Algarve

The Algarve, the beautiful southern region of Portugal, captivates everyone with its stunning beaches. Whether in summer or winter, the stunning beaches are almost all located along dramatically beautiful cliffs. Interspersed with caves and secluded beaches, the Algarve is not only for sunbathers but also for hikers. The Algarve boasts lovely towns, the famed cliffs with the impressive Benagil Cave, and the southwesternmost point of mainland Europe. Active vacationers like us will find it to be the perfect destination.

Here you will find an overview of our travel reports for the Algarve.

For your Algarve road trip, you should ideally plan for 7 to 10 days. With a rental car, you can explore the major highlights of the Algarve in 10 days. If you want to hike, you could comfortably spend 10 to 14 days in the Algarve even in winter.

Highlights in Lagos, Portugal

Sights, tips, and excursions for the popular town in the Algarve

For your Algarve road trip, you should ideally plan for 7 to 10 days. With a rental car, you can explore the major highlights of the Algarve in 10 days. If you want to hike, you could comfortably spend 10 to 14 days in the Algarve even in winter.

Want to go for a beach vacation? Then the summer months from April to October are the warmest. December and January statistically have the worst weather. That's why we were in the Algarve over New Year's in December. We only had brief rain on two days. July and August are peak season, and you'll be lying on the beaches like sardines, towels next to towels.

You can avoid this in the months of April through June and September and October if you want to swim. We found December and January to be ideal for hiking and simply relaxing and exploring.

The Algarve is the southernmost mainland region of Portugal. With just under 500,000 inhabitants and Faro as the capital, Portimão, with nearly 50,000 residents, is the largest city in the region.

Before the trip, we purchased the following travel guides. I use the Rother Hiking Guide Algarve via an app (buy Rother App and Guide). This way, I can quickly find the route on my phone and navigate.

The fastest way is by plane. There are direct flights from the U.S. with airlines like easyJet, Eurowings, Condor, Lufthansa, tuifly, and Ryanair to Faro. Alternatively, you can also fly to Lisbon and then travel to the Algarve by rental car or train. However, we recommend having a rental car locally.

The airport serving the area is Faro International Airport (FAO) located in the southeastern Algarve. Lagos is about a 1-hour drive via the highway (tolls apply). The airport is the third-largest airport in Portugal after Lisbon and Porto.

BOOK FLIGHTS ✈️ We always search for affordable flights on Kayak. Here you can find my tips for booking cheap flights. Make sure to specify that you need checked luggage, as basic fares only include carry-on bags. This may initially distort the price, making it appear lower.

Especially in the offseason between November and March, you can find the cheapest flights. The peak season and the best travel time are from April to October when the weather is dry and more consistent. During this time, flights are significantly more expensive. After Christmas, we spontaneously found a deal with Eurowings Holidays for a hotel with breakfast in Lagos. Everything went perfectly, and we can recommend booking again anytime.

To explore the Algarve, we find it more relaxing to have a rental car. There are good bus connections to many places, and the public transport network is good, but it's just too inflexible for us.

Before the trip, we compared prices on billiger-mietwagen, Sunny Cars, and check24. Our car for 10 days was cheapest at Sunny Cars. Additionally, an extra driver was included. We would have had to pay extra for that on the other platforms.

For a week, we paid 108 euros. Unfortunately, I booked too late (2 weeks before the trip). In winter, rental cars are cheaper than in peak season. You have the option to book a toll box with your rental car. You will need this if you want to use the toll highway. We paid the one-time fee of 18 euros, which saved us much time if we wanted to avoid the "normal" road with a lot of traffic lights.

LOOKING FOR A RENTAL CAR?

To search for a rental car, we recommend the platforms check24 or Billiger Mietwagen. I also compare prices with Sunny Cars.
-> You can find tips for booking a rental car here. -> Don't have a credit card? Then read here how you can rent a car without a credit card.

And now?

Have you already made your vacation booking for the Algarve? But you still don't know what to see? Then look forward to finding our most beautiful places here soon.

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