Algarve road trip from Tavira to the Vicentina Coast

There’s no better start to a road trip in the Algarve than exploring Tavira, a beautiful town set on either side of the Gilão River on Portugal’s southern shore. Boasting a history dating back thousands of years, the town with 37 churches has an unusually varied heritage. As you wander its steep streets, you discover white houses with elegant hipped roofs, a “Roman” bridge that actually dates back to the 12^th century, an upper town with a medieval flavor, superb Gothic-Manueline churches and chapels in the Joanine Baroque style. Not forgetting the castle built in the 10^th century, which offers superb panoramic views over the town and the surrounding area, all the way to the Atlantic Ocean, from its crenelated ramparts at the top of the hill.

Staying in Tavira’s historic center is ideal for exploring the surrounding area and the seaside. Combining heath and salt marsh, the Tavira coastline forms a breathtaking natural landscape, edged with dikes and emerged islets that provide shelter for myriad migrating birds, wading birds, fish and other marine creatures. Among its natural treasures, Barril Beach (Praia do Barril), a stunning beach that you will recognize from its surprising anchor graveyard, and the salt marshes of Castro Marim in Guadiana Valley are particularly worth a look.

Continue your itinerary in Ria Formosa Nature Park, a labyrinth of lagoons, islets and salt marshes stretching over 60 kilometers of coastline, between the beaches of Garrão and Manta Rota. To explore this protected nature reserve, hire a kayak or set off on a catamaran excursion. From canals to sounds, binoculars around your neck, keep an eye out for a flight of storks or flamingos and try to spot a purple swamphen, the park’s emblem. An experience to enjoy in the early morning, when the park’s wildlife is waking up in the mist, facing the rising sun, or at sunset for its incomparable light!

Then take the road to the west towards Faro, the Algarve’s vibrant capital. When you get there, spend a few hours strolling around the old town, encircled by its medieval ramparts. In its old streets, look down to see the calçadas, traditional cobblestones in a black and white mosaic, or look up to admire the facades decorated in colorful geometric shapes. On leaving Faro, half an hour’s drive will take you to Almancil, where one of the finest masterpieces in the Algarve is found: São Lourenço Church, a Baroque building whose interior is entirely covered in blue and white azulejo tiles.

Heading towards the west, make a stop in Albufeira, Portugal’s most popular seaside resort. Its golden beaches with turquoise water, nightlife and numerous restaurants where you can enjoy seafood make it a must on any holiday in the Algarve. Continue to Portimão, where you discover Rocky Beach (Praia da Rocha), one of the most famous beaches in the Algarve. The conditions here are ideal for surfing, kitesurfing and other water sports. Other natural sites are worth a visit between Portimão and Albufeira. They include Praia da Marinha beach, which is regularly ranked as one of the most beautiful beaches in the world, and Algar Seco Cave, where you will be amazed by the impressive chambers open to the sky.

Before heading off again towards the west, stop off in Lagos to stroll along the ramparts of its old town and visit the former slave market, one of the first in Europe. Last but not least, do not miss the marvelous marine site of Piety Point (Ponta da Piedade), a vast array of red-toned cliffs, hollowed out here and there into caves, which open into the ocean.

For the final step in this journey, it is time to really set off on an adventure! At the extreme west of the Algarve, dizzying cliffs with a sheer drop, sometimes 75 meters high and relentlessly beaten by the waves, await you. Occupied by a 16^th-century fortress overlooking the ocean, Sagres Point offers a host of options for hiking or mountain biking and really beautiful birdwatching walks… As long as you have a good windbreaker!

Then it’s finally time to discover “the ends of the earth.” From Sagres, follow the N268 to Cape Saint Vincent, the southwesternmost tip of Europe, which offers a striking sight over the cliffs and the ocean. Allow half a day to explore this European land’s end, which has been considered a sacred site since Roman times, before taking the road back to the Vicentina Coast, the wildest and most unspoilt region in the Algarve.

To explore this area between land, sky and sea, take the “Fishermen’s Trail,” a network of paths stretching over 226 km of coastline between Lagos and Sines. Divided into 13 sections, which can be covered separately, the itinerary follows the paths taken by local fishermen to reach their fishing spots. Among the different sections, we recommend the one that links Almograve to Zambujeira do Mar, which is suitable for most walkers: high foliated cliffs, artisanal fishing ports, red-toned dunes and long pine forests punctuate its 21-km route bordering the ocean. A beautiful way to end this Algarve road trip!