The route follows the Algarve from East to West: from Tavira and Faro with the lagoon landscape of Ria Formosa, via Albufeira to Lagos with its rocky coves. Faro Airport to Tavira is about 30 minutes; the other stages are equally short, leaving time for swim breaks and boat trips to the grottoes. With nine overnights, it's easily doable in ten days.
10 Days / 9 Nights
April–June & September–October
RV Friendly
4 stops
Why This Route?
For those wanting to combine sandy beaches, lagoon, and rocky coast with short drives.
Hidden Gems
Ilha de Tavira, by ferry from Quatro Águas, with a kilometer-long sandy beach
Praia da Coelha west of Albufeira, a small rocky cove away from the city beaches
Praia do Camilo near Lagos, accessible via a wooden staircase and almost empty in the early morning
Itinerary
Stop 1 • 2 Nights
Tavira
City
Rich in culture and history. Perfect for unwinding and relaxation and Perfect for an exciting city trip.
Tavira is one of the Algarve's most beautiful towns: white houses with hipped roofs, many churches, and an old bridge over the Rio Gilão. Outside the town are the lagoons of the Ria Formosa and the sandy island Ilha de Tavira.
4 Sights
3 Restaurants
Culture
Tavira was an important port for trade with North Africa in the 15th and 16th centuries and long thrived on tuna fishing. An earthquake in the 18th century and the silting up of the harbour ended this heyday. Typical are the four-sided hip roofs, known as Telhados de Tesoura. The city is also famous for its octopus and tuna dishes.
Rich in culture and history. Perfect for an exciting city trip.
Faro is the capital of the Algarve and for most, merely the airport. Yet, the city boasts a tranquil, walled old town with a cathedral, a lively pedestrian zone, and right on its doorstep, the lagoons of the Ria Formosa.
5 Sights
5 Restaurants
Spirit
Under the Moors, Faro was an important port, falling to Portugal in 1249 among the last to fall. The 1755 earthquake destroyed much of the city; many churches were then rebuilt in Baroque. In restaurants, fish and seafood from the lagoon dominate, especially mussels and oysters.
Perfect for unwinding and relaxation. Perfect for an exciting city trip.
Albufeira is the largest resort on the Algarve. The former fishing village became a city with many hotels, bars and beaches. The small old town above Praia dos Pescadores has preserved its white core.
4 Sights
5 Restaurants
Culture
The name originates from the Arabic al-Buhayra, the lagoon. Following its reconquest in the 13th century, Albufeira became Portuguese. The 1755 earthquake destroyed large parts of the town. Until the 1960s, the town thrived on fishing, after which mass tourism arrived. The Old Town's Archaeology Museum displays artifacts from Roman and Islamic periods.
For adventure seekers. Perfect for unwinding and relaxation and Perfect for an exciting city trip.
Lagos is a vibrant port city in the west of the Algarve, with a walled old town, many bars, and some of the coast's most beautiful rocky coves right on its doorstep. In the 15th century, expeditions along the African coast set off from here.
5 Sights
5 Restaurants
Culture
Under Henry the Navigator, Lagos was an important port for the Portuguese voyages of discovery. From 1444, enslaved Africans were sold here, now remembered by the Museum in the Mercado de Escravos. The 1755 earthquake destroyed large parts of the city. In restaurants, fish and seafood dominate, complemented by almond and fig sweets from the Algarve.
