Spending 6 weeks in the Algarve Jan 7-Feb 8

WE haven't done the Algarve, since we don't go to Europe to go to the beach. We love Lisbon and that area as well as Porto and the Douro River valley.

Thanks for your input. We will have stayed in Lisbon for 5 days as well as Porto prior to heading down to the Algarve. We just thought it may be warmer there during January. Also Faro is the capital of the Algarve and we thought there will be plenty of amenities there for a longer stay. We are planning on taking day trips or even overnight stays to visit other towns etc during the time we are there.

I stayed in Lagos in the winter several years ago and it was nice - a good portion of the time. I much prefer Lagos to Faro. Everything is open and there are a lot of amenities, restaurants, etc.

I’m assuming you know that a car is pretty much a necessity in the Algarve as the buses are infrequent. And, if you don’t want to spend that long in the Algarve, the Lisbon region has weather similar to the Algarve with many areas well served by public transport so you wouldn’t need a car. I’ve lived in Cascais for seven years without one.

Faro is worth a couple of hours, but I wouldn’t want to spend 2 days there, never mind 6 weeks! It’s a working city full of high rise residential blocks, not a pleasant seaside resort.

Although the Algarve is generally mild, January can be wall to wall rain for days. If it has to be the Algarve, I would opt for Tavira or nearby Cabanas if you want to mix with plenty of Canadian and Americans, as it’s milder and less windy than my second choice of Lagos. There are more interesting towns between Porto and Lisbon and the climate isn’t much different to the Algarve.

Thanks Jennifer. We are considering all these alternatives!

HI
I have also chosen to winter in the Algarve instead of Florida.
I prefer the Algarve to the rest of the country in the winter time even though the Cascais area is also very nice.

The weather is similar to Daytona Beach in January.
I'm also using one town has a base to explore the area.

Some of the pros of Faro:
- train terminal in town - it's the terminus for the Porto, Lisbon, Faro train, and you can access the train for east-west in the Algarve.
- bus terminal in town - not just the local bus but also out of town buses.
- international airport - you can fly in to Porto, travel south to Lisbon and Faro on the train and then fly out from Faro.
- the largest city in the Algarve with the required resident facilities, hospital, restaurants, etc.

Some of the cons of Faro:
- no beach - even though Faro is waterfront, the beach in on a barrier island - just like Clearwater Beach, Florida.
- Faro is more set up for the locals than the tourists but some view that as a plus.

Happy travels

Faro: The biggest place along that coast, but the biggest attraction is the temperature. North Americans, especially Canadians, go to Florida; Northern Europeans to southern Portugal. Pleasant food, cheap wine, and a bit of local culture. There are beaches in coves along the coast, but the water is part of the North Atlantic rather than Mediterranean. I'd look for good WiFi service to see news from outside this quiet retreat.

In fairness, I haven't been to the Algarve. Some relatives have gone there for golf. I would not book a Spain or Portugal south coast until you've watched the crime movie "Sexy Beast", with Ben Kingsley. I know you can't use fiction as a travel guide!

Politics aside, I don't much care for Florida. But for the two years I worked in Cleveland, a huge portion of the well-off people I knew (I mean wealthier than us ... ) spent three months in Florida every year. Cleveland charities even did winter fundraising events in Florida.

Well, I am sorry I haven’t responded to the last post in such a long time. But here it goes: We have decided in the end to rent an apartment for 3 weeks in Faro. The 3 weeks are coming to an end this Saturday January 28th. In a nutshell we have loved it! We were lucky to find a great 2 bedroom 2 bathroom apartment in the "old town" central to everything! Faro is an ancient city surrounded by walls on the waterfront and we are within the walls. Yes, there is a modern part of Faro in fact a large university as well. There are plenty of things to discover and take advantage of at ones leisure when you know you will be not rushing off to another location. We came down not so much to be "tourists" but to escape the cold grey Wisconsin weather. After almost three weeks we feel very much at home here. the people at the supermarkets actually recognize us. We have found our favorite cafes and restaurants as well tho do a lot of "easy" meals in our apartment.
It's true there is no easily accessible beach but the sunsets along the Ria Formosa are gorgeous, anyway who goes swimming in the Algarve in January? But it’s an easy walk to the various tour boats that take people out to the beaches etc. BTW have had very little rain, mostly blue skies with lots of sun! What's not to love? Oh, we have walked everywhere easily and not once needed to rent a car.
We will be doing the same in Lagos and are anxious to experience that city as well. I almost forgot to mention that the Portuguese are the sweetest people you could meet and just about everyone speaks excellent English.

We would like to stay within the old city walls too. Where did you stay? We are only staying 2 nights.

We rented a 2 bedroom apartment for 3 weeks. I would check either airbnb or vrbo. am not sure if its available for only 2 nights tho. I would specify that you want to be in the city center, tho if you want to be in the "old town" put that in when you do your searching. Good luck!

Glad you enjoyed Faro. I hope Lagos also measured up to expectations...though it sounds like Faro may have been hard to beat. Would you be kind enough to report back on your stay in Lagos as well? I am now retired and wanting to head out of Ottawa, Canada winters, and considering the Algarve.
Thanks.

Can someone make a recommendation for a place to stay in the old town of Faro for two nights? We would need two rooms.
Also, we will have a rental car and would like to make a day trip to Seville, Spain... any advice?

To answer Mariaf I would say that Lagos is a completely different kind of city from Faro..For many the draw are the many beaches that are accessible as well as the spectacular caves which line the coast. We stayed in a great 2 bedroom apartment about 300 meters from the center, tho we didnt have a view of the water, it was a short walk to it. Plenty of restaurants to choose from as well as a supermarket very close by. Tho the Algarve weather in the winter is warmer than other areas of Portugal, it is by all means not balmy. There was quite a bit of wind in Lagos while we were there, that was not the case in Faro. We were pleasantly surprised not to have had as much rain in either town as was predicted by the guide books.

Driving to Seville for a day trip is way too short of a time. There is so much to see it could be overwhelming. We actually took the bus and spent a few days there again in an apartment. It is a fantastic city. To that point we did a day trip to Tavira from Faro. Well worth it.

Thanks for your Lagos report. I am reading between the lines that it was less favourable than your Faro experience and leaving it for us to decide. ;-) constant wind can be a pain, so that is good to know. Good to know it may be rainy in future years. Balmy I don't necessarily need, but anything is better than Ottawa's snow, snow and more snow, or -30C winters.
Thanks again.