Algarve

The Algarve is Portugal's most visited region and, for that exact reason, its most misunderstood. Most tourists know the strip between Albufeira and Portimão, the resorts, the golf courses, the beach bars, and assume that's all there is. It's not. The Algarve contains at least three distinct sub-regions compressed into 150 kilometres of coastline, and ignoring two of them is the most common mistake visitors make in southern Portugal.

The coast you already know (and what you're missing)

Yes, the golden cliffs between Lagos and Albufeira are extraordinary. Ponta da Piedade, Praia da Marinha, the sea arches at Benagil, all real, all worth seeing, preferably outside July and August when traffic on the EN125 turns every short drive into an ordeal. But the Algarve coastline doesn't end there.

The west coast, from Sagres up through Aljezur, is a different world entirely: wild beaches with heavy Atlantic swell, villages with a handful of restaurants and zero resorts. Praia da Arrifana and Praia do Amado are serious surf destinations, not theme parks. And to the east, from Olhão and Tavira onward, the Ria Formosa lagoon system offers barrier islands reachable by ferry, Ilha da Culatra, Ilha de Tavira, Ilha da Armona, with kilometre-long beaches that are nearly empty outside peak season.

The mountains nobody visits

The Algarve's interior is arguably the most overlooked area in Portuguese tourism. The Serra de Monchique rises to 902 metres at Fóia, with cork oak and strawberry tree forests that bear no resemblance to the coastal landscape. Monchique is known for medronho, a fruit brandy distilled in copper pot stills from the berries of the strawberry tree, and for thermal springs the Romans already used. Silves, the old Moorish capital of the Algarve, has a red sandstone castle overlooking the valley and a history that predates Lisbon as a centre of power in southern Iberia.

What to eat

Algarve cuisine is the most underrated in Portugal. While Porto has the francesinha and Lisbon the pastel de nata, the Algarve has dishes that rarely travel beyond the region. Cataplana, the domed copper pot used to steam clams with chouriço, or fish with potatoes, is the icon, but there's more. Razor clam rice in Olhão, conquilhas clams à bulhão pato in Quarteira, tuna with onion stew in Tavira (a direct inheritance from the old tuna trap fishing tradition). Dried figs stuffed with almonds and chocolate are the snack you buy at the municipal markets of Loulé and Olhão, two of the best in the country.

Almond and fig-based sweets are everywhere: morgados, Dom Rodrigos wrapped in silver foil, carob cakes. The carob tree, in fact, defines the landscape of the barrocal, the limestone belt between the coast and the mountains.

When to go

The Algarve gets over 300 days of sunshine per year, which makes winter surprisingly pleasant, temperatures between 12°C and 18°C, almond trees in bloom from January to February, accommodation prices at a third of summer rates. March to June is the best window: accessible beaches, sea still cool but bearable, restaurants without queues. September and October keep the warmth with fewer crowds. July and August work if you've booked accommodation early and have patience for traffic.

In August, Silves hosts the Medieval Fair, with historical re-enactments inside the castle walls. The MED Festival in Loulé, held in June, brings Mediterranean music to the old town centre. These are the two most significant cultural events in the region.