Hi everyone!
This time I'm going to take you to the Algarve where I spent my last years summer holiday. We had an amazing time there and absolutely loved the beautiful coastlines and villages along the way.
Our first two days in Faro and Tavira.
So last summer I went to Portugal for the first time, together with my boyfriend. We flew from Amsterdam to Faro in about 3 hours. We landed in Faro and rented a car right at the airport. Because we already booked the car at home we could drive off right away. Our first 2 nights we spent in Faro. We had a nice room in the middle of Faro. After we put down our stuff and had freshen up for a bit we walked into town for some lunch and a (n)ice cold beer.
A friend of mine spent a week in Faro and really liked it. But because we always travel in turbo modus we had seen Faro in one day and went to a village called Tavira the next day by car. Tavira is a really nice town to visit for a day. Its centered around the river Gilão and is easy to see by foot. If you fly on Faro and have some time left I really recommend to pay a visit to Tavira.
Lots of beach time down south.
After spending some time in Faro and Tavira we moved on to the west and booked an Airbnb in a place called Porches. Along the way we stopped at the beach in Quarteira. They have a small pretty beach which was worth the stop. When we arrived in Porches we went for dinner at an italian place in town. The next morning we walked down to the beach which wasn't so far from our place. There's a small beach but with a tunnel through a mountain which leads to another larger beach. I really enjoyed the beach here and also found some beautiful shells.
Our next stop was Lagos, a place more to the west. Lagos is a pretty famous beachtown in Portugal, known for it's many beautiful beaches. The old town is really worth a visit and from Lagos it's pretty easy to get to other places by car or public transport. When you're in Lagos defenitely pay a visit to Meia Praia, Praia Dona Ana, Praia da Boneca and Praia dos Estudiantes. All beautiful beaches and not far from the centre at all. The last also has a tunnel through a mountain to the next beach. Make sure you walk back before the tide is high, otherwise you'll end up with a wet bag like me.
The end of the world.
From Lagos it's also easy to visit Cabo de São Vicente, also known as the end of the world. We visited Cabo de São Vicente while we drove on from Lagos to Aljezur in the north. It's known as the end of the world because people back in the days thought this was where the world stopped. When you're visiting the place and you're standing on the 50 meters high rocks and all you see is the sea around you, you can understand why.
After our visit to the end of the world we drove on to Aljezur where we booked an Airbnb in the city centre. The town itself isn't really special, but the two beaches close to it are very famous among surfers. Because i don't surf, but i do love the beach we went to drop our stuff and then drove to the beaches. The first one is Praia da Amoreira, a pretty big beach with an amazing view. The second one we visited is called Praia Arrifana, also famous among surfers and as well a beach with an amazing view along the high cliffs.
Time for some history and some more relaxing.
From the beaches we drove further inland to spend two more days in the towns Monchique and Silves. Monchique is famous along people who want to spent a day in Monchique's spa. Besides a spa there's little to do in Monchique but because we had a hotel with a great pool I did a lot of reading and swimming that day. Silves is a nice old town more south with a big castle. The castle is found on the highest point of the village. There is history everywhere around you and you defenitely feel you're in the past Moorish capital of the Algarve.
On our last day we drove back to the south to enjoy our last day at the beach and then back to Faro for our last dinner with sangria in Portugal. The morning after we had an early flight back home. I really enjoyed my time in Portugal and i wouldn't have thought it was such a relaxed and beautiful country. It's a great country to rent a car and just see where the road takes you.
I hope you enjoyed reading and i hope to see you back next time!
Lots of Love,
Marleen