Portugal's southern coast packs more variety into 150 kilometers than most countries fit into their entire territory. The Algarve is two completely different regions held together by one province line: the soft, golden-cliff postcard coast of the south facing the Mediterranean light, and the wild, wind-blown Atlantic west coast where the surfers, the fishermen, and the long-haul vanlifers have been quietly outnumbering the package tourists for years. Inland, the Monchique mountains hide cork forests, hot springs, and the highest peak in the southern half of the country. This guide covers all three.
The South Coast: Carvoeiro, Lagoa and Lagos
The stretch from Albufeira west to Lagos is what most people picture when they hear "Algarve". Limestone cliffs glow ochre and gold at sunset, sea caves carve their way deep into the rock, and the water in the protected coves sits somewhere between turquoise and emerald most of the year. The hero shot is Praia da Marinha, regularly listed among the most beautiful beaches in Europe and the launch point for the cliff-top Sete Vales Suspensos walk.
From Carvoeiro and the small fishing port of Benagil, boat tours run constantly into Benagil Cave, the photogenic dome with a circular skylight. The cave is best reached by kayak or stand-up paddleboard at low tide; the motorboat tours are quicker but you do not get to step onto the sand inside. Further west, Lagos is the bigger anchor town, with marina, walled old town, and the dramatic Ponta da Piedade cliffs at the southern edge.
Sete Vales Suspensos (Seven Hanging Valleys Trail)
The 5.7-kilometer linear trail from Praia da Marinha to Praia de Vale Centeanes is the best half-day walk on the south coast. Cliff edges, hidden coves, blowholes, and a stretch through wind-sculpted limestone formations. Allow 2.5 to 3 hours one way and arrange a taxi or second car at the far end, or walk back along the same path for a 6-hour day with constant ocean views.
Benagil and the Cave
Benagil Cave is famous for one good reason and one bad reason. The good reason is the natural skylight that makes the interior glow like a cathedral at midday. The bad reason is that this is now public knowledge, and in summer the cave gets crowded enough that boat tour operators rotate visitors through in shifts. Go in spring or autumn, or paddle in at sunrise.
The West Coast: Sagres, Arrifana and Costa Vicentina
Cross the spine of the Algarve and the personality of the coast changes completely. The west coast belongs to the Costa Vicentina natural park, a protected stretch of cliff and dune from Sines down to Cabo de Sao Vicente. The water is colder, the wind is constant, the surf is consistent, and the development is much lighter. This is the Algarve that has quietly become the European center of long-stay vanlife, surf camps, and seasonal expat communities.
Sagres and Cabo de Sao Vicente
Arrifana, Amado and the Surf Coast
Praia da Arrifana is the most accessible serious surf beach on the west coast, a horseshoe bay below a clifftop village with consistent year-round waves and a half-dozen surf schools at the top of the road down. Praia do Amado a few kilometers north is the other big one, more open and wider, often the venue when conditions at Arrifana close out. Aljezur in the hills behind both beaches has become the unofficial vanlife capital of southern Portugal, with several large free-camping zones in the surrounding valleys.
Vanlife on the Costa Vicentina
Wild camping is technically restricted across the Costa Vicentina natural park, and rules tightened further in 2021 with the addition of formal "no overnight parking" signs at most beach lots. In practice, designated "areas de servico de autocaravanas" outside the park boundary, paid campgrounds (Camping Serrao near Aljezur is the long-running favorite), and the larger inland gravel pull-outs take most of the load. Bring a self-contained setup, leave no trace, and check current restrictions before relying on any spot you read about online.
The Monchique Highlands
The Serra de Monchique runs east-west across the inland Algarve and tops out at Foia, 902 meters above sea level. From the summit, the view stretches all the way to the Atlantic on a clear day, with the south coast laid out below like a map. Foia is reachable by car (a paved road runs to the parking lot at the top) and by foot via the well-marked Via Algarviana long-distance trail.
The town of Monchique sits at 460 meters in the saddle between Foia and Picota, the slightly lower second peak. The surrounding cork-oak forests, eucalyptus groves and old water mills make the area feel completely separate from the coastal Algarve. Caldas de Monchique, a small thermal spa village a few kilometers south, has been a hot-springs destination since Roman times and still has a working spa hotel built around the original baths.
When to Visit
April through June and September through October are the best months for almost any Algarve trip. Temperatures stay in the comfortable 20-26 C range, the south coast tourist crowds are light, and the west coast surf is consistent. July and August are hot, dry, and crowded on the south coast, though the west coast moderates things with the constant Atlantic wind. November through March is the off-season: many tourist operations close, the south coast is quiet, and the west coast turns into a serious surf destination with the largest swells of the year.
Getting There
Faro Airport on the eastern Algarve is the regional hub, with cheap direct flights from most European capitals. From the airport, the A22 toll motorway runs the length of the south coast in about 90 minutes end to end. For the west coast, exit at Lagos and take the N125 and N268 north toward Aljezur and Sagres. Lisbon is roughly 3 hours by car from Faro and 2.5 hours from Sagres via the A2 motorway, making a fly-into-Lisbon, drive-south route a viable alternative.
Accommodation
The south coast has the full spread from luxury resorts in Vilamoura and Albufeira to small family-run guesthouses in Carvoeiro and Tavira. Lagos is the best mid-range base for exploring west and east. On the west coast, accommodation is more limited and books out fast in summer: Aljezur, Carrapateira, and Sagres each have a handful of small hotels, surf camps, and apartment rentals. Camping Serrao (Aljezur) and Parque de Campismo de Sagres are the two largest established campgrounds on the Atlantic side. Inland in the Monchique hills, look at small rural hotels and quintas (farmhouse stays) for a quieter base.
