After spending a festival-filled weekend in Lisbon, we decided to hit the road with stops in Sintra, Cascais, and the Algarve.  It was my first trip to Portugal and I was excited to see as much as possible.  Friends recommended renting a car and my cousin was game to drive, so it worked out perfectly.  Usually I stick to train travel or other public transport in Europe, but I have to admit that having a car provided more flexibility to explore the immaculate beaches and quaint fishing villages. 

Algarve is a region in southern Portugal dotted with coastal towns famous for sandy beaches that are protected by golden cliffs, hiking, and golf resorts.  Algarve derives its name from the Moorish designation Gharb Al-Andalus (West of Aldalus) or simply “al-Gharb”.  Moorish rule of the Algarve began in 711 with Tariq ibn-Ziyad’s invasion of Iberia and lasted until the 14th century when the Portuguese king took complete control of the region.  

We were surprised to find the roads completely wide open on the drive from Sintra to Algarve (especially in the middle of June).  This allowed us to spend more time on the beaches for our two day stay.  For a longer trip it would be pretty easy to take a day drip to Spain.  Seville is one of the closest major cities.  

Although it isn’t a coastal drive, the route takes you through some spectacular rugged countryside.   Once we got closer to the coastal towns we inadvertently discovered some pretty country roads with olive and orange groves, two major exports from the area.  

Lagos

We started the first day with wandering around Lagos in western Algarve.  It is one of the major resort towns in the area with good public transport links, which makes it a great base for exploring Algarve by car or boat.  

Four beaches are in walking distance and the town is full of buildings with pretty traditional tiles and lots of restaurant options.

I highly recommend taking one of the boat tours from the marina to the area’s cliff side beaches. Its the most leisurely way to get to the more remote beaches.  

The restaurants along the marina offer a picturesque backdrop for lunch.

Praia da Marinha

Paria da Marinha is one of the most photographed beaches in the area with its weathered arch and other amazing rock formations.  We learned that the Michelin Guide had listed it as one of the top 10 beaches in Europe.  I certainly agree.  Not only does it possess dramatic and panoramic rocky cliffs, but the soft sandy beach is among the best in Europe.  

This beach, like most of the cliff side ones in the Algarve, require climbing steep steps.  

Someone pointed out that this cliff conjures an image of a slice of cake.

Albufeira

We decided to stay in Albufeira since it had the most last minute hotel options.  The Algarve is popular with British tourists and retirees and you can certainly see that reflected in Albufeira.  With the exception of the weather, it feels a lot like a British seaside town.  

After a long day of travel we decided to grab dinner right next to our hotel.  The only options were British pubs or Indian restaurants.  Probably due to Portuguese colonial history and most likely to cater to the main tourist demographic.  Since we had great Portuguese food in Lisbon and Sintra, we decided to try Indian.  I recently learned that although European explorers went to Asia in search of spices, it was ironically the Portuguese who introduced chili peppers from the New World to India.   

We ordered the seafood biryani and prawn vindaloo for our entrees and the prawn bhatura (thick leavened fried bread) for an appetizer.  In India bhaturas are normally served with chickpea curry for snacks, but I loved this version even better.  Everything was excellent and much more authentic then the Indian restaurants in Rome.

Praia da Falésia

Praia da Falesia gets its names from its rugged red cliffs and boasts miles of sandy coastline (one of the longest in the area at more than 6 km. 

There are convenient access points along the way.  We saw some bikers enjoying a ride along one of the pathways.

I loved that the beach was so expansive that it felt secluded.  There were plenty of candy colored beach chairs to relax in and take in the views of the beach.  

The cliff side is lined with distinctive white villas.