I wasn't expecting to fall for the Algarve this hard. I'd heard "British package tourism" and "golf resorts" and mentally filed it under "probably skip." I was wrong. Spectacularly, embarrassingly wrong.
Landed at Faro Airport (FAO) at noon. Picked up a rental car (22 EUR/day — Portugal's rental prices are absurdly reasonable) and immediately ignored my plan to drive to Lagos.
Instead, I detoured to Ria Formosa Natural Park — a 60-km barrier island lagoon system right outside Faro. Took a ferry from Faro to Ilha Deserta (about 4 EUR round trip) and spent the afternoon on what might be the most unspoiled beach in southern Europe. White sand, no buildings, no music, no one trying to sell me anything. Just Atlantic waves and a lighthouse.
On the way back, I saw flamingos. In a lagoon. In Portugal. Hundreds of them, pink and improbable, standing in shallow water like they'd been CGI-rendered into the scene. Nobody mentioned flamingos in the travel guides.
Dinner in Faro's old town — grilled sardines with potatoes and salad. 9 EUR. I realized Portugal's food-to-price ratio might be the best in Western Europe.
Drove west along the coast to Lagos (1.5 hours from Faro, or you can take the train for about 8 EUR). Lagos is the western Algarve's liveliest town — 16th-century walls, a marina full of boats, excellent restaurants, and an energetic backpacker scene.
Morning: walked to Ponta da Piedade. These golden limestone cliffs, sea stacks, and grottoes near Lagos are the Algarve's geological showpiece. Free from the clifftop walkway — arrive for sunrise if you can. I took a boat tour into the grottoes from Lagos marina (20 EUR, 1 hour). The captain navigated through arches barely wider than the boat while narrating in Portuguese, English, and what I think was German simultaneously.
Afternoon: Praia de Dona Ana — a small cove beach framed by golden cliffs, a 20-minute walk from the old town. Sunbed: 10 EUR. Beer from the beach bar: 2.50 EUR. I started recalibrating my entire understanding of European beach pricing.
Evening: tapas at a place behind the fish market. Piri-piri chicken, pataniscas (codfish fritters), local wine. For two: 28 EUR. Lagos might be the best-value beach town in southern Europe. For a Mediterranean counterpart with similar coastal drama, the Dubrovnik Riviera offers walled cities and island-hopping across the Adriatic.
I'd booked a kayak tour from Benagil beach for 8AM (30 EUR, 1.5 hours). This was smart. The Benagil Sea Cave — a cathedral-like sea cave with a collapsed roof creating a natural skylight above a hidden beach — is the Algarve's most iconic sight. By 10AM, boat tours are queuing up.
At 8AM, we kayaked in with four other people. The morning sun was angled perfectly through the skylight, casting a golden beam onto the sandy floor. The scale of the cave is hard to photograph — it's enormous, with the ocean rushing in through a wide arch.
Honest warning: the paddle to the cave from Benagil beach is about 200 meters and the Atlantic swells can be significant. This isn't a gentle Mediterranean paddle. If you're not comfortable in open water, take a boat tour from Portimao instead (about 25 EUR). Swimming to the cave is possible but risky due to boat traffic.
Afternoon: drove to Praia da Marinha — frequently listed among Europe's best beaches. Steep staircase down to a small cove flanked by golden arches and sea stacks. It looks like the cover of a geology textbook. Free.
This coastal trail ranked as one of Europe's best walks — 5.7 km one-way from Praia de Vale Centeanes to Praia da Marinha along dramatic clifftops. Views of sea stacks, arches, and turquoise coves the entire way.
Free. Moderate difficulty. I took 3 hours because I stopped to stare at the water roughly every 300 meters. No shade — bring water and sunscreen, SPF 50 minimum.
The cliffs here deserve respect. Algarve cliffs are limestone and actively eroding. Cliff collapses happen annually, sometimes fatally. Never stand on cliff edges or below overhangs. The trail itself is well-marked and safe if you stay on it.
I combined the walk with a swim at Praia da Marinha at the end. The water was 22°C in June — refreshing, not cold. By 5PM the beach was nearly empty.
Drove to Sagres, the southwestern-most point of continental Europe. Cape St. Vincent's lighthouse marks where Prince Henry the Navigator launched the Age of Discovery. The cliffs drop 75 meters into the Atlantic.
The wind here is constant and fierce. I watched waves crash against the base of the cliffs from a viewpoint where the railing felt inadequate for the scale. Sagres Fortress (3 EUR) has a mysterious giant stone compass rose — nobody's entirely sure of its purpose.
The sunset at Cape St. Vincent is extraordinary. The sky turns from orange to pink to deep purple as the sun drops into the Atlantic. I stayed until the lighthouse lamp came on.
Dinner at O Telheiro do Infante — grilled sea bass with potatoes, salad, and white wine. 14 EUR. The waiter told me the fish had been caught that morning by a guy named Manuel who lives up the hill. I chose to believe him.
Drove east to Tavira — the part of the Algarve that package tourism forgot. Roman bridge, Moorish castle ruins, churches with blue and white tile work, riverside cafes. It feels more like an Andalusian village than a beach resort.
Took a ferry to Ilha de Tavira — a barrier island beach with golden sand stretching for kilometers. 2 EUR round trip. The beach was half-empty on a Thursday in June. There were kite-surfers and a man reading a Portuguese newspaper under an umbrella. That was it.
Lunch at a seafood restaurant in Tavira: cataplana (seafood stew) for two, with clams, shrimp, fish, and potatoes in a copper pot. 32 EUR. This might have been the single best meal of the week. The broth was saffron-scented and thick with tomato. I mopped it with bread until the pot was clean.
Spent my last morning at the Olhao fish market — one of Portugal's best. Two buildings: one for fish (tuna, swordfish, sardines, clams, crabs, things I couldn't identify), one for produce (oranges, figs, almonds, carob). The fish vendors shouted prices with enthusiasm that bordered on performance art.
Bought figs and almonds for the plane. Drove to Faro airport. Returned the rental car. Sat at the gate thinking about cataplana.
I've already booked for October. The Algarve in autumn is reportedly excellent — fewer crowds, warm seas (the Atlantic holds heat through October), and lower prices. The A22 motorway toll device was the only logistical hassle (ask the rental company for a Via Verde device) and parking was free at every beach I visited outside high season.
The Algarve isn't what I expected. It's wilder, cheaper, more natural, and more Portuguese than the package-holiday reputation suggests. Skip the overbuilt central strip around Albufeira, head west to Lagos or east to Tavira, and discover a coastline that rivals anything in the Mediterranean.
Verdict: Go. Drive the whole coast. Eat cataplana. Watch the sunset at Cape St. Vincent. Don't make the mistake I almost made. For more practical details, check our 17 essential Algarve tips covering everything from Benagil timing to toll device logistics.
