Posted on October 6, 2020, 2:48 pm
The Algarve is the beautiful coastline of southern Portugal, a region rich in culture and staggering in beauty.
Along the 150km of pristine coastline are over 25 diverse resort towns. These range from relaxed and picturesque hideaways through to bustling towns that offer non-stop holiday excitement.
This sheer variety makes the Algarve a fantastic holiday destination, whatever kind of holiday you are seeking. There are calm and safe beaches for families, historic towns for a cultural holiday or buzzing cities where you can party all night long.
Below is an interactive map of the Algarve, highlighting the major resort towns and finest holiday destinations.
The yellow pins show the larger and livelier beach towns (ranked 1 to 8). The green pins highlight the smaller and calmer beach destinations (ranked 1-9). The grey pins show the non-coastal towns and cities (ranked 1-7), which are ideal for a cultural holiday, or as day trips.
The best largest resort towns - 1) Albufeira, 2) Lagos, 3) Praia da Rocha and 4) Vilamoura 5) Alvor 6) Armação de Pêra 7) Quarteira 8) Monte Gordo
The best smaller resort towns - 1) Tavira 2) Carvoeiro 3) Cabanas 4) Olhos de Água 5) Praia da Luz 6) Burgau 7) Sagres 8) Vila Real de Santo António 9) Ferragudo
The best non-beach destinations- 1) Silves 2) Faro 3) Olhão 4) Loulé 6) Monchique 5) Castro Marim 7) Portimão
You probably know what style of holiday you are seeking, and the following section provides a quick summary of the best locations for each holiday type.
Best overall destination - Lagos, Albufeira or Tavira
For families with young children - Carvoeiro, Praia da Luz or Alvor
For families with teenagers - Albufeira, Praia da Rocha, and most all of the central Algarve
For history and culture - Lagos, Tavira, Faro, Olhão or Silves
Where to party - Albufeira, Praia da Rocha and Lagos
Stag or hen do - “The Strip” in Albufeira (Stag do guide here)
For a relaxing holiday - Tavira, Alvor or Carvoeiro
A small village setting: Burgau, Cabanas and Praia da Luz
Golfing Holiday - Vilamoura, Albufeira or Quarteira
Class, style and where celebrities holiday - Vilamoura or Vale Do Lobo region
Somewhere different - Faro, Tavira or Alvor
Surfing Holiday - Sagres
For a Christmas holiday - Albufeira, Praia da Rocha or Lagos
Portugal’ s best resort towns, not in the Algarve - Cascais, Sesimbra, Nazaré or Vila Nova de Milfontes
