The Algarve is a fantastic place for a holiday. It’s popular with Brits particularly due to the close proximity to the UK – flights are around 2 and a half to 3 hours from England to Faro or Lagos. The Algarve offers great weather, amazing food, stunning architecture, gorgeous beaches and plenty of opportunities for water sports. I’m about to give you the lowdown on what was great about my holiday to the Algarve, as well as was not so good!
My holiday to the Algarve
I spent two and a half weeks on the Algarve, visiting Faro, Portimao and Lagos. The Algarve is great for family travel as well as solo female travel as it is safe and easy to navigate. My holiday was a good combination of relaxing beach days and exploring. I covered three main destinations during my two and a half weeks, with a couple of other day trips to nearby cities (such as Loule and Silves). It was a jam packed itinerary but it is doable to see three main destinations (plus daytrips) in this amount of time.
When to travel to the Algarve
The Algarve is a very popular place to travel amongst Brits and other Europeans, and it gets extremely busy in August when the schools are off. I would say that it’s a bit too hot in August as well, and so this is a month that I would avoid.
The Algarve is best visited in the shoulder season, so May (avoiding Whitsun week) and mid-September are great value times to go. Flights are cheaper and the beaches are less crowded.
Winter in Portugal can be a little cold, but I’ve actually been to the Algarve in December and still had weather of around 20°C and been able to eat outside! They also make a good effort for Christmas lights which can be beautiful to see.
You might also like to consider local festivals and events. For example, Faro has a regular bikers festival in June or July each year which you may (or may not!) want to avoid. There are several festivals happening in the Algarve through summer including Festival Med (Loule), the Medieval festival of Silves and the Sardine festival in Portimao!
In short, the Algarve is actually gonna be a great experience whatever time of year you visit!
The Good – Pros of the Algarve
The Algarve is a great place to visit, and I would also recommend Portugal as a good option for a first time solo female traveller as well, due to the low crime levels and safety.
Easy to Travel
The great thing about the Algarve is that it is very well connected with public transport. There is a trainline that runs all the way from Lagos (West of Algarve) to Vila Real de Santo Antonio (East near the Spanish border). From Faro and Albufeira you can get the train all the way to Lisbon. You can book your train tickets on cp.pt. You will need to put your passport details in (as presumably, you won’t have a Portuguese citizen card), so switch to passport ID and add your passport number. Make sure that you carry your passport handy when you travel, because they sometimes check that the person who is travelling is the person named on the ticket. This only happened to me once, but they have checked it!
You can also book a Flixbus that travels between the main cities of Portugal and also continues into Spain as well. The bus takes longer than the train but is a little cheaper. I’ve travelled extensively by Flixbus in Portugal and Spain and found it to be very comfortable. If you would like to read my Flixbus review click here.
The only mode of transport that I didn’t enjoy was taxi as I felt that this was the only place in Portugal where you couldn’t trust the taxi drivers and they tried to rip you off a little. However, if there are a few of you sharing and you have accommodation off the main transport routes then taxis are still a decent option, just bear in mind that they will be pricey.
English is Widely Spoken
The Algarve has pockets of very Portuguese towns as well as English tourist or expat areas. The great thing about the Algarve is that most people speak English. I never had a problem with a language barrier in the Algarve during my trip. In fact, it’s actually difficult to learn Portuguese! But, if you are eager to learn Portuguese, they will probably help you. I’d recommend downloading the ‘Duolingo’ app before you go to the Algarve, because although you don’t necessarily need it, a few Portuguese words such as Obrigado (thank-you!) will be appreciated by the locals and fun to learn!
Family Fun
The Algarve is very family friendly, so if you are looking to have a good time with your parents, kids, partners or the gang, you can’t go wrong here. Some great recommendations are Aquashow Quarteira, Lagos Zoo and Zoomarine. Book your tickets online in advance to avoid disappointment.
Amazing Beaches
Portugal is famous for it’s fabulous beaches (praias) and many photos advertising Portugal to tourists show the rocky cliffs hugging picturesque bays in the Algarve. Quarteira and Lagos offered the best beaches – one of my favourites was Camillo beach near Lagos. There’s minimal public transport out here but a taxi wasn’t expensive (less than $15).
Good food and drink
The food was gorgeous and I got the opportunity to try some amazing fish dishes including Dorada and sardines. Places I really loved were Dois Irmaos in Faro and ‘Camillo’ by Camillo beach in Lagos.
Also while you are on the Algarve, you should definitely try some Portuguese liqueur including Ginja (cherry liqueur) and Berao (national drink of Portugal).
Churches, Castles and Architecture
There were also some gorgeous churches and castles to explore including the blue tiled church in Almancil, Lagos church and museum and Silves castle. Faro has a fantastic cathedral and also the chapel of Bones – Capella dos Ossos inside Igreja de Carmo.
A good level of Personal Safety
Overall, a big advantage of Portugal is that it is a very safe place to travel. Although there are one or two pick-pockets in busy areas (particularly in Lisbon), crimes against the person are very low. According to Numbeo, the crime index is 30.33 and the safety index is 69.67. This means that it is a one of the safest countries in Europe to travel to (along with Iceland and Denmark)
Now for the downsides to Portugal – the bad and the ugly!
The Bad – Downsides to the Algarve
When it comes to holiday perfection, I’d say that the Algarve comes pretty close! But, no-where is perfect and every destination comes with drawbacks. The downsides to Portugal include mozzies, sun burn and the risk of dehydration.
Mozzies and Insect bites
Mozzies can be a pain on the Algarve, especially if you are out having a drink at night and don’t cover up or wear bug spray. But generally this problem can be kept at bay by wearing long sleeves and pants on the evening and using insect repellant. I’d recommend Jungle Formula or an spray with DEET (or a natural DEET alternative). Also don’t leave windows open and lights on at night.
If you do get bitten, keep an eye that it doesn’t get infected. Some antiseptic bite creams are not good to use in the sun, so you should also check this with a local pharmacist.
Sun Burn and Dehydration
The weather is pretty much guaranteed sunshine all summer in the Algarve, which is fantastic. Temperatures are often around 28°C in the summer months from June to August, but can even reach 30-40°C! The downside to that, of course, is the risk of sunburn. I spend a lot of time in Portugal – I’m not light skinned and I am used to the heat, but even I got burnt on my legs in Quarteira when I fell asleep on a sunbed (I had sun cream on as well!) My red legs were a bit sore for a few days!
I recommend a good factor 30 sun cream for the Algarve such as Ambre Solaire. A sun hat, water bottle and after sun cream are also a good idea for the Algarve to protect your head and your skin. One of the best after sun and moisturising creams I have ever found was Biafine, which is really soothing. You can also buy this in Portugal at most pharmacies, so don’t worry if you can’t fit this in your luggage.
Fill your water bottle regularly (I recommend a sturdy SIGG water bottle) or buy bottled water from the store and make sure that you keep hydrated. I know it’s a grim thing to talk about, but keep an eye on the colour of your ‘wee’. If your urine is dark then you are getting dehydrated and need to drink more water. If you are suffering from symptoms of sun stroke (such as dizziness, tiredness, headache, high temperature or excess sweating) then seek medical attention immediately. Most doctors in the Algarve speak some English, especially if you go private.
Risk of UTIs
This is not a fun thing to talk about, but I feel it’s one that should be mentioned. Sometimes the combination of new toiletry products and suncream, dehydration and wearing your bikini all day can lead to that dreaded UTI in Portugal. The risk of this is increased further if there is lots of intimacy and alcohol involved. If you are prone to these infections then it might be a good idea for you to pack an emergency set of antibiotics (such as Trimethoprim) with for the Algarve.
The Ugly – Things to be VERY careful of in the Algarve
There are a few things that are just downright ugly – you need to be careful to completely avoid these: slippery cobbles, rough seas and forest fires.
Slippery cobbles resulting in injury
The beautiful calcadas of the Algarve are gorgeous….but can be deadly. They polish up with all the foot traffic and get slippery in the heat. It’s even worse when it’s been raining – I’ve slipped myself once and my mom had a very bad slip and fall in Loule. Wear proper walking boots and be sure to be careful on those pavements.
Rough seas can call off boat trips and make swimming dangerous
One thing that I was really gutted about was that my boat trip into the Benagil cave got called off due to rough seas. Keep an eye on the weather and the boat bookings as they sometimes can change last minute, but it’s for health and safety reasons so it’s important to understand and respect it.
The same goes for swimming – only swim where there are visible and active lifeguards and the correct flags are flying (check with locals). There have been some tourists who have died in the seas of Lisbon and the Algarve because they didn’t realise the strength of the current and they didn’t stick to recommended safe areas. In Benagil they will likely restrict swimming into the cave if it’s dangerous and also in high tourist season when there are a lot of boats going in and out.
Forest Fires
In the summer it can get very hot in the Algarve and forest fires can spread quickly. These fires can sometimes approach villas and tourist areas although they are mostly inland rather than by the coast. However, if you’re asthmatic you might find this to be a big problem for your lungs if there are fires nearby. Don’t travel without your inhalers and seek medical help if you feel asthma flares or have been affected by any forest fires. Of course, if they are approaching your accommodation (more likely in countryside villas) then you might need to relocate. The fires usually happen in areas such as Monchique and Carvoeiro, but the UK Foreign Office website states that they can happen anywhere in the Algarve.
Further reading on taking a Holiday in the Algarve
I’ve given you my accurate and honest view of holidaying in the Algarve. I would totally recommend the Algarve as a great holiday destination for couples, solo travellers, families and groups of friends. There really is something for everyone, and in the summer months, the weather is pretty much guaranteed. If you’d like to read more about the Algarve, I’ve also written some more in depth articles on specific destinations and itineraries that you might enjoy…..
- The perfect 1 week itinerary for the Algarve
- 1 week in Portugal – Lisbon and Porto
- Is Faro worth visiting?
- What to wear in Portugal
- Is Loule worth visiting?
- Is Lagos worth visiting?