ALGRAVE, PORTUGAL

Lena,

You might want to have a look at Rick's Portugal Guidebook. While it doesn't cover all sites in the Algarve, it should provide a good overview of the area and give you some ideas.

Check the product detail at travelstore.ricksteves.com/catalog/index.cfm?fuseaction=product&theParentId=12&id=266 (you may be able to find this in larger Bookstores in your area).

Happy travels!

The only town that we've visited in Algarve, Portugal is Salema. The beach was beautiful and the seafood was fresh and excellent!

Tavira, at the east end of the Algarve is not too touristy and a nice little town. One can take a very inexpensive, tiny ferry over to the island just off the mainland to beautiful, mostly empty when we were there end of March, beaches. Even at that time of year weather was beaut. Lagos, at the other end of the Algarve wasn't too filled with tourists when we were there, a good place to take day trips from. We found the people so friendly and everyone speaks at least some English. Anything in between these two towns is very, very touristy, full of highrises and people from U.K.

We travelled the Algarve extensively and found that Tavira had by far the best beach. You can walk for miles.

We stayed in Albufeira. It was great for nighttime strolls and entertainment in all of the sidewalk cafes.

There are a couple of nice desolate beaches on the West coast out by Sagres and a little ways North.

I spent two nights in Selema in April, 2003 and loved it. Met a nice man there who rented a couple rooms out of his home. We ended up visiting a bar with a pool table and making a lot of local friends there.

Depending on when you're going, you could maybe find a place when you arrive there. I would read through Rick's guide on Portugal for busy times of the year, etc.