Hi everybody,
Today I am going to give you a brief account of the cities that we visited in Algarve from Olhos de Agua.
- Faro
It is the capital and the most populated city in the region. As in the Olhos de Agua area public transport worked a little better. We took the bus there. The one-way trip for one person costs almost 5 euros, which is quite expensive for public transport. It took us more than an hour and by car it would be 30 minutes.
We toured the sites listed in the guide and it was all very lonely (which is good for me). At 11 in the morning, it was already very hot, and it seemed August instead of May. Imagine how that must be in summer.
We stopped for lunch at a vegan cafe called Alcachofra and the wraps were delicious.
Then we visited a couple of things that we had left and that’s it. The Igreja do Carmo was closed for a wedding and we were unable to visit it. It is surely the most interesting thing there. In addition, in the guides I saw that it recommended visiting the Palácio de Estói, but it was 20 minutes by car, and we did not go.
We took the opportunity to go to the Decathlon and it was still around 14h. As the return bus passed only at 17h, we returned by Uber.
To visit the city, it takes you at most 2 hours, taking it very calmly. It didn’t seem like anything special to me, and it was more of an unnecessary expense because it was 10 euros to go and 26 to return. A lot of money to take 4 photos. Another thing is that the city does not have a beach nearby, so it is also without much interest to base there.
- Tavira
We visited by car because it takes about 3 hours by bus. We went on a Friday afternoon and loved it. It was the only city in the Algarve that we found typical and beautiful.
When we visited there were only locals and there was a lot of peace. The first thing we did was buy some homemade cookies and sit in the public garden (right next to the Republic Square). There were all the retirees quietly talking.
The historic center is small, and several things were closed, but what I appreciated the most was walking around and enjoying that good vibe that the city had. In addition, it was almost all small old houses and buildings, so it was visually very harmonious. It is the city that best preserves its traditional architecture.
It does not have an urban beach, so if you want the sea, you must take a ferry to Ilha de Tavira and you will be there in 10 minutes. We couldn’t see the island because the ferry stand was closed
- Portimão
One Saturday we woke up very early and this was our first stop. We arrived directly at Praia da Rocha. It is a very long and wide beach. It had tall buildings, but they were far back, so I didn’t feel overwhelmed.
Also, on the other side you have the marina and Praia Grande. We walked to the lighthouse and the boardwalk; there were a lot of locals working out. The children were also on the beach learning to surf.
I loved this area, and I think it would be nice to live there for a few months. Then we went to see the historic center and it is ugly. It was a contrast from white to black with what we had just seen in the beach area.
- Lagos
First, we went to the miradouro that has a route of several kilometers and then we went to see the city. Also, very ugly; the only thing decent was the shopping street, but the truth is that it is not worth going through there. You won’t believe it, but I only took 2 photos.
- Carrapateira
This is a village in the western part of the Algarve. We passed by when we went to Praia da Bordeira and I loved it because it looked pretty there on top of a mountain.
In the area you also start to see the surf stands and it reminded me of Todos Santos in Baja California Sur.
- Albufeira
One Sunday we walked for almost three hours to reach a beach that was considered one of the best in the area. On the way back, as we would go to the Lidl, we took the opportunity to tour the city a little, but great disappointment. Very ugly and excessively exploited touristically. Even the boardwalk area is ugly. Also, I don’t know if it was just that day, but everything smelled like sewer.
The historic center loses all its charm because it is full of the typical bad tourist restaurants. All you see is “Steak House” or “English breakfast.” Not a single typical Portuguese restaurant. I didn’t take any photos.
Then there are other cities such as Loulé, Vilamoura and Quarteira that we passed by when we went to Faro and the little we saw helped us not to waste time visiting. Vilamoura and Loulé are more expensive cities and have a more urban vibe than the rest.
The cities of the Algarve do not have much charm; They are the typical coastal towns that you can find in the south of Spain. However, in Algarve you still see the typical cobbled streets and historic buildings. They don’t have much cultural value, so you can avoid them without problem. In my opinion, Algarve is more to see beaches, cliffs, and caves.
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