Two days in the Algarve

The Algarve is the southernmost region of mainland Portugal and is famous for its beautiful rock formations and sunny beaches. It is a preferred vacation destination for many people and it’s no surprise, as this region offers one of the most tranquil beaches.

The name of the region was given by the Moorish people when they conquered that part of Portugal around the eight century. They were calling it the Al- Gharb, which in Arabic means “the west”.

Our trip to the Algarve started in the middle of January and we decided to spend two days there and check its most prominent spots. Thus, we started with Faro, which is the capital city of the region is the city of Faro, which is a nice small historic city by the sea. It is also one of the cities where your trip to the Algarve starts as there is also the airport in the region. The city of Faro has a nice historic center with cobbled streets full of nice small houses, churches, parks and other historical monuments. The city also has a very nice little marina full of boats ready to take you for a trip to the beach.

We also spent a day in Lagos, which is a nice city in the west part of the Algarve. It is mostly famous for its beautiful golden cliff formations, caves, and beaches.

The easiest and fastest way to get to the Algarve?

We went to the Algarve by catching a plane from Porto and the flight took around an hour, so it was quite fast and convenient to get there. The price of the ticket was less than twenty euros, so it was quite cheap also. However, if you want to make your ticket cheaper and also get up to twenty kilos of luggage with you, you can use your ESN card discount with Ryanair.

However, if you would like to enjoy a countryside trip around Portugal you can also catch the train to Faro, which might take around 10 hours or more, but for sure will make your trip a trip to remember. Unfortunately, trains to Faro are a bit expensive compared to plane tickets, thus we chose to go by plane.

The easiest way to go around the Algarve?

The easiest way to go around the Algarve is by car, but renting a car is quite expensive there and we were also asked for deposits, thus we decided to go with public transportation or taxis.

The trains in the Algarve are a convenient way of transport and are also a bit cheaper than the bus tickets of the local bus company Eva. Also, whether you will go by bus or train it takes the same time to go from one point to another, thus it is way better to get the train.

Last but not least, taxis are also a convenient way to go around, especially if you are a group of more than three people. In some cases, catching a taxi was way cheaper than the public transportation ticket, thus I would definitely suggest it.

Day One

Faro is not a big city, but it is a charming one and it is fun to explore it. On the first day, we woke up early in the morning and went on to explore the city and first ended at the Faro Marina, which is a small and cozy place by the coast. Unfortunately, it is not possible to see the ocean from there, but the view is pretty much amazing even like that. There we spent some time at Cafe Do Coreto, which is a nice café with a view over the little boat port.

Then, we went on for a walk around Jardim Manuel Bivar, which is exactly next to the Faro Marina. It is a nice small garden where the locals gather to enjoy the sunny days.

After that, we decided to check the beach of Faro and spend the rest of the day there. The easiest way to get to the beach was by catching a bus from the station next to the port of Faro, which would have cost us around 2.30 euros and we also had to wait for twenty or thirty minutes. Thus, since we were six girls we decided to check the taxi prices in the city. We found a taxi for fifteen euros on Uber and placed the order.

Luckily, in no time we were at the Praia de Faro where we spend the rest of the day staring at the ocean, gathering shells, chatting, listening to music and laughing. Finally, we got to see the beautiful sunset of the Algarve and enjoy the serenity for a bit more.

Day Two

The next day we woke up early to go and explore the old town of Faro and then go to Lagos. Thus, we got the most necessary things a girl would need and headed out. In no time we were there, next to Palacete Belmarço, which was built by a rich Portuguese merchant at the beginning of the twentieth century.

Then, we continued down the road to reach the Igreja de São Francisco, which is considered one of the most beautiful churches in the south. Unfortunately, at this time of the day, the church was closed and there was no way for us to visit it.

However, a bit further on the road of the church was the Cidade Velha or the old city of Faro. To enter the old city of Faro you have to pass through the Arco do Repouso, which is believed to be the resting place for the kings that defeated the Moors back in the days. Next to it was the Wall of Faro, which was part of a long-gone fortress and also, the Parque Biossaudavel de Faroleading to a nice paved path along the canals of Faro.

Finally, we sat again for a coffee at Cafe Do Coreto, which became one of our favourite places there, and prepared ourselves for the trip to Lagos. When we were ready we went to the train station to buy tickets for the train to Lagos, that cost us 5.70 euros with a discount for people under the age of 26. We asked the cashier at which line to wait for the train, as there were lots of lines and went to line number four.

Then, we hopped on the train to Lagos and our half-day journey began. The ride took around an hour and a half and once we arrived there we ordered a taxi to Ponta da Piedade, which is one of the highlights of the city. It took around twenty minutes to get there and cost us around ten euros for the ride.

The Ponta da Piedade is a coastal land formation with lots of limestone cliffs and pillars standing tall over the sea. We started our walk to it from the lighthouse of Ponta da Piedade there and explored around. There was one high cliff to which you can climb and overlook the area around, but I would say it was quite dangerous too. Below it, there were stairs to get to the lowest point of the cliffs where they form sort of a closed pool and next to it is a cave.

We spent some time there wandering and enjoying the beautiful environment around and then headed to the nice wooden path they made around the Ponta da Piedade. It was a nice walk around the coast of the south of Portugal and all I could hear was the waves crashing in the rocks. Finally, we made it to Miradouro da Praia do Canavialfrom where we waited for the sun to set.

However, we had to wait around two hours to get the train back to Faro, thus we went to the center of Lagos for a dinner at restaurant Adega da Marina that was around five minutes' walk from the station. The service there was quite fast and the food was quite nice, thus we managed to enjoy our dinner and also get to the train station on time.

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