To be precise, I had no idea what to expect and why I should travel to Algarve, Portugal when I added it to my bucket list for the first time. It was about 4 or 5 years ago and seems like I was just impressed by TV documentaries, YouTube vloggers, and some stunning pictures from Atlantic Ocean shores. Never found time to make this Algarve dream trip come true but once I started digging and collecting information it was clear – it’s worth it and I should give it a go. So here I am, sharing the key travel hacks in case you are heading to Algarve, Portugal.

For those who have never heard about Algarve, let me emphasize – this is not a city but a region. The entire South of Portugal is called Algarve and after 71 visited countries, I can boldly claim these are some of the most magnificent sceneries, panoramas, and events I have ever encountered. Much much better than Spain and for sure more picturesque and fuller of positive bumps than Italy. Are you already interested? Let’s hit the road then.

HOW TO GET TO ALGARVE
 

In my case, I landed in Faro, the capital of the Algarve region (the best option). A small holiday airport where the planes seem to land at the edge of the Atlantic Ocean coast. By the way, everyone could observe the landing and the take-off of the aircraft right from the old town promenade. Super easy and cheap to reach Faro downtown from the airport. The public bus stops within walking distance from the Arrivals Terminal. Every 30 minutes, just € 2.50, some stops on the way – at Algarve Mall, at bus and train stations. There is luggage storage at the train station – €5 per bag per day if you wish to explore the city while waiting for your bus or train. 

If you land in Lisbon, the Portuguese capital, going to Algarve is easy and cheap as well. Landing at Terminal 1 of Lisbon Airport gives you direct access to the city Metro/Subway. If you wish to stay in Lisbon, just check the line and the Metro stop near your accommodation. Metro Red Line transfers passengers from the airport’s Terminal 1 to the downtown of Lisbon.

If you are planning to leave the same day for the Algarve, take the Red Line for 3 stops and get off at Oriente. This is the main Train and Bus station of Lisbon, located next to each other. The Metro is on level minus 3 of the Train station. There are plenty of shops (actually most of the brands can be found here). If you are leaving Lisbon by train – take the lift from minus 3 to 0, where the train ticket offices are. If you plan to end up in the Algarve by bus, move out on foot to the Bus station which is next door. 

If you are landing at Terminal 2 of Lisbon Airport, hop on the free Shuttle Bus that transfers passengers between the two terminals. The Shuttle Bus is in green color (all related signs as well). The Shuttle departures every 10 minutes. The trip between the Terminals lasts about 3 minutes. Once at Terminal 1, just follow the above Metro advice. The Metro ticket for all trips, regardless of the line change, is €2.30.

WHEN TO VISIT ALGARVE

I highly recommend avoiding the high season – June, July, and August. It’s mega crowded, expensive, difficult to find affordable accommodation, and impossible to enroll for attractions at the last moment. 

The best time as per my experience is April/May or September/October. I am biased so for me the truly best is May for several reasons. Mild weather, at the same time the summer is around the corner. The lowest air temperature at night is about 15 C. The max, during the day, is between 24 and 29 C degrees. It is just perfect, isn’t it?! 

The other reason “why May” – the usual season when the Jacaranda trees bloom. Have you heard about Jacaranda trees before? They are awesome. I have seen them only in Portugal, blooming in lavender color, with almost no leaves, looks like a purple umbrella. Those trees bloom twice a year. In mid of May and then in late October. The scenery is stunning, as you can see from the pictures. They are in full bloom about May 17-18.

Also, in May, the center of Algarve is fully conquered by stork flocks. They are everywhere, rattling their beaks, taking care of the babies in the nest, flying freely over the tourists’ heads. The nests are attractively located mostly over red brick chimneys. The chimneys and the storks are so many that I am not certain which comes first – the storks found and occupied the chimneys or having so many storks made the locals erect the chimneys. It’s a real pleasure and joy observing the Algarve storks. 

And last but not least – the famous Algarve is not crowded in May. The number of tourists is moderate, the beaches are not packed, the affordable accommodations are still available and the service coming from hosts and restaurant staff is more attentive and truly appreciative. You can handle some enjoyable interactions and find lots of information from the locals while dining or arranging your place to stay.

CITIES TO VISIT IN ALGARVE

There is no must-see list but let me share what I planned and completed (covered all in the order below). 

FARO – landing there, exploring the city, its charming paved streets covered by triangle sun shades, along-the-coast railway, the old town, and the water taxi. 

ALBUFEIRA – the best for a family holiday. In my opinion, the most spectacular beaches in all of Algarve, kilometers long golden sands, lots of attractions, cute vacation-like streets loaded with superb restaurants and cafes. Famous viewpoints, tunnels, and Marina. Plenty of Instagrammable spots. 

PORTIMAO – I would choose this town for my prime base if I want to explore the Algarve. In the middle of everything, just my cup of tea. Small and cozy, with mega comfortable service, Mall, fancy supermarkets, and convenient transportation to lots of sites. In addition, it’s walking-friendly. Has river and ocean 2 in 1, splendid beaches, and the best-ever boat tours among Algarve ones.

FERRAGUDO – I wish I had a house here. It was love at first sight. Colourful, clean, loaded with flowers, has great beaches, a Sunday market, the best octopus to eat (it was a fishermen’s village originally), a bunch of nice taverns. It’s reachable on foot from Portimao via the Arade River Bridge, by water taxi, by car, or by bus. Loved it!

SILVES – a bit different from the rest, still located on the banks of the Arade River but already in the skirts of the mountains. An impressive Moorish castle, a Roman bridge over the river, plenty of Jacaranda trees. Here life flows slower than in the rest of the cities and you feel like time stopped. 

LAGOS – A great promenade along the ocean. Super popular for its hiking wooden trails to Ponta da Piedade and the beach. Lovely long-distance walking and outstanding views along the way. The last Algarve town reachable by train on the Southern line. 

SAGRES – there are only 2 reasons to visit Sagres. The first one is to check on the peninsula which is known to be the end of Europe, the continent’s extreme West South edge with the lighthouse and dramatic rocky scenery. The other reason could be if you are a passionate surfer – it’s a favored area for surfing camps as it’s quite windy and wavy.

MOVING BETWEEN ALGARVE CITIES

Well… if you are planning a family or a friend’s group trip the best way is to rent a car. It gives you lots of freedom and flexibility while designing your itinerary. As the distances are relatively short, the cities are reachable by car within 15 to max 30 minutes. By bus and train it depends on the schedule, detours, and number of stops, so sometimes it takes an hour to pass a 14 km distance. 

But if you are solo, traveling on a budget, of course, the cheapest way is the train or the bus. You can’t choose only a train or bus, need to keep it flexible to get the best route combined with the best price. I’ll share my opinion later. I recommend downloading a bunch of mobile applications in advance, quite helpful to schedule and complete your trip. Also, I recommend buying as many as possible of your tickets online, regardless it’s a bus, train, or attraction. The waiting lines in front of the ticket kiosks might be endless and your online purchase will provide you with a fast track and a better seat.

Most of the tickets in between Algarve cities are really cheap and vary from €1.65 to €3. The most expensive was the single bus ticket from Lagos to Sagres – €5.60 one way (the only no-car option). 

My online purchased FlixBus ticket from Algarve (Lagos) to Lisbon was about €7 only and lasted about 3 hours and 50 minutes. AC, WIFI, and WC on board.

USEFUL MOBILE APPLICATIONS

Comboios de Portugal – the Portuguese Railways. The trains are usually late. After riding them more than 8 times, all of mine were late between 3 to 20 minutes. 

Rome2Rio.com – the perfect way to find your transportation, the best routes with the best option. I would recommend using it for gathering information but buying tickets directly with the provider to avoid extra fees. 

FlixBus – the cheapest and most regular bus service in Portugal 

Bolt – the cheapest taxi provider 

Uber – a little more expensive than Bolt taxi provider 

Google Maps – for locating sights and on-foot routes. I did a lot of walking supported by Google Maps 🙂

GetYourGuide – choose, buy, and keep all the tours and attraction tickets here. Cheaper than Viator and TripAdvisor, same quality!

It was a pleasant surprise to find all of the ticket sellers speak English and in general, you won’t need to study Portuguese in advance 🙂  But here are some 

USEFUL PORTUGUESE PHRASES

Ola – Hello

Bom Dia – Good Morning/ Good Day

Autocarro – Bus

Paragem – Bust Stop

Trem – Train

Agora – Now

Tchau – Bye

Praia – Beach

Quanto? – How much?

Que horas? – What time?

Pay attention to the letter S, at the end of the word is mostly pronounced as SH. It’s helpful to know when you are asking about the cities with S at the end. 

Lagos = Lagush Silves = Silvesh Sagres = Sagresh
 

If you speak Spanish, you will understand everything written in Portuguese but will struggle while listening to Portuguese speech. All Spanish G and J (H) are pronounced Dj or Sh. The locals understand Spanish but anyway, if you are not confident, you better stick to English and you will be fine. In Algarve, all waiters, receptionists, and attraction providers are quite fluent in English!

HELPFUL TIPS BEFORE YOU GO  

• Portugal is part of the EU so all related regulations are applicable
  
  
• The time zone of Portugal is the Greenwich, as in the UK
  
  
• Two-pin plug sockets, the regular EU 
  
  
• Driving on the right side of the road
  
  
• Widely credit card payments accepted, cash in Euro  €
  
  
• Sunscreen and a sun hat are a must as the sunshine is plenty and quite harsh 
  
  
• Sneakers or comfy sandals are the best type of shoes for the area while traveling through the Algarve due to the paved streets (high heels are not advised)
  
  
• Backpacks instead of suitcases for the same reason (the suitcase wheels could be easily damaged on the pavement)
  
  

• Keep the Metro tickets till you are out of the facility as they are your check-in/check-out pass 
  
  
• Preferably buy all tickets online and keep them in your smartphone wallet
  

I hope you enjoy Algarve, Portugal as I do. Detailed blogs about each city, type of food, attractions, and what to avoid for not wasting money will follow next. Stay tuned and feel free to reach out if you have specific questions or need to clarify key elements of your Algarve dream trip! Cheers!:)