Albufeira, Portugal; a popular holiday destination on the Algarve

Visit Albufeira

Albufeira is one of the most popular resorts on the Algarve coast in Portugal. It is about midway between Faro with its airport and Vilado Bispo close to the most southerly and westerly point of Portugal.

Explore Albufeira

Albufeira is the busiest resort in the Algarve. If you are looking for a quiet slice of Portugal this is not the place for you. If you are looking for beaches, lots of hotels, lots of activities, lots of bars and lots of British then look no further.

Once a tranquil fishing town Albufeira is now the largest resort on the Algarve. Its narrow streets are lined with one and two storey shops and houses. These are generally painted white with the doors and windows outlined in a colour as is traditional in much of Portugal. Away from the centre there are lots of low level appartment blocks to accommodate the holidaymakers.

Albufeira is sunny and warm much of the year and therefore quite busy for much of the year. We visited in April and already there were quite a lot of tourists. In the height of summer it is busy.

Of course the key attraction for Albufeira is the beach and here the beach is right next to the town. There are boardwalks on the town beach and an elevator down from the higher parts of the town. During the summer there are lifeguards on the beach. Party visitors to "the Strip" have a section of beach next to this part of town too so that the beaches tend to seperate into families and partygoers.

Further along the coast there are many beautiful and popular beaches. The favourites nearby include the Sao Rafael beach, the Falesia beach, the Gale beach and the Salgados beach.

Albufeira has lots of choice of bars and restaurants and food to cater to every taste. Its narrow lanes are home to many of these, with more along the seafront and also there is a large main square surrounded by cafes and bars.

From Albufeira it is possible to organise various activities nearby including kayaking, surfing, stand up paddleboarding, boat trips to explore the rocky coast or to go dolphin watching and there are some theme parks that are not far. Zoomarine park has a dolphin show as well as seals, birds etc and Slide and Splash is a waterpark with lots of slides and pools. Luso Aventura park has a zipline and treetop adventure park.

Places to Visit Nearby

Our favourite beach on the Algarve coast was the Praia da Marinha. Be sure to visit this as part of your trip. Close by at Benagil you can take a boat trip around the amazing caves cut into the rocks by the sea, the most famous of these is the Benagil cave.

Lagos further along the coast to the west of Albufeira is a pretty town with some excellent beaches including the Dona Ana beach.

Vilamoura between Albufeira and Faro has an attractive marina and its edges are thronging with bars and restaurants. It is a pleasant, lively place for an evening out.

You can find more local travel ideas in the Faro guide, and the Algarve guide.