I'm going on a Rick Steves tour in early September with a friend. It starts in Lisbon and ends in Porto. Doesn't go to the southern part of Portugal. I'm considering going down there for a few days via train or bus. I would stay in some place I find in his book over toward the east. I want to swim primarily as well as just enjoy a little hiking and scenery. Thoughts?
Posted by
midwest
42 posts
We spent 5 fabulous nights in September 2025 in a little former fishing now tourist village Burgau. Stayed at Apartamentos os Descobrimentos which was both reasonable and fabulous. The village is on a steep seaside bluff which connects to the scenic Fisherman’s Trail for hiking. There is a nice public, uncrowded sand beach. The water was pretty cold.
It’s not easy to travel to the Algarve region. We had a driver pick us up from the airport (big splurge for the jet lagged oldsters). We rented a car once we arrived. I think using public transportation would require careful planning, however it would probably be tolerable when not in a bleary jet lagged state!
Posted by
OP
Sicily
5 posts
Thank you! Now I'm considering going to the northern end of the fisherman's trail for a few days. Even getting there seems a challenge. I won't be jet lagged as it's at the end of my tour. How did you find a driver? Thanks again! Mary
Posted by
Mid-Atlantic area
8736 posts
I wouldn’t head south of Lisbon if you’re coming from Porto. Seems like a lot of travel time when there are probably equally interesting coastal areas just north of Porto.
Posted by
Bellingham, WA
2045 posts
If you have the time, why would you not extend the trip? Maybe rent a car instead of relying on public transport? It's probably not very expensive, compared to the RS Tour.
Posted by
Georgetown,KY
168 posts
I’ll echo Elaine’s comments. We also stayed in Burgau at the same place! We loved it. Used it as a base for day trips west and east. Dinner each evening in Burgau. We like beaches and warm weather. So while I love cities and museums, it was a fun detour.
Posted by
46 posts
IMO, return to stay longer in the Algarve. Take the time to explore the fishing villages and beaches. There are so many beautiful areas, hard to scale it down to a few. So many spots to hike, walk and view the scenery.
We took our rental car from Porto(after a week stay north in rural home) to Portimao and that was with 2 drivers. Our 1 week stay in Algarve wasn't enough to see the stunning area. When we were in Porto, we checked out Praia de Mindelo beach, with great dunes but it was windy and chilly that day. It may be different in Sept. compared to early June.
Posted by
Rick Steves Europe
396 posts
Hello,
The Algarve would be a fantastic spot to spend several days after the tour! Ryan Air has two or three flights per day between Porto and Faro, where you could take a taxi or bus into the city center to take a train or bus to Lagos, to spend a few days. Better yet, driving is easy in this area and you could rent a car at the Faro airport and drive to Rick's favorite Algarve town, Salema. A car would give you more freedom to explore the area. You can then return the car back at the Faro airport and fly out of there, via another European hub city, such as Lisbon, Amsterdam, Paris, London, etc). You can use a website such as google flights or skyscanner for finding flight options.