Algarve
Algarve
Portugal's beach region decoded for UK travellers: which resort town to base in, whether you need a hire car, real Faro-transfer costs and what a week actually costs in pounds.
In short
Algarve at a glance
The Algarve is the UK's default Portugal beach holiday: a 150km south coast of golden cliffs, cove beaches and resort towns, all within an hour or so of Faro airport. The single biggest decision is which town to base in — party-and-family Albufeira in the centre, cliff-and-coast Lagos in the west, pretty-and-quiet Carvoeiro, or low-key, Portuguese Tavira in the east. The next is whether to hire a car: you don't need one if you stay put and use boat tours, but the Vamus buses are sparse, so a car unlocks the best beaches and the western capes. Allow a week to settle into one base; the headline boat trip to the Benagil cave is the one paid-for thing worth booking.
The Algarve is what most Britons mean when they say “Portugal beach holiday”: a 150km south coast of ochre cliffs, cove beaches reachable only by boat and resort towns, nearly all within an hour of Faro airport. It splits into three Algarves, and which one you pick decides your week. The centre — Albufeira, Carvoeiro, Lagoa — has the most hotels, the easiest transfers and the famous cove beaches. The west, around Lagos and Sagres, is the dramatic, cliff-walking, surf-and-capes end. The east, around Tavira, is the quiet, genuinely Portuguese Algarve of Roman bridges and sandbar islands you reach by ferry.
The honest planning question is the hire car. You can holiday here car-free: base in a walkable town like Albufeira or Lagos, book a boat tour for the Benagil cave, and use the Vamus buses for the rest. But those buses run only a handful of times a day — even the no.56 Aerobus from the airport manages about seven departures — so the best cove beaches and the western capes are genuinely awkward without a car. Stay put and you don’t need one; want to roam and you do.
One thing is worth paying for: the boat trip to the Benagil sea cave. A 2-hour speedboat from Portimão (roughly €25–35, cheaper booked direct than through an OTA) loops the cave, Praia da Marinha and the coves you simply can’t reach on foot. New rules mean you can’t disembark inside the cave any more, so it’s a look-and-photograph trip rather than a swim — go early, before the afternoon sea picks up and the boats start queuing at the entrance.
The route
The Algarve isn't a touring route — most people pick one base and day-trip. This is a relaxed week built around a central base, with the western cliffs and the eastern lagoon islands as the two day-trips that show you the other Algarves. Drive times assume the A22 motorway; by Vamus bus, add roughly half again and check the sparse timetable first.
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Days 1–2
Settle into your base (central Algarve)
Base around Albufeira, Carvoeiro or Lagoa — the centre puts you within 30–40 minutes of most of the coast. Spend the first day on the home beach and walking the boardwalk cliff paths; the Carvoeiro–Algar Seco boardwalk is a short, spectacular one. No car needed for this part.
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Day 3
Benagil cave boat trip
The set-piece excursion. A 2-hour speedboat from Portimão (about €25–35) loops the Benagil cave, Praia da Marinha and the cove beaches you can't reach on foot. You can't get out inside the cave any more, so it's a look-and-photo trip — go early before the sea picks up and the boats queue.
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Days 4–5
West: Lagos & the capes
Drive west (Albufeira to Lagos is about 45 minutes on the A22). Walk the Ponta da Piedade cliffs and take the little boat through the rock arches, then push on to Sagres and Cabo de São Vicente — mainland Europe's south-west tip, raw and windswept. This is the day a hire car earns its keep; the buses out here are thin.
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Days 6–7
East: Tavira & the Ria Formosa islands
Drive east to Tavira (about an hour from Albufeira) for the calmer, more Portuguese Algarve: a Roman bridge, tiled churches and a ferry out to the sandbar island of Ilha de Tavira. Faro's old town and the Ria Formosa lagoon boat trips sit on the way back to the airport.
Where to base yourself
Pick one or two bases rather than moving every night.
Albufeira (central)
££ mid-rangeThe default UK choice: the biggest spread of hotels, the easiest Faro transfer (40 min) and a beach in town. The Old Town is characterful; 'The Strip' at Montechoro is loud, late and stag-friendly — pick your side carefully. Best for first-timers and families who want everything to hand.
Best for: Families, first-timers, nightlife, easy transfer
Lagos & the west
££ mid-rangeThe most scenic base: walled old town, the Ponta da Piedade cliffs on the doorstep and the wild capes within reach. A full hour from Faro and pricier, but the coastline is the Algarve at its best. Best if you'll hire a car and want coast walks over resort polish.
Best for: Cliffs, coast walks, surfers, scenery
Carvoeiro & Lagoa
££ mid-rangeWhitewashed houses tumbling to a cove beach, smart restaurants and a calm, couples-y feel. Central for the Benagil trips. The catch: public transport is poor, so a car is close to essential if you want to roam. Best for couples and quieter holidays.
Best for: Couples, calm, central for Benagil
Tavira & the east
£ valueThe real, un-resorted Algarve: a working town with a Roman bridge, tiled churches and ferries to empty sandbar islands. Cheaper to eat and sleep, closer to Faro (about 40 min) and far quieter. Best for travellers who'd rather find Portugal than a resort strip.
Best for: Authentic, value, quiet, island beaches
Getting around Algarve
Everything funnels through Faro airport. To Albufeira it's a 40-minute private transfer (around €42 booked ahead, €50–60 by taxi) or, on the cheap, a bus into Faro city then a €3.40 CP train. To Lagos it's a full hour and roughly €80 by private transfer. Between towns, the Vamus bus network — including the no.56 'Aerobus' from the airport along the coast — works but runs only a handful of times a day with thinner weekend service, so check the timetable before relying on it; a 7-day Vamus tourist pass is €45. Honest verdict: stay in one walkable base and you can go car-free using boat tours and the odd bus, but the best cove beaches and the western capes are awkward without a hire car, so if you want to roam, hire one.
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