I'm planning our first visit to Portugal and wondering about the small towns in the Algarve. They seem to offer beaches, a lot of tourists and little else if I'm reading the RS book correctly. We live in Florida, so beaches aren't a draw for us. Given that, would you recommend any of the towns there? Thanks!
Posted by
Surrey, UK
785 posts
Beaches, tourists and golf just about sums it up.
Some of the older coastal towns and inland white towns are attractive, but there aren't really any major sights.
I would stick to Lisbon, Porto and the great northern attracions.
Posted by
Bristol, UK
1989 posts
I agree with Lin. You can skip the Algarve and not miss anything. I’ve had some great holidays there and will return but it is not filled with must see sights. It’s warm and sunny with friendly people and good food. There are some really lovely little towns but nothing as interesting as in other parts of Portugal.
Posted by
Cascais, Portugal
2001 posts
I concur with the other posters. Mainly Brits on holiday with lots of stag and hen parties. There are lots of lovely beaches between Lisbon and Porto, if you need a beach fix while you are here. If you have a month to spend, worth a few nights for the rock formations. Otherwise, skip it.
Posted by
4 posts
Hello, if you already come from a coastal area, it may be harder to be impressed by the Algarve, but I still recommend visiting Carvoeiro it’s very beautiful and has incredible rock formations. From the beach, you can also take a boat trip to Benagil, visit Algar Seco, and walk along the boardwalk.
A short distance away, you’ll find Silves, an ancient town with buildings left by the Moorish civilization, and Monchique, a very beautiful mountain area close to both towns. All of this is in the Algarve.
Other cities worth visiting if you have time are Lisbon, Évora, Sintra, Óbidos, Coimbra, Porto, and the Douro Valley.
Posted by
OP
Orlando, FL
153 posts
Thank you all! Looks like I’ll be skipping this area. I really appreciate the advice.