Visit Albufeira

Albufeira's historic heart can be walked in a morning. Its whitewashed lanes converge on Praça da República and the Matriz church, before dropping through a stone tunnel to Praia do Túnel and Praia dos Pescadores, where fishing boats are still pulled up on the sand. Praia do Peneco, more sheltered, suits children. In the evening, grilled-fish terraces fill the pedestrian streets.

Beyond the old town, the coast alternates big beaches and tucked-away coves. Praia da Oura, ten minutes on foot from the centre, is the busiest. To the east, Praia da Falésia unrolls several kilometres of sand beneath ochre and red cliffs, as far as Olhos de Água, a former fishing village. To the west, Praia da Coelha and Praia da Galé offer quieter stretches of sand.

Albufeira's party reputation rests on Rua Cândido dos Reis, nicknamed the Strip, a long street of bars, terraces and clubs open from May to September. The mood is young, loud and lively until dawn in summer. For calmer evenings, the old town offers restaurants and fado bars, and the marina has tables facing the sailboats. Most venues stay open until four in the morning at the peak of the season, so light sleepers should book a room away from the street.

From the marina, boats and kayaks follow the Algarve's limestone cliffs. The Benagil cave, with its roof open to the sky, is about thirty minutes' drive away in the neighbouring municipality of Lagoa. Trips must be booked ahead in summer. Praia da Marinha, ranked among Portugal's finest, and the Algar Seco cliffs at Carvoeiro complete the excursion. Calm mornings give the best light and the clearest water, while afternoon winds often make the sea rougher.

To leave the seafront, the hinterland offers two day trips by car. Silves, a former Moorish capital about thirty minutes away, is visited around its red sandstone castle and Gothic cathedral. Further north, the Monchique mountains rise to the Foia, the Algarve's highest point at 902 metres, then descend to the spa village of Caldas de Monchique. Both trips are easier with a car, and a long day covers the two.