Discover Portugal's Spectacular Southern Coast
Picture yourself on pristine white sand, the turquoise water stretching to the horizon, a gentle breeze keeping you cool. Algarve's beaches are waiting to deliver the ultimate sun-soaked holiday. Dive in, relax, and let the ocean wash your worries away.
Discover the wonders of Algarve, a captivating destination that offers unique experiences, rich culture, and memorable adventures. Whether you're seeking relaxation, adventure, or cultural immersion, Algarve promises to exceed your expectations with its warm hospitality and stunning scenery.
7 nights in Algarve — day by day, fact-checked
Your flight from London lands at Faro (FAO) and your included private transfer takes you to your base on the Algarve coast, in the Lagoa, Carvoeiro, Portimão and Lagos corridor around the Benagil cave.
Your flight from London lands at Faro. A private transfer is included, so your driver meets you and takes you to your base on the Algarve coast. The route can approach or exceed an hour, because the base sits in the Lagoa, Carvoeiro, Portimão and Lagos corridor, not next to the airport.
Your airport pickup is a private transfer included in the package. Look for your driver at the agreed meeting point; you do not need to book or pay for the airport-to-base leg.
Check your own arrival time before you plan the first evening. Whether early-morning or late-night, count the airport transfer as up to about an hour of driving to reach your Algarve base.
For any independent hop later in the trip beyond your included transfers, Bolt ride-hailing is confirmed live at Faro airport: order in-app, use the FAO airport option, and follow the posted ride-hailing pickup signs. Verify the car colour, make and driver against the app before getting in.
Do not assume the airport is walking distance from your beach. Faro sits at the eastern end of the region and your base is well to the west, which is exactly why private transfers are built into this package.
The Algarve coast is tidal. The official authority for tide predictions is the Instituto Hidrográfico, which publishes the 2026 Tide Table; check it for high and low water when planning any beach time.
A seafood restaurant with ocean views, open daily 12:00 to 23:00, a short hop for a first-night dinner if your base is around Carvoeiro.
The official tourism board steers coastal visitors toward salt-cured and lagoon-gathered shellfish (mussels, oysters, clams, razor clams), fish soup and razor-fish rice — a safe first-night order in any seaside restaurant.
Keep the first evening close to base. Get your bearings on foot, note where the nearest supervised beach is, and eat locally. Save the boat day and the longer town trips for when you are rested and can time them to a calm sea.
Portugal uses the Euro. Cards are widely accepted at tourist-facing businesses and ATMs are common, so you do not need to arrive with large amounts of cash.
There is no verified single restaurant-booking app for the region; book by phone or walk in. Some small places are phone-only until a set time, then first-come-first-served, so call ahead if you have your heart set on one.
Do not go straight into the sea at dusk on an unsupervised beach. People drown in Portugal every year; waves and undertow are unpredictable where there is no lifeguard and no flag.
No sunset time is stated here as fact. For your dates, check timeanddate.com/sun/portugal/faro so you know how much daylight you have on the first evening.
Choose a lifeguarded beach for your first swim so you have the flag system and supervision on your side; obey the flags every time.
A day in Faro's walled medieval core, Vila-Adentro — a compact, walkable old town in the airport city, with the cathedral, the Arab Gate and the surrounding lanes.
Faro's walled medieval nucleus, Vila-Adentro, keeps its Islamic-era perimeter walls, the Arab Gate, the Misericórdia Church and several convents. It is compact and free to walk. Reach it by a licensed taxi or a Bolt ride from the airport rank if you are hopping in independently.
Faro is the airport city and its old town is compact and walkable once you are there. For an independent trip, Bolt ride-hailing is confirmed at Faro airport; licensed taxis also queue there.
The old town is ticket-free to walk: the medieval walls, the Arab Gate (described as a unique example of Arab architecture in Portugal), the Misericórdia Church and the convents.
The Sé Cathedral was built on a former mosque after the 1249 Christian conquest and its admission includes the bell tower and museum, so buy the ticket rather than only viewing the exterior.
Do not turn up at Faro Cathedral on a Sunday expecting a tourist visit — it is closed to tourists on Sundays and opens only for the noon religious service.
The cathedral is open to visitors, and admission includes the bell tower and museum — the anchor sight of the walled town.
Described by official tourism as a unique example of Arab architecture in Portugal, and free to walk through as you enter the old town.
Eat in the old town, where several restaurants sit within a short walk of the cathedral. Faro's food leans on lagoon shellfish and regional Algarve cooking, including cataplana. Book by phone or walk in; there is no dominant local booking app.
Cards are widely accepted at tourist-facing venues. Tipping is discretionary and not required; there is no verified standard rate, so round up only if you want to.
Se7e Pedras and Tertúlia Algarvia both sit in the heart of the old town within a short walk of the cathedral, so you can decide on the day which suits the group.
Do not search online for Faz Gostos and click its old web address — the fazgostos.com domain has been hijacked and now serves an illegal gambling site, not restaurant content. Do not visit that link.
Do not assume every old-town restaurant opens daily. Tertúlia Algarvia is closed Sunday, and Se7e Pedras lists no Saturday hours on its own site, so check the day before you plan lunch around either.
Specialises in Algarve regional cooking including cataplana, in the old town; open Mon–Sat, closed Sunday.
A traditional Portuguese food and wine bar with small plates — fried baby squid, seared cabbage, orange-and-almond dessert — a short walk from the cathedral.
A regional Algarve restaurant set in a historic building with Moorish tunnels and a Roman well, open daily for lunch and dinner.
Your included Benagil excursion — a licensed boat tour to the sea cave on the coast between Portimão and Lagos. It is governed by the sea state, so it works best on a calm morning and can move if the weather turns.
Your included excursion runs to the Benagil sea cave on the coast between Portimão and Lagos. It is a licensed boat tour, the only lawful way in since the 2024 rules. Morning tours and calm seas give the best access. Follow your guide; the no-swimming and no-disembarking rules are strictly enforced.
The Benagil excursion is included in your package and the transfer to the boat is arranged for you. You do not need to book a tour, and the cave-access rules are handled by the licensed operator.
The excursion is governed by the sea state, not opening hours. Morning tours and calm-sea days give the best cave access; rough seas can cancel it at any time of year, so keep the day flexible.
The cave can only be entered on a licensed boat or a guided kayak or SUP tour — no swimming, no floatation devices and no stepping onto the sand inside. Your guide enforces this; operator fines reach up to €216,000.
Bring a dry bag and secure your phone before you enter the cave; the boat stays in the water and you will not step out onto the sand, so anything you drop is gone.
Do not try to swim to the cave or paddle in on an unguided rented kayak — both are now prohibited. People drown on this coast, and independent entry is banned, so the included licensed tour is the correct and only lawful way in.
Obey the beach flags where you board or swim: red means no entry to the water, yellow means paddling at the edge only. Keep back from cliff edges and bases, as falling rocks are a hazard in the Algarve.
A trading seafood restaurant right above Benagil beach — the natural lunch stop on excursion day. Confirm current hours and booking directly on arrival, as its own site could not be verified.
If you want a more active, lower-in-the-water option on another day, a guided kayak or SUP tour is the officially permitted alternative; a guide is compulsory and confirm the operator holds the cave-entry licence before booking.
Back on land, keep the afternoon near the base. Eat by the water, rest, and let the boat day settle. If your morning tour was moved for rough seas, this is the flex window the operator will use — stay reachable.
If you swim after the boat, use a supervised beach and read the flag. Red means stay out of the water; yellow means paddle at the edge only. If caught in a rip tide, swim parallel to the shore, not against it.
Don Carvoeiro sits in the Carvoeiro–Benagil corridor and is open daily 12:00–23:00, so it works for a late lunch or dinner on excursion day.
Do not climb down to a closed-off cove or onto the cliff base for a better photo. Authorities can fine people who ignore cliff-erosion warning signs, and falling rocks are a genuine hazard here.
Ocean-view seafood in the base, open daily 12:00 to 23:00 — well placed for a post-boat meal.
A day in Lagos at the western end of your base — a historic town with a sobering, important museum, a marina, and cliff-and-cove coastline.
Lagos sits at the western end of your base. Its centre holds the Slave Market Route museum on Praça do Infante — the world's first documented European slave market, a somber and historically important site rather than a light stop. Reach Lagos independently by Bolt or a licensed taxi.
Lagos is at the western end of the Lagoa–Portimão–Lagos base. For an independent trip, use Bolt ride-hailing (confirmed at Faro airport) or a licensed taxi; your included transfers cover only the airport and the Benagil excursion.
The Slave Market Route museum opens Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00–13:00 and 14:00–18:00, closed Mondays, with last admission 30 minutes before closing.
Entry to the Slave Market Route museum is €3, with a €5 combined ticket that adds the Dr. José Formosinho museum — worth it if you want both in one visit.
Do not route your day around the seafront Forte da Ponta da Bandeira — the official Museu de Lagos page lists it as temporarily closed, so you cannot get in, and older combined tickets that included the fort are affected.
The world's first documented European slave market — a somber, historically important site. Open Tue–Sun, closed Mondays.
Lagos's clifftop rock formations are widely visited as a public coastal viewpoint. Access details and any boat prices are not officially confirmed, so check locally and keep back from the cliff edges.
Lagos has strong small dinner spots, but several are tiny and dinner-only. One old-town favourite takes phone reservations only up to a set time each evening, then goes first-come-first-served — so either call ahead or arrive at opening.
Casinha do Petisco takes reservations only by phone until 19:30, after which it is first-come-first-served; it is dinner-only and small, so call ahead or arrive at opening (17:30).
Casinha do Petisco is known for cataplana-style seafood and is closed Sunday, so plan a Lagos dinner there for Monday to Saturday.
Do not rely on turning up late at small old-town restaurants and getting a table — the popular ones are dinner-only, tiny, and stop taking bookings early in the evening.
A small, dinner-only Portuguese restaurant known for cataplana-style seafood; book early by phone, as it is first-come-first-served after 19:30.
A wild-dolphin boat trip from a nearby marina — Portimão or Lagos, whichever is closer to your base. Sightings are likely but never guaranteed, so choose a certified, welfare-conscious operator.
A dolphin-watching trip leaves from Portimao or Lagos marina, both near your base. These are wild animals, so sightings are likely but never certain; pick a certified, welfare-conscious boat with a marine biologist aboard. Some reputable operators offer a sighting guarantee, a free repeat trip if none are seen.
Marinas at Portimão and Lagos are central to your base. Reach them independently by Bolt or a licensed taxi; the dolphin trip is not part of your included transfers.
Like the Benagil boat, dolphin trips run from the open Atlantic and can be cancelled in rough seas. Calm mornings are the reliable window; keep the day flexible.
Dolphins are wild and free-roaming, so sightings are likely but never certain — though some operators (this one included) offer a sighting guarantee, a free repeat trip if none are seen. Judge the day on the trip, not a headcount.
Look for a specific animal-welfare accreditation. 5emotions in Portimão states both a Turismo de Portugal RNAAT licence and the Certified Dolphin Watching Association (AOC) accreditation — the pod-approach credential to look for.
Do not book on a "guaranteed dolphins" or "money-back if no dolphins" promise. A guarantee is a commercial incentive to chase and crowd pods, which is the welfare problem — book a certified operator instead.
The best-credentialled dolphin operator found: it states both a Turismo de Portugal RNAAT No. 70/2021 licence and the AOC animal-welfare accreditation, with biologist-led tours from Portimão marina.
A licensed operator (RNAAT 316/2013) with marine biologists on board, a pre-departure dolphin briefing and a stated ethical wild-dolphin code — a solid choice if your base is nearer Lagos.
Departs Lagos marina with a marine biologist aboard and a stated ethical viewing code that keeps a respectful distance from pods.
After the trip, eat near the marina and take the afternoon slowly. Two consecutive boat days can be tiring, so keep the plan light and let the sea decide the pace.
Operators list adult prices on their own sites, but exact departure schedules are not confirmed online — check times directly when you book, and have card payment ready as it is widely accepted.
Formosamar runs both its dolphin tour and a calmer Ria Formosa lagoon trip from the same Faro departure point; the lagoon option is the sheltered, calm-water choice if the open Atlantic looks rough.
Do not expect the crew to close in on a pod for a better photo. A responsible operator keeps its distance so the dolphins are not stressed; crowding them is exactly what the welfare rules exist to prevent.
A sheltered lagoon and barrier-island trip (RNAAT no 123/2009) from Faro, the calm-water plan B for a day when exposed-Atlantic boats are cancelled.
Eat fresh local shellfish or fish soup near the Portimão or Lagos marina after the trip; order what is landed locally rather than chasing a specific named spot.
An inland half-day at Silves, behind the coast: a red Moorish castle, national monument, plus the town and cathedral. It is the best rough-sea backup when boat trips are cancelled.
Silves sits inland behind the Carvoeiro and Portimão base, a short-to-moderate hop. Its red Almohad-era Moorish fortress, a national monument with a cistern and archaeological remains, is a ticketed, staffed site. Town, castle and cathedral together make a half-day — the reliable pick if the sea is rough.
Silves sits inland behind the Algarve base, a short-to-moderate hop. Reach it independently by Bolt or a licensed taxi, as it is not part of your included transfers.
Silves Castle is a ticketed monument, not a free open ruin: €2.80 adult, €1.40 reduced (children, students, youth-card, 65+), €2.20 for groups of 20+, or €3.90 combined with the Municipal Archaeology Museum.
This is the best weatherproof backup for a day when the boat tours are cancelled for rough seas — the castle, town and cathedral fill a half-day inland without depending on the sea.
Do not turn up assuming published opening hours — the exact 2026 seasonal hours are not confirmed on the official page. Confirm hours directly by emailing castelo@cm-silves.pt or calling +351 282 440 837 before you go.
A red Almohad-era Moorish fortress and national monument with a cistern and archaeological remains — the best inland, weatherproof half-day when boat trips are cancelled.
Below the castle, the old town and its cathedral round out the half-day. Eat in town, then head back to base. This inland day is also a good hedge if the coast is under a wildfire-risk warning, but keep alert to local notices.
Silves is inland and can be hot in summer, in the April–October wildfire window. Carry water and stay aware of any local wildfire warnings, though a town-and-castle day is low-risk.
Pair the castle with the Municipal Archaeology Museum on the €3.90 combined ticket to make the inland trip worthwhile in one go.
Do not treat Silves as a full day. It is a half-day of castle, town and cathedral; padding it out means a long inland round-trip for little more, when your coast base is the draw.
Silves town has traditional restaurants below the castle for a regional lunch; choose on the day rather than committing to a named venue we could not verify.
A flexible day on your own coast: a supervised beach, an easy lunch, and a spare slot to reschedule any boat trip the weather moved earlier in the week.
Spend the morning on your own coast. Choose a supervised beach so the flag system and a lifeguard are on your side. This day also works as the catch-up slot for any boat trip the sea cancelled earlier in the week.
Only swim where there is a lifeguard and read the flag: red means no entry to the water, yellow means paddling at the edge only. Avoid the water's edge on unsupervised beaches where waves and undertow are unpredictable.
Check the Instituto Hidrográfico tide table for the day: low water opens up more sand and rock pools, high water shrinks the beach. It is the official Portuguese tide source.
Do not fight a rip tide by swimming straight back to shore. If caught, swim parallel to the shore until you are free of the current, then swim in — trying to swim against it is what exhausts and drowns people.
Pick a supervised beach for the last full day so you have the flag system and a lifeguard present; obey the flags and keep back from cliff bases.
Use the afternoon for a relaxed coast lunch and any last shopping. If you fancy a more active finale, a guided kayak or SUP tour is the permitted way to spend more time low in the water near the cave — a guide is compulsory.
A guided kayak sits lower in the water and gets more cave time than a fast boat. Benagil Kayak runs guided cave tours; confirm the operator holds the required cave-entry licence before booking, as its site did not state one.
Withdraw or spend any leftover euros today rather than carrying cash home. Cards are widely accepted; tipping is discretionary, not a fixed rate.
Do not rent an unguided kayak to get into the Benagil cave as a cheaper DIY option — unguided kayak entry to the cave area is banned. Only a guided kayak or SUP tour is lawful.
A guided kayak cave tour is the officially permitted, more active add-on — lower in the water and more cave time than a boat. Ages 11+, max group 12. Confirm the cave-entry licence before booking.
An easy, reliable ocean-view seafood lunch in the base for the last full day, open daily 12:00 to 23:00.
Your private transfer takes you back from the base to Faro airport for your flight home to London — plan the timing around your own departure and the up-to-an-hour drive.
Your included private transfer takes you back to Faro. Count back from your own departure time and allow for the drive, which can approach or exceed an hour from your Algarve base, plus check-in and any longer border queues now that EES is running.
The transfer back to Faro airport is included. Count back from your own departure time: allow up to about an hour for the drive from your Algarve base, plus check-in.
Whether you have an early-morning or a late-evening flight, agree the pickup time with your transfer in advance and build in a buffer, because border processing under EES can add longer waits.
If your transfer time slips or you need a separate hop to the airport, Bolt ride-hailing is confirmed live at Faro airport, and licensed taxis also serve the route — a verified fallback.
Do not cut the buffer thin on the way out. EES may add fingerprint-and-photo checks at the border, and the drive to Faro from the western base is not a short one — leave earlier than feels necessary.
Grab an easy coffee and pastry near your base before the drive; your package includes daily breakfast, so use it before you leave rather than buying at the airport.
At Faro, keep your passport and any medication with its prescription label in your hand luggage. If you were asked for fingerprints and a photo on arrival, the same EES process may apply on the way out, so allow time.
Carry any medication in its original container with the prescription label in hand luggage, not the hold — Portugal has strict rules on dispensing medicines and UK prescriptions are not recognised.
Spend leftover euros before security rather than converting them home. There are no flagged currency or ATM problems in Portugal, so you can also draw a small amount if needed.
Do not put essential medication or your passport in checked baggage. You need both on you at the border, and lost-bag delays would leave you without your medicines abroad.
A last coffee airside once you are through security — no named vendor to verify, just a simple wind-down before boarding.
Practical details verified 23 July 2026. Prices and opening hours change — we re-check them monthly, but confirm anything critical before you travel.
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