Albufeira

Beaches are the reason Albufeira exists as a resort. The town sits on a run of golden sand broken by ochre sandstone cliffs, stacks and small coves. Praia dos Pescadores and Praia do Peneco are right below the old town. To the east, Oura, Santa Eulália, Maria Luísa and Falésia stretch towards Vilamoura, and quieter coves such as São Rafael and Coelha lie to the west. Most beaches have lifeguards and sunbed rentals in summer, and the water is generally calm and clear.

This is still the Atlantic, so it never feels tropical. The sea reaches about 21°C to 22°C in August and September but is noticeably cooler in June. Swimming runs comfortably from June to early October, and outside those months the beaches are for walking. The central beaches get crowded in July and August, so arrive early or walk a little further along the sand.

Eating in Albufeira divides into two worlds. On the Strip and around the main squares, menus come in several languages and lean on full breakfasts, pizza, steak and curry for a package-tour crowd. Look past that and there is real Algarve cooking: sardines and bream from charcoal grills, copper cataplana stews of clams and pork, octopus, piri-piri chicken in the inland style, and almond and fig sweets.

The better meals are found in simple places near the fishermen's beach, in the backstreets of the old town and in villages inland. The municipal market is the place to see the day's catch. Local wine is decent rather than famous. It suits visitors who want a good fish lunch by the sea, but it is not a destination for serious food lovers.

Albufeira's cultural sights fit into a single morning. The old town is a tangle of whitewashed lanes and stairways on the cliff above the fishermen's beach, with remnants of Moorish walls and a clock tower topped by an iron bell cage. There is also a modest parish church, a small archaeological museum and a sacred art museum in a former chapel. It is pleasant to wander, especially in the early evening, but there are no landmarks that bring visitors here. Anyone interested in history spends their time on outings to the older towns along the coast and inland.

Albufeira is the Algarve's main party town. The heart of it is the Strip, Avenida Sá Carneiro in the Montechoro area, where neon bars, karaoke, sports pubs and clubs run until dawn in high summer. Promoters work the pavements, there are drinks offers everywhere and the crowd is young, largely British and Irish, and often in stag or hen groups. Oura and the old town square offer a slightly calmer mix of terrace bars and later clubs.

It is loud, cheerful and unsubtle rather than stylish. There is little in the way of cocktail-bar craft or underground club culture. The scene is also strongly seasonal: from November to March much of the Strip shuts and evenings get quiet early.

The landscape is the golden limestone coast itself, with eroded cliffs, arches, sinkholes and sea caves. The Seven Hanging Valleys trail between Praia da Marinha and Benagil is one of the finest cliff walks in Portugal and lies about half an hour away. Boat and kayak trips run from Albufeira's marina to the caves, including the famous domed grotto at Benagil, and dolphin-watching trips go out offshore.

Further afield, the lagoons of the Ria Formosa near Faro are good for birdwatching. The cork-oak hills of the Serra de Monchique offer gentle hiking about an hour inland. Surfers head west towards Sagres, where the swell is stronger. Golf courses surround the town. Spring and autumn are the best seasons for walking, because high summer is hot and dry.

The Algarve has a string of attractive towns within an easy hour. The best choices are:

- **Silves**, the old Moorish capital, with a red sandstone castle and cathedral about half an hour inland. - **Loulé**, with its domed market hall and Saturday market. - **Faro**, whose walled old town and bone chapel are under an hour away. - **Lagos**, which has town walls, churches and a lively harbour. - **Tavira**, a graceful town of churches and a Roman bridge further east.

Monchique, Alte and the other hill villages also make good stops on a drive. Sagres and its fortress at the edge of Europe take a long day. The list is pleasant rather than outstanding, and none of these places is a major heritage site. Most are easiest by car, since buses between towns are slow.

Albufeira works well for a summer family vacation built around the hotel pool and the beach. Zoomarine, a marine park with dolphin and sea lion shows, rides and pools, is just outside town. Several large water parks are within a short drive, and the wide sandy beaches such as Oura, Galé and Falésia are lifeguarded and usually calm. Many resort hotels and apartment complexes are designed for families, with kids' clubs and shallow pools.

The downsides are practical. The old town is all slopes and steps, which makes pushchairs hard work, and midsummer can be very hot. Families also tend to stay away from the Strip, which is noisy until late. Most families base themselves in the quieter beach areas to the east or west.

The old town and the central beaches are compact enough to walk, although the streets are steep and some routes are mostly stairs. A public lift and an escalator help with the climb from the beach. Beyond the centre, though, Albufeira spreads for kilometres along the coast through hotel zones such as Montechoro, Oura, Areias de São João and Galé. Local buses link these areas only patchily.

The railway station is about 6km inland and needs a bus or taxi. Regional buses reach other Algarve towns, but slowly. Most visitors use taxis or ride-hailing in the evening, and hire a car to explore the cove beaches, the cliff walks or towns further away.

Shopping in town is mostly beachwear, souvenirs, football shirts and cork and ceramic trinkets along the old town lanes and the roads near the Strip. Painted Algarve pottery, cork goods and bottles of medronho, a local fruit spirit, are the more authentic things to take home. For ordinary fashion and everyday shopping, visitors drive to the large regional mall at Guia just outside town. The weekly market and the market hall in Loulé are the best place nearby for local crafts and produce.

For a Western European beach resort, Albufeira is fairly easy on the wallet. Competition among the countless restaurants and bars keeps eating and drinking cheap, especially for set menus, beer and local wine. The large supply of self-catering apartments and package hotels helps too. Prices depend heavily on the season. In July and August, sea-view rooms and beachfront restaurants cost far more, and taxis and car hire add up. From October to May, the same apartments are often very cheap, which makes the town popular with long-stay winter visitors.

Live performance in Albufeira is mostly resort entertainment: cover bands and tribute acts in bars, cabaret in hotels and the occasional fado dinner show for visitors. There is no theatre or concert season worth planning around. Summer brings free outdoor concerts and festivities on the square by the fishermen's beach, along with the town's traditional fiestas. Anyone looking for authentic fado or classical music should look to the larger towns along the coast or plan for Lisbon.

Albufeira has no bathing or spa tradition of its own. Wellness here means the spas of the larger resort hotels, with treatment rooms, heated pools and massage, along with a handful of independent massage studios. The pace depends on where and when you stay. The cliff-top resorts west of town and the stretches around Galé and Falésia feel calm, while the area around the Strip does not, especially in summer. Winter is quiet, mild and sunny, which suits a slow, restful stay. The old spa village of Caldas de Monchique, in the hills about an hour away, is the nearest place with real thermal waters.