The Algarve is Portugal's southern coast, from Cape St Vincent in the west to the Guadiana river on the Spanish border. Its two halves feel different. The west, the Barlavento, is the coast of limestone and sandstone cliffs, sea stacks, caves and small coves, with Lagos and the Benagil coast around Carvoeiro as the main bases. The east, the Sotavento, from Faro to Tavira, is flat and calmer: a chain of sandy barrier islands encloses the channels, salt pans and marshes of the Ria Formosa natural park. Inland, the hills of Monchique and the Serra do Caldeirão are cooler and far emptier.
Lagos and the Benagil coast have their own pages, and the Portugal page covers the Benagil cave, the Ponta da Piedade grottoes and the Fishermen's Trail. This page covers the eastern lagoon islands, reached by footbridge, little train or ferry.
Ride the little train to the anchor cemetery at Praia do Barril
Praia do Barril (Tavira)
Half a day with the beachNo booking needed
Ride a little narrow-gauge train across an island to more than 200 rusted anchors lying in the sand.
What it is
Praia do Barril is on the Ilha de Tavira in the Ria Formosa natural park, and getting there is half the fun. The line was built for the tuna fishery that worked this beach until 1966, and the small houses where some 80 fishing families spent the summers now hold shops, restaurants and beach services. The anchors were left about 60 years ago when tuna fishing stopped paying. Beyond them the beach is long, flat and calm.
How to do it
From Pedras d'El Rei, west of Tavira, a footbridge crosses the lagoon and a path of about 1.5 km crosses the island; in the bathing season the train runs beside it on a line of about 1 to 1.5 km, for around €2 a trip. Walking takes about 20 minutes each way.
Take the ferry from Olhão to the Ria Formosa islands
Olhão and the Ria Formosa islands
A dayNo booking needed
Take a public ferry across the lagoon to barrier islands of sand, dunes and settlements without cars.
What it is
Ferries leave from the quay in Olhão, east of Faro, and a day on one of the Ria Formosa islands is the eastern Algarve at its simplest. Armona, about 20 minutes away, has beach houses, a few café bars and an ocean beach a walk across the island. Culatra, served all year from Olhão and Faro, has stops at its fishing village and at Farol, the western tip by the Santa Maria lighthouse.
How to do it
Tickets are sold at small offices on the dock; one 2026 guide put the Armona fare at around €1.85 each way. In summer boats run often and late; from October to March there are only a few crossings a day and the last boat back leaves much earlier.
Good to know
Check the return times, and stay on the raised walkways across the dunes.
Lagos is for cliff coves, boat trips, Sagres and the wild west coast. Carvoeiro and the Benagil coast are for the sea caves, the cliff-top trails and snorkelling. Faro, Olhão and Tavira are for the Ria Formosa islands, long quiet beaches and old towns. In must30's view, a first week works well split between one western and one eastern base.
Getting around
The regional Algarve railway runs along the coast from Lagos to Vila Real de Santo António, often with a change at Faro, but many stations sit outside the towns. Buses link the main towns. A car is the easiest way to reach the coves, the inland hills and the west coast, though parking at the famous beaches fills early in summer.
When to go
May, June, September and early October have warm days, a swimmable sea and space on the beaches. July and August are hot and crowded, and accommodation is at its dearest. Winter is mild and quiet, good for walking, but some boat trips, ferries and beach restaurants run less often or close.
Getting there
Faro airport is the gateway, close to Faro and Olhão, with Tavira about half an hour east by car and Lagos about an hour west. Trains and express coaches run from Lisbon.
Questions travellers ask
Western or eastern Algarve?
The west has the famous cliffs, coves and sea caves around Lagos and Benagil, and it is livelier. The east, from Faro to Tavira, has long sandy islands in the Ria Formosa lagoon, calmer beaches and old towns. If you can, spend a few nights in each.
Do you need a car in the Algarve?
Not for a beach stay in one town, since trains, buses and boats cover the basics. A car makes a real difference for the coves, Sagres, the west coast and the inland villages, where public transport is thin.
How do you get to the Ria Formosa islands?
By ferry from Olhão or Faro to Armona, Culatra and Farol, by ferry from Tavira to the Ilha de Tavira, or on foot across the footbridge at Pedras d'El Rei to Praia do Barril. Boats are fewer from October to March, so check the timetable for the return.
When is the Algarve quietest?
From November to March. The weather is mild and the cliff walks are at their best, but swimming is only for the hardy and some seasonal services stop. October and April are a good compromise.
