The Algarve

Why here

The Algarve is 150 km of coast with three distinct characters. The centre, from Albufeira to Lagos, has the famous ochre cliffs, sea caves and most of the hotels. The west, past Sagres, is Atlantic and wild, with surf beaches and a coastal path that runs for days. The east, from Faro to the Spanish border, is flat, calm and Portuguese, with lagoon islands you reach by ferry and towns like Tavira that stay open in winter. A car lets you try all three from one or two bases.

A week that works

Four nights around Lagos or Carvoeiro: the Ponta da Piedade cliffs at sunset, a boat into the Benagil cave (book ahead; numbers are now limited), the Seven Hanging Valleys walk from Praia da Marinha, and a day trip to Sagres and Cape St Vincent, the most south-westerly point of Europe. Then three nights in Tavira in the east: the Ria Formosa lagoon, the island beaches of Ilha de Tavira and Cacela Velha, and an afternoon across the river in Spanish Ayamonte for lunch. If you would rather not move hotel, Faro itself is a good single base with the whole region within 90 minutes.

Do you need a car?

Recommended. The regional train along the coast is slow and stops short of the beaches, and the best coves have no bus. With a car the drive from Faro airport to Lagos is an hour and to Tavira half an hour. Parking at popular beaches fills by 10:30 in July and August.

Good to know

• The Atlantic is cooler than the Mediterranean: 18 to 22 °C in summer. Warm enough, but not bath-like.
• July and August are very busy and prices double. May, June, September and early October have the same sun with half the people.
• Portugal is one hour behind the Netherlands.
• Grilled sardines, cataplana (a seafood stew cooked in a copper pan) and piri-piri chicken are the local dishes; a good lunch costs €12 to €18.
• The Rota Vicentina coastal path runs north from Sagres for 200 km; even one stage is worth a day.