The Ultimate Algarve Itinerary

In this Algarve Travel Guide, I’ll share some information about the cities I visited, how it was to backpack Algarve in the off season. I will also share my Algarve 7 day itinerary as well as a 3 day Itinerary to Algarve if you’re short on time. Hope it spikes your interest for Portugal!

Have you ever wondered how those really seasonal tourist places are in their shoulder and offseason? I had some time to spare in October one year and decided to head for Portugal’s south coast. For mainly two reasons, I wanted to go somewhere warmer and not too far away from Norway, I’d never been to Portugal. A variable may also be that I found affordable tickets to Faro. So a week after buying the tickets, I was on my way with my backpack as a carry-on.

Portugal also ended up being my first solo travel adventure, and a warm up to what I planned on being a 3 months adventure in Latin America, but that ended up being a 16 months adventure. Here is a little more about that, and an introduction to me! Backpacking Algarve couldn’t have been a better way to ease into the solo traveling way of life! 

And, who can say no to Portugal’s beautiful algarve coast?

Getting around in Algarve

First of all, it is easy to travel in-between the cities in the south of Portugal and getting around Portugal, in general, is pretty easy. There are buses departing several times a day from the terminals in the cities. This makes backpacking Portugal quite easy!

The bus tickets have a set price, no matter how far you’re going in the area. If you’re more adventurous it is also pretty easy to hitchhike here.

If you are ok with hitchhiking, it will serve you well to get around in the area. Like mentioned, the bus connections between the different towns are good, but if you want to explore more off “the beaten path” beaches and location, hitchhiking or a rental car is ideal. With that said, I traveled mainly by bus and did a little bit of hitchhiking and got around just fine! The Algarve is definitely an obligatory part of a decent Portugal road trip.

How to get from the airport to Faro

I started my trip to Faro, where I arrived at the Airport pretty late. Faro International Airport is about 4 km outside of town. Getting from the airport to Faro is easy. Bus no. 16 by the company Proximo, runs by the airport every 20 minutes. It runs from 5 am to 11 pm and cost 2.30 € per person. Here is a map with all of Proximos routes. There is also always the option of taking a taxi to Faro, that will cost you more or less 10 €.

Transportatin from Faro to other places in Algarve

If you are looking to transfer from Faro airport to Albufeira or Lagos, there are shuttle options at the airport starting from around 30 €.

Regional bus service in Algarve

If you’re up for it though, it pays off to take the local bus to Faro terminal. At the terminal, in Portuguese, “Faro Rodoviario”, you can catch another local bus to your final destination. Remember to buy your ticket at the ticket office, as they don’t sell tickets on the bus. The regional bus tickets are a fixed price of 6,20€!

Regional Train Service in Algarve

Right next to the Faro Rodoviario is the train station. Train go to not just cities in Algarve, but also to cities all around Portugal, and even to Spain. The train is generally a little bit more expensive than the bus, but also faster and more comfortable. The regional train has a set fare price, just as the buses, at 7,40€.

Though, if you’re already landing at Faro Airport, you should consider getting to know the city before you head on to the other towns of Algarve.

For more information about train and bus connections in Algarve see AlgarveBus. They are not an official site for the public transortation in the area. After my experience though, do provide solid information.

Things to do in Algarve

Visit Faro

Faro is often a first or last stop for travelers. Either they fly in or out of the airport, or head to Spain from there. It’s often a bit overlooked by tourists as it is a transit city. Still, after my opinion, it has a lot to offer.

Faro is the capital city and administrative center of the region of Algarve. It’s small and cute and has a stunning old town covered with cobbled streets.

As mentioned, it isn’t just a gateway to the rest of the Algarve coast and there are a variety of things to do in Faro. It’s one of the best places in Algarve if you ask me. Faro city is the city most alive and existing with or without tourists, if you ask me.

Faro has a “port”, but there is no beach in walking distance from the city center, like many other cities in Algarve has. But just a short ferry ride from the port and you’ll find yourself at an island with a beach.

What to do in Faro

Get to know the old town and the center of Faro

Walk around the old town, still behind city walls that date back to the 9^th century. Sit down and have lunch or a coffee at one of the many cozy outdoor cafes in the area.

Apart from the oldtowns beautiful architecture and cobblestoned streets, there is also a Roman Catholic cathedral from the 13th century, more exactly 1251 in Faro. The cathedral named, Igreja da Sé, is beautiful from the outside but has a great view from the belltower. Entrance fee is 7 Euros though.

The Capela dos Ossos is located in the church “Igreja do Carmo” in Faro. The church is beautiful and has a big cobbled square on the front of it. However, there is more to this church then the outside tends to give away. It’s not just any church with a chapel. The inside of the chapel is decorated with bones from what has been calculated to be over 1000 skeletons. The history behind this rather unnormal chapel interior, is that the bones belonged to monks of the monastery in Faro, from the Carmel order. They where removed from the overfilled cemetery in the 19th century, to make space for new burrials. It’s definitely bizare, but worth a visit. Entrance fee is only 2 euros.

Bike to San Miguel Mountain

On my second day in Algarve, I did a bike ride to a mountain called San Miguel. The mountain is located about 15 km inland from Faro. The San Miguel mountain is 410 meters above sea level and offers a great view of the area, and you can almost see across to Spain from the top.

Such a tough ride, but it was amazing to bike past all the different fields filled with different fruit trees. I find it so fascinating to see trees full of pomegranate and oranges as we don’t have that kind of stuff in Norway. Finding the way is easy enough as you follow the main road and signs. I would still recommend having some kind of map with you as there are some turns that where a bit trickier then others.

If biking isn’t for you, you can always go by car. If you rent a car, you also have the option of catching the sunset from the top, something I believe must be incredible. There are no entrance fees. Bike rental in Faro is around 8 euros per day.

Rio Formosa National Park

Ria Formosais is a National Park consisting of a 19 km long system of islands and saltwater lagoons. They are all connected to the sea through 5 natural inlets, and 1 manmade inlet, made to make easier access to the port of Faro. The park stretches from Faro to the town of Tavira.

The natural park of Ria Formosa has a variety of bird, like Flamengos, need I say more? Ok, the park also have a great aquatic life, as well as good conditions for sports like wind and kite surfing as well as canoeing, rowing and snorkeling.

Tours and Ferry to explore Ria Formosa

There are also ferries that go to different islands outside Faro for a couple of euros. A one-way ticket starts at about 1,6€ and a roundtrip around 3€. But there are also a lot of tours through Ria Formosa offered, where you have the opportunity to learn more about the National Park and its fauna.

One of the places you can visit with just the normal ferry is Ilha Deserta also called Ilha da Barreta, a sandbar island, with beautiful beaches and sand dunes. From Ilha Deserta you can walk to the most southern point of the mainland of Portugal, Cabo de Santa Maria.

Praia de Faro is the place to go, if you’re just looking to get to a beach, quick and easy. It’s reachable from Faro by bus no. 16, the same that passes by the airport.

There are a bunch of other sandbar islands and experiences to have in Ria Formosa and you can easily spend days, just exploring the national park.

Catch the sunset over Faro and chat with locals

I also did my first solo couchsurfing experience in Faro, and enjoyed the most beautiful sunset from their rooftop. We drank some Port Wine, which I know isn’t from Faro or Algarve, but rather Porto on the north coast of Portugal. Although, my host was from Porto, hehe. We also had great conversations about how life in Portugal is, and I learned a thing or two about local food traditions. Like always, if you’re comfortable I really recommend organizing a couchsurfing meetup or stay. It adds to your travel experience in an autentic way:)

Visit Albufeira

Albufeira is about a 40 minutes bus ride from Faro. This town is completely different from Faro and pretty touristy. I imagine that during the winter there is not a lot of people left there, if any at all.

Albufeira mainly used to be a fishing village, but these days the people living there are mostly making a living of off tourism. In the high season, Albufeira is a popular party destination in the South of Portugal. Still, it’s a beautiful town with lots of activities, beaches and tour offer that definitely are worth considering.

What to do in Albufeira

When I visited I opted for the free things to do in Albufeira, even though there are a lot of tours leaving from Albufeira too. Tours with activities like f. ex. dolphin watching, and diving!

In general, though, Albufeira is surrounded by great beaches, close to popular diving locations, and has some great areas for watersport activities.

Get to know Albufeiras old town and marina

This point might sound super basic, but Albufeira actually consists of two parts. The town, or the old town, and a 30 minutes walk away, the marina.

The old town area is super cute, with lots of white buildings, small streets, and a huge beach in front of it. It’s largely located in the hillside, and coming from other parts of Algarve, you’ll have to drive/walk down a steep winding road. You’ll find the town filled with restaurants offering everything from Mexican food to traditional Portuguese cuisine, souvenir shops and a main square filled with more souvenir stands.

To get to the Marina of Albufeira you have to walk about 2,5 km from the old town. The road is along the cliffside, with a beautiful view over the beach, Praia dos Pescadores(fishermen’s beach) and more of the widespread parts of Albufeira. You also pass a viewpoint with a terrace over the beach and an elevator that takes you down to the beach if you want to. The elevator Elevador do Peneco, takes you down 25 meters to Praia do Peneco. Be aware that it’s only functioning during the summer months, but the terrace still offers a beautiful view all year round!

The Albufeira Marina is worth the 30 minute walk, not just cause the walk offers beautiful views. The marina consists of a line of colorful houses. They are more modern and newer than the architecture in the old town and houses some great restaurants. A lot of boat tours also starts from the Marina, so it can be a good idea to go and check out the area for a good deal.

The Hillside, past the Marina offers a variety of restaurants, and if you have the opportunity, they are definitely worth checking out. They are, of course touristy, as any restaurant in the area. Still, they have a different vibe then the restaurants lining the main square of Albufeira’s old town.

Walk along the beaches from Albufeira

I arrived Albufeira early afternoon and decided to take the road to one of the beaches out of town. When I finally reached Sao Rafael beach, I was just in time to catch the sunset. With almost no other people around it was a really beautiful experience.

You can make a day or two out of walking along the coast from beach to beach. You’ll see the amazing cliffs along the way. And finish with an amazing sunset if you’re lucky. Past the marina, you can reach various beaches from the main road, like Sao Rafael beach.

Walk along the beach to Praia da Oura

The beaches on the other side of Albufeira, f. ex Praia da Oura, are reachable by walking along the beach.

Make sure you start early and that it will be low tide while you are walking. Most hostels and hotels will have information about the tides, so ask them to be sure. That way you’ll make it along the beach the whole way before the tides get too high. Be aware that to do this walks, you might have to climb on the cliffs in some areas, so if you’re not ok with that, it would be better to take a bus directly to Praia da Oura.

To get back to Albufeira, you can eighter take a taxi, bus or hitchhike. In the high season, there are more bus and transportation options.

Get to know Albufeiras nightlife

Albufeira isn’t just known for its beaches, but also as a pretty big party location. Even when I visited in October, there where clubs with blasting music and crowds, and it wasn’t even the weekend. So if you’re looking to party, this is definitely the place in Algarve to do that.

Visit Lagos

Lagos might be the most visited location in the Algarve, and not without reason. Located in the river mouth of Bensafrim River. It has some beautiful cliff beaches and the proximity to good surf spots makes this the base for many surf schools and surfer hostels. However surf is just one of the things to do in Lagos. It has a beautiful walled old town and a lot of history dating back more than 200 years.

What to do in Lagos

The town of Lagos

Take at least one day to get to know the town of Lagos. Lagos was the administrative capital of Algarve from 1577 and the town has been fortified various times through the centuries. The walls that stand around the old town today are Moorish walls like the ones that stands around Faros old town and are from the 16th century. Made to protect the city from pirates and the Spanish. Don’t miss the arched entrance to the old town, Porta de São Gonçalo with barbicans on each side.

After getting to know the old town of Lagos, head down to the fortress by the waterfront, named Forte da Ponta da Bandeira. It was built around the1690 and with the town walls, served an important role in defending Lagos. The entrance fee to the fortress is 1,5€ and include entrance to the museum and chapel on the property. In addition to history the fortress also offers a great view of Lagos and the area.

After getting to know the town of Lagos you can take a walk along Praia Meia, a 4km long beach on the front of Lagos. There are also bus and train connections to the parts of Praia Meira that are further away.

Walk along the cliffs of Lagos

Make a day out of walking along the cliffs outside Lagos. You can easily reach the trail from the city. Along the walk are various beaches. At low tide, you can also walk along the beaches to find coves and caves! End your hike at the lighthouse Farol da Ponta da Piedade. Catch the sunset on one of the beautiful cliff viewpoints on the way back to Lagos! Some beaches that can be visited along the walk to the lighthouse are; Praia Dona Ana, Praia da Boneca, Praia do Camilo and Praia da Balança. Praia Dona Ana can be skipped and visited another day if you want to make your hike a bit shorter and start along the road.

Sitting on the edge of the cliffs there, looking into the clear blue water, such a liberating, and thrilling feeling. If you’re lucky you’ll find a cave on your route as well.

After exploring the beaches on one side of the cliff walk towards the lighthouse, there are other trails and beaches along the other side. They can be reached by hiking and some by driving. You can basically spend days and days just exploring beaches, all lying below the beautiful orange and red cliffs.

Surf, kayaking and other activities in Lagos

Like already mentioned, Lagos is a base for many surfers, and not without reason. Around Lagos there are amazing surfer beaches. Take the opportunity and take some surf lessons. If you want to go all in, you can even find surf camps in the area that offer 1 or 2 weeks of intensive surf lessons.

There are various tours going from Lagos. There are boat and kayak tours to different caves. Be aware though, that these might be canceled when the water is too rough.
Unfortunately, the water was too rough to do a cave tour when I visited, but I would definitely do it another time. You can also do dolphin watching tour and trips to other towns. Although the last one is very easily done alone.

Algarve Itinerary

So, how many days in Algarve is enough you may ask? This is definitely a subjective question.  I would recommend spending about 7 days in Algarve. That way you have a decent amount of time to see the different towns. If you have a rental car, you can drive around and discover the best sunset spots and beaches. A great way to take advantage of your way back to, or from your accommodation in Algarve, after a day of activities.

3 Days Itinerary for Algarve 

You can easily spend 3 days in Algarve and reach over a wide area. The distances are short, and even by bus, you can see a few locations a day if you plan for it. I would still recommend spending at least 5 days in Algarve. However, if you’re working through something like a one week Portugal itinerary, 3 days is definitely doable. 

Day 1 Faro

If you have 3 days in Algarve I would start by visiting Faro and spend the day on the Island in the national park of Rio Formosa. Come back to town in the afternoon, 
, walking the street of the old town, check out Igleja da Sé and grab dinner before you tuck in for the night. 

Day 2 Albufeira

Start early and take the bus or drive to Albufeira. Walk from the old town and over to the port side of town. Remember to check out the elevator and maybe take it down for a walk along the beach underneath the cliffs. Drive or take the bus to Sao Rafael beach and grab lunch and relax on the beach.

Drive to Lagos in the afternoon, if you have a rental car, drive along the cliffs to the lighthouse outside Lagos. Catch the sunset here before checking into your hostel. If you have energy left, check out the oldtown for something to eat as well as to take in the cosy vibe of the town. 

Day 3 Lagos

Start the day with a tour to the caves if the weather alowes it. You can eighter kayak there, og go in boat and combine it with a dolpin spotting tour. If that doesn’t tempt you, you can spend the day walking from beach to beach along the cliffside of Lagos, cool down in the water and relax on the beach.

1 Week Algarve Itinerary Suggestion

You’ll definitely not run out of things to do even if you spend one week in Algarve. However, you’ll have the chance to get to know the area fairly well. If you want to stay active and move around that is. 

Faro

Day 1. Arrive in Faro, get to know the city and the old town. Check out the cathedral of Faro from the 13th century. It’s beautiful from the outside but has a great view from the belltower. Entrance fee is 7 Euros though. Walk out of the old town towards Igreja do Carmo and the bizarre The Capela dos Ossos. Entrance fee is only 2 euros! 

Day 2. Explore the National park of Ria Formosa! Rent a bike and bike along some of the over 60km long walkways in the national park. If you don’t feel like biking, take the ferry from right outside the old town and explore Ilha Deserta and walk to Cabo de Santa Maria. Or you can do a tour from Faro to explore and learn more about the National park and its fauna! End your day with a sunset from Praia do Faro just 5 minutes out of the center!

Albufeira

Day 3. Take a morning bus to Albufeira. Get to know the town, and walk from the Old Town to the Marina area. Remember to take in the views and stop at Elevador do Peneco on your way. Catch the bus that takes you to Praia Sao Rafael, from the road behind the marina. Grab some lunch at the little beach restaurant there(or bring your own) and relax and enjoy the sunset from this little beach. Remember to check when the shuttles and buses stop running back to Albufeira as this varies, especially in the low season. 

If you’re in the mood, check out the party scene in Albufeira during the night,
Rua Cândido dos Reis is lined with loads of bars and clubs. 

Day 4. Check when the low-tide in Albufeira is when you’re there. Then start in good time and walk the whole stretch of beach from Albufeira to Praia da Oura. Enjoy the beach and sunset when you get there, and catch a bus back to town. This is just for those in good shape and those that are fine with some climbing from time to time.

If climbing rocks isn’t for you, you can always take a bus from the main road above Albufeira, to Praia da Oura. Spend the day there:)

Lagos

Day 5. Get to Lagos in the morning. Start off by exploring the old town of Lagos as well as the city walls. After lunch, head over to the fortress in the river mouth to visit the museum, the view from the fortress and see the sunset from the beach right in front of it.

Day 6. Get up early, make lunch and get ready for a day of walking, exploring and beaches. Spend the day walking along the cliffs, and check out beaches along the way. End up at the Lighthouse, and catch the sunset on the way back.

Day 7. Take a day of surf lessons and surf on one of Lagos beaches, or check out the many caves in the area with a kayak tour in Lagos.

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What to pack for Algarve

I assume you know the basics. Here are a couple of items that might be good to have on your algarve vacation.

Good walking/hiking shoes – I prefer traveling with a pair of lightweight, comfortable trainers. If you like to be active and want to discover Algarve by foot a good pair of shoes, are definitely worth bringing. I’ve had quite a few pairs as I use them until they basically fall apart. These ones might be my next investment.

Waterproof bag – I have one pretty similar to this one and they are great for active travelers. One is especially handy traveling Algarve. When you want to hike between beaches, look for caves and hidden spots, maybe kayak and do a boat tour. It’s practical to have one of these to keep your belongings dry.

Water and sun resistant t-shirt/long-sleeve – This is for those of you that plan on going on a boat or kayak tour. It’s highly likely that you won’t have enough time to apply sunscreen as many times as you need. And with one of these long sleeve shirts, you have one less worry. It’s also great for a day of hiking, exploring in the sun and for swimming and snorkeling.

Should you visit Algarve in October?

I wouldn’t let the fact that the summer is over, scare you. Algarve was as beautiful as ever, with fewer crowds on the beaches. Be aware though, that it can be a bit windier this time of year, and some days might be a bit cold for the beach. Still, there are so many things to see in Algarve that doesn’t depend on summer temperatures. The fact that the temperatures are at a more bearable level, makes it easier to have an active trip when you travel Algarve.

If you want to check out more stuff to do in Algarve. I suggest you check out Algarve tourist and visit Portugal.

Also be sure to check out this amazing collab post with unique experiences not to miss, around Portugal.