Roadtrip along the Algrave – Portugal

When thinking of the Algrave beautiful nature comes to mind, sprawling beaches and sunny weather. However this extensive region of the country also has a diverse and rich history of Roman, Moorish and Portuguese influences. A 5-7 day roadtrip along the Algrave is the ideal way to explore this area.

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Overview of a Roadtrip along the Algrave – Portugal

• Day 1 – Lisbon
• Day 2 – Sagres
• Day 3 – Carvoeiro & Burgau
• Day 4 – Albufeira
• Day 5 – Faro

Day 2 Sagres

After a hotel breakfast we picked up our car and drove to our first stop: Sagres! During the drive we went over our plans again: To visit nine of the 16 municipalities along or route and explore the south of Portugal to our hearts content.

The Algrave region, as the rest of the country along the coastline, also suffers from the strains of mass tourism. With big resorts taking up space and resources as well as international investors buying up land and expelling local businesses we tried our best to keep or visits to small and local businesses.

Picnic Sagres

At Picnic Sagres you will find in-house baked bread, pastries and cakes, as well as delicious iced latte macchiato. For lunch we opted for yoghurt with fruits and self made granola, cinnamon rolls and vegan cheesecake.

Sagres Fortress

The Fortress of Sagress is walled off only on one side, the rest of it is potected by steep cliffs and the raging sea of the atlantic ocean. Most of it is still in its original state, though some parts have undergone restauration in the past years. In the late 90s a very square building was erected in the middle of the grounds, housing a memorial space and different exhibitions.

On a good day you can even see Farol do Cabo de São Vicente from the end of the cliffs, the lighthouse “at the end of the world”, the southwestern most point of Portugal (and therefore Europe).

Centro Expositivo do Promontório de Sagres

This museum holds a modern multimedia exhibition about Portugugese sailors, voyagers and colonialists, from the earliest finds about small wooden boats to the erection of the fortress and finally it’s current state and recent developments.

After a long walk arond the premises, drinking in the views and breathing as much of the sea breeze as possible we drove to our next stop, where we had sandwiches from a deli for dinner and checked into our accommodation.

Day 3 Carvoeiro & Burgau

Carvoeiro

We stayed at Castelo Guest House* close to the beach, the boardwalk and city centre. Carvoeiro isn’t very big, but it has steep hills from the beach into every direction, so the distances feel twice as long (especially while carrying luggage).

Carvoeiro Boardwalk

The boardwalk of Carvoeiro is a 570m long wooden construction along the coastal cliffs, leading from Carvoeiro to the rock formation Algar Seco. It is a wonderful, refreshing walk along the seaside that keeps people off the cliffs.

Algar Seco

This rock formation is very famous, even though many don’t know its name. When you look at pictures of “the Algrave” these rocks are often among them. You can reach them by walking along the boardwalk from Carvoeiro, then descending several flights of stairs to get a more up close view.

La Piazza

This small cafe and ice cream shop is almost directly at the beachfront and has delicious ice cream and Affogato, perfect to enjoy a sunny autumn day after wandering up and down the boardwalk.

Burgau

Called the “Santorini of Portugal” by tourists and expats this small town brings as much conflict as it brings peace of mind. The tranquil atmosphere and traditional architecture (small whitewashed houses accentuated with bright colours, hence Santorini for some reason) and almost enclosed beach at it’s own bay are in stark contrast to the many tourism centered cafes and restaurants, surfing schools and surfboard rentals. It feels like a holiday village, without officially being one.

Bar-Restaurante AIRES

Despite being one of these tourism hotspots, we had to eat somewhere, and so we settled on the Bar-Restaurante Aires. Despite the name suggesting a connection to Buenos Aires, Argentinia, they serve African food (specifically South African food). The food was nothing special in my opinion, both the potato dish and the ribs were pretty dry, but the staff was amazing.

Would it have been more convenient to visit Burgau on the same day as Sagres – since it is literally at the half way point between Sagres and Carvoeiro? Yes. But we were tired and wanted to sleep ^^

Day 4 Albufeira

On the morning of day 4 we started driving towards Faro, then stopped at Albufeira for a beach day. After action packed days in Lisbon and the previous days on the road one day of relaxation was much needed and I didn’t take any pictures after the one to the right (on mobile below), which was before decending to the beach.

After a great day with the wind and waves, the warm sand and seabreeze we drove about an hour to Faro, checked in to our place for the time and went to a local grocery store to buy things to make dinner and breakfast the next morning.

The original plan was to stay in Carvoeiro for three nights and go on a Boat Tour to the Benagil Cave* on one of the days, but since the cave was closed we had to change the plans.

Day 5 Faro

In Faro we stayed at the Cardeal Suites & Apartments*. It was my favourite stay of the trip! The rooms were big with big windows, the shower was amazing and the inner courtyard was covered with a sunroof and the perfect place to have a glass of wine and unwind at sunset. They also have a parking garage under the house, free of charge for guests.

Confeitaria Alengarve

On the way into the city we stopped at this small pastry shop and tried a Pastel de Faro, the lesser known and even sweeter cousin of Pastel de Nata.

Museu Regional do Algarve

The regional museum is a small but well loved and curated museum covering folk art, crafts, fishing, agriculture and lifestyle through the centuries of the region.

Mani’s mo:mo & restaurant

This small restaurant in a corner house of the old town of Faro serves Nepali cuisine. It’s family owned and operated with traditional dishes that will leave neither vegetarians, vegans nor omnivores wanting for anything.

Igreja da Ordem Terceira de Nossa Senhora do Monte do Carmo

Faros church is the 18th-century Catholic cathedral Igreja da Santa Maria known for its many small chapels, but especially the Capela dos Ossos (Chapel of Bones) built out of thousands of bones & skulls of monks. It is a well frequented site to visit in Faro and while very interesting and fascinating, the way it was treated by the few people there (as a backdrop for sexy selfies…) made me leave after a few short minutes.

Visit the nature park Ria Formosa

Faro is the perfect point to see the estuary Ria Formosa from. Half day tours and day tours depart from the city and offer the oportunity to explore this natural sight. If you get lucky you can even go dolphin watching here!

From Faro you can either drive back to Lisbon or fly out to your home country through Faro airport.

Map for your Roadtrip along the Algrave

How to read the map: Brown are the cities, light green are cafes and restaurants, dark green are hiking spots, black are accommodations, dark blue are museums and historic places, red are viewpoints and picture spots, orange are beaches.

You can save the map to your Google Maps for roadtrip aling the Algrave by clicking here.