there and public transport is a bit unreliable.
is it doable and do you have any suggestions as to what we should do? maybe even tours that would make it easier to see as much as possible. we’re two students having saved up to take this trip and we might not be able to visit anytime soon again, so we want to see as much as possible :')
thank you genuinely for any responses, we have a bit of a time pressure issue to figure it all out. any ideas are appreciated and welcome. thank you in advance!

Hi, we will visit Algarve in June. Will stay in Lagos and want to see the rocky cliffs (Ponta da Piedade, Ponta Joao de Arens) from the water, with a Kayak. Is it safe enough or common to do it without a guided group? It is so much cheaper to rent one from Decathlon.

So booked to go 5 days to Tavira last weekend of May with a small group of couples in a resort. By some fortune, me and my partner can extend our holiday for 6 days beforehand joining up with the group. We've just changed the flights to land Sat 23/5 PM. But thinking of changing location entirely so we don't do 10 days in Tavira.

Looking for ideas of where to stay - ideally a pool, but will take charming old town with plenty of walks, beaches, cycling, mall little authentic Portugese restaurants and taverns. Walking 20 mins to the next busier/livelier town is also completely fine if we are in a quiet area or nice quiet resort. We are in desperate need of some downtime and switch off our brains. Bonus if any cycling routes and hire places available to go off the beaten track. Ideally don't want to rent a car but certainly not against one if it allows to get away and widen our choices.

It's been years since I have been to Algarve (probably went 10 times between the ages of
5-25), so things will obviously have changed a lot but I feel I know/knew the areas relatively well. I've done Carviero/Benagil many times, Alvor and Portamao on day trips, never been as far as Lagos. Also never done Vilamoura, but heard some places are Albufiera 2.0? I remember Albufiera Old Town being quiet nice but this is a long time ago. Definitely don't want loud, brash and ex-patty. Just quiet and quaint but with larger amenities that is walkable if needed.

Have just noticed Olhao but this might be very similar to Tavira? It looks beautiful but it might be more of the same?

Would love to take in your recommendations. Looking to book accommodation this weekend Thanks!

Hi! I am staying in Lagos for a few days in June with friends. we would love to have a night out in Albufeira so curious if ubers are available/reliable late night to travel back to our stay in Lagos?

Are there any other nightlife areas near Lagos recommended? Thanks!!

Oi oi, travelling solo to faro for a break from the grind next week, if anyone who ain’t a weirdo fancies a pint hmu
Otherwise if anyone’s got any recommendations for places to see things to do food to eat please let me know cheers

i’m traveling to algarve for three days and two nights. i’m in between places to stay in and whether or not i should rent a car.

options are carvoeiro and albufeira for my stay. renting a car sounds very functional yes but i’m scared it’ll lead to too many expenses.
i’ve read all over that ubers are pretty cheap if i were to just go to places with ubers. i’m trying to do the math of whether i should rely on public transport/uber or just rent a car. it’s mostly because i’d need to filter stays that have private parking. i hope you guys can help, maybe you were also in the same situation?
thank you in advance, i genuinely appreciate it