Coastal Algarve And Alentejo Road Trip
Driving along the West Algarve and the Alentejo coastal roads was a very scenic road trip, and almost devoid of traffic . Showcasing the rugged contours of a coastline carved over millions of years, it is a landscape that has endured the huge pounding waves and merciless winds of the Atlantic Ocean. Gleaming whitewashed fishing towns, golden sandy beaches, caves and hidden secret beaches have made this road trip very special for us.
We crossed from Spain into the Algarve seamlessly, no border guards, no filling forms or questions being asked…welcome to a continent with transparent borders.
Altogether we have spent about three weeks driving along this beautiful Portuguese coastline (with a two days inland visit to Silves). We started our road trip in Tavira > Quarteira > Silves > Alvor> Farol Do Cabo de Cabo de São Vicente > Carrapateira/Bordeira > Aljezur via Arrifana > Zambujeira do Mar via Odeceixe > Porto Covo > Vila Nova de Milfontes and then back again to East Algarve’s Carvoeiro, where we met up with our son (only briefly, since he was there at a friends stag-do).
Although we enjoyed most of the Algarve, we found that the West Algarve and Alentejo had a more authentic vibe, a more dramatic coastline, and many gorgeous, unspoiled beaches. We particularly loved the Algarve/Alentejo “Costa Vicentina”. Here are some of our favourite moments:
Our “wild” camping spots
When we say “wild” … In fact there is nothing wild about these places, but we were off grid and feeling pleased with ourselves for being able to just stay so close to nature and its magnificent views…for free. No electric hook ups, no toilets and hot showers, no laundries, just what we had in our house on wheels (which is actually most of the above!)
Parked up right up to the seafront near Quarteira in the East Algarve. A large, empty beach before us. We did actually have some quite wild nights here, with strong winds leaving us very shaken and stirred. I spent the first night having strange dreams about tsunamis and huge waves carrying us off to the high seas!
“Off grid” by the sea front near Quarteira
Another great off grid was at Farol do Cabo de São Vicente (Lighthouse of Cabo de São Vicente), looking over a cliff at “the end of the world”. The southwestern-most point in Portugal.
Lighthouse at Cabo de São Vicente
From our window we watched the Lighthouse beam of light coming on at night
Up until the end of the 14th century this windswept coast was believed to be the end of the known world. Further along the West coast, at Bordeira (Carrapaterira) we overnighted again by a beautiful beach, with the wild Atlantic Ocean just few metres away from our van.
Off grid at Bordeira Beach
Surf beach paradises
We are no “surf dudes” but there is something fascinating about watching these “dudes” riding the white crest of giant waves…to crash down and get immersed into the cold waters of the Atlantic Ocean. There were some mean waves along the West Algarve, our favourites surf beaches have to be:
Carrapateira -Two fabulous beaches here called Bordeira and Amado. Both have fantastic turquoise waters set among large sand dunes, populated with wild flowers and a long board walk that makes it easier to explore the clifftops. Hiking here is also popular, we managed to walk some of the trails and find look outs over the rocky coves and cliffs.
Board walk at Bordeira
Interesting geology at Bordeira
Arrifana – Our favourite beach on this whole coastline, it was such a gorgeous place to visit. A small fishing village with great waves and breath-taking volcanic rock formations. There is a very vibrant vibe here with people enjoying water activities and just soaking up the atmosphere.
Rugged coastline at Arrifana
The little fishing village of Arrifana spills down from the cliffs into a little half moon beach
Great coffee shop from where to watch the surfing
We spent a whole day enjoying this place, drinking at the lovely beach side cafes, eating at a cliff-top restaurant and just soaking up the rugged beauty of this coastline. But we decided to overnight at nearby Aljezur
Zambujeira do Mar – Located on the Western coast of Alentejo and within the Nature Park of the “Costa Vicentina” , it is another blustery coastal town, great for surfing or walking the many trails high up on the clifftops.
Zambujeira do Mar
Rugged Zambujeira do Mar
We stayed at a campsite here, enjoying the tranquillity of this sleepy seaside town, although the noisy cockerels near the campsite woke us up bright and early every morning.
Vila Nova De Milfontes – Probably the largest of all the towns we visited on this coastline. But still very laid back and low key. Located in the Alentejo coast, the white washed houses, cobbled streets, little plazas with al fresco eating and drinking, it was another very charming place. Mass tourism has not arrived here yet, possibly because of being a little bit further from the major airports of Lisbon and Faro, it is a little bit harder to get here. Hiring a car to come here is highly recommended. We travelled by motorhome and stayed at the local campsite.
The Mira River estuary and the Atlantic Ocean meet here forming a protected ecosystem that shelters several species of birds and marine life.
Mira River and the Atlantic Ocean meet here to form a protected area for wild life
Statue “O Arcanjo”
Created by the Portuguese artist Aurelliano de Aguiar, the archangel statue (O Arcanjo), is made of reconditioned metal. The archangel is holding a globe between his hands and screaming to be heard. His message is about the environmental issues and concerns off a modern world destroying our planet.
Stunning Wild Flowers
Perhaps because we got our timing perfectly, but we were lucky to be treated to the most incredible display of wild flowers we have ever seen. Hugging the cliffs, clinging to volcanic rocks, spreading over miles of clifftop walks.
Pink wild orchids at Bordeira/Carrapateira
Cliff top walk at Bordeira/Carrapateira covered in pretty flowers
Delicate flowers clinging to the side of a cliff
Fragile flowers surviving against the force of the cliff top winds
Surviving in inhospitable places
Although they looked so delicate, these flowers are tough, enduring merciless gale force winds and poor soil conditions, it is astounding how they can not only survive, but even thrive here at such inhospitable places. Often at places like this I wish I could have been an artist and able to paint such beautifully wild landscapes…(unfortunately I can’t even draw a flower).
Stork Nests in Precarious Places
Storks are masters of high rise living, they build their nests perched up high on telegraph and electricity poles, chimneys, and most incredibly on a cliff top. Apparently along the Costa Vicentina Natural Park is the only place in the world where White Storks nest on coastal cliffs. We were delighted to witness such precarious nesting behaviour.
Incredible place to nest, how can it cling on with such fierce winds?
Mrs. Stork watching over her nest… or is it Mr. Stork?
Storks are usually monogamous and mate for life, they share parenting duties equally, and once the chicks have hatched they take turns to forage for food. They “chat” to each other by clacking their beaks, we heard them clacking away but it took us a while to realise what the strange noise was about.
Going Inland to Visit Silves
It is hard to believe that this small town was once the capital of the Algarve. Its main claim to fame is having the best preserved castle in the Algarve.
Silves Castle glowing at night
Visiting Silves is like stepping back in time, it felt like a very authentic Portuguese town. A day visit is enough for exploring the main sites. We actually spent two nights here at a friendly Aire with castle views. One night we walked along to the nearby Portuguese restaurant called Recanto dos Mouros for a very delicious meal.
Meeting Up With Friends
One of the greatest thing about this blog is to have been able to interact with some wonderful like-minded people. I have been following the travel blog of Amy and Andrew for many years and have enjoyed meeting them last year for the first time at an English Pub in the New Forest not far from our home in Dorset. We hooked up again in the Algarve for a very enjoyable evening at their favourite local Vegan restaurant.
With Amy and Andrew at their favourite local Vegan Restaurant
They have been living in the Algarve for few months, you can read all about their amazing adventures at :https://www.ourbigfattraveladventure.com/
We also managed to catch up with our son…briefly, here in the Algarve, before continuing our motorhome tour of the rest of Portugal.
A road trip along this coastline is a great way of seeing some of the unspoiled beaches and landscapes that are often overlooked by the majority of people who visit this area. If travelling by motorhome there are some lovely “off grid” parking places for your home on wheels and /or good Aires and campsites. Boa Viagem!
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Lovely photos and it looks like you had a great intro to Portugal’s fabulous coasts. Cabo de São Vicente is one of my favorite places to show friends and I’m so glad that you were wowed by its wild beauty. I wish I’d been in Portugal to meet you IRL during your visit but will look forward to when our plans mesh in the future for a drink or dinner, either in your country or my adopted home. Anita
Anita, we enjoyed our time in the Algarve a lot and we particularly liked the West coast, from Cabo de São Vicente up to Costa Vicentina and Alentejo…wild, beautiful, unspoiled. Brian’s favourite was Arrifana, very dramatic. I hope our paths will cross in the near future 🙂
Reading great travel blogs, like travel itself, can really make you rethink. In a previous life (life before Michaela!), I visited part of the Algarve, and whilst it was a good holiday, I found the area a bit contrived and non-authentic. Only by going inland (Almansil, was it?), did I find something really Portuguese. This was, by the way, almost 30 years ago, in 1990. Stupidly, I’ve held that prejudice ever since, right up until reading your post and studying your terrific photographs which has put my view back where it should be. The Algarve is now back on the agenda!
Phil, thank you for your kind comment. I totally agree that some parts of the Algarve are not very Portuguese at all and in fact it feels more like the UK in the sun…nothing wrong with that, but I would recommend for anyone wanting to find some authenticity to stay away from the over developed parts of the Algarve. Going inland is a good bet. We found the West coast very beautiful and still very unspoiled…may it long continue.
Great captures of the beautiful coastline! I can’t wait to see it myself. Storks are loud little buggers aren’t they, pretty cool watching and listening to them though.
Paula, Storks are large and loud…we loved watching them and their huge nests. The West Algarve and Costa Vicentina/Alentejo is so beautiful and there is hardly anyone there…very dramatic scenery. I think you will love it.
It was a great time to visit, Gilda, even though I missed you. The wildflowers are glorious and the hills running riot with lilac, green and white lavender right now. 🙂 🙂 I love the area around Carrapateira too, Zambujeira has a fabulous bay and we very much enjoyed visiting Vila Nova de Milfontes. So nice that you could catch up with your son, and I’ll have to pop over and say hello to those Algarve friends of yours. 🙂 Safe and happy travels! Where did you spend Easter?
Jo, the wildflowers have been incredible. I have been astounded by how prolific, colourful and also how they are so resilient cascading down the side of cliffs and other inhospitable places. We spent Easter Sunday at Evora, the celebrations were a bit subdued there 🙂 but still very enjoyable. It was wonderful to catch up with our son and our friends. Sorry that I missed catching up with you 🙁
Evora is beautiful though! Going to Elvas too? Monsaraz? It’s endless, isn’t it? 🙂 🙂 Have fun!
Jo, Evora was great…the Chapel of Bones was a little spooky. We wont visit Monsaraz and Elvas this time…but perhaps next time 🙂
Your picture of the Algarve are stunning, Gilda. I especially like the coffee shop window scene, lighthouse beacon at night, and the Bordeira wildflower images. We did some hiking around Bordeira last year and can confirm that it is a wonderfully rugged and pristine landscape. Esther and I have spent hours observing the storks in southern Spain. It is so interesting to see them nesting on the coastal cliffs, instead of church belfries and the tops of power poles. All the best on your continuing fun and inspiring journey.
Thank you so much Joe. I think we chose a good time of the year to visit the Algarve, when visitor numbers are lower, the wild flowers were in full display and the weather has been mostly good. Seeing the Spring nesting storks has also been very special. I am glad you have enjoyed Bordeira, it was one of our favourite places. The journey along the West coast was also a nice break from all the cultural sites we had been visiting beforehand. I hope your trip is going well and that you and Esther are enjoying Cadiz and surrounding area.
Your vivid photos and descriptions made me think we were also along for your delightful journey! I especially loved the Archangel and stork photos. How lucky you were there when the wildflowers were in such heavenly bloom, to!
I cannot wait to visit Portugal again as we’d only allotted about ten days there in the central part of the country during our 4.5 month long trip last fall. We had no idea how we’d fall in love with Portugal and hope to return in the next year or so after reading your and other blogs of people who have been similarly enchanted by Portugal.
Annie
Annie, I am glad you are enjoying following along 🙂 Seeing the wild flowers displays have been a highlight of this trip for me. The Spring is such a lovely time of the year here in the Algarve and Alentejo West coast, seeing the huge stork nests balancing on the top of cliffs was amazing, most of the nests had young birds being looked after by their parents. Bring a pair of binoculars when you come over…we wished we had.
Great that you were able to meet up with friends. That is definitely one of the cool things about blogging, finding like-minded people! I too was shocked driving from Seville into Portugal with nary a guard in sight. So nice. You have been to some really nice places along the Algarve. I am so enjoying your travels :-).
Kemkem, I really enjoy being part of the blogging community, you almost feel like you are part of one big family. It is great when you can finally meet up in person. Such a shame we did not get to meet up this time, but I am sure our paths will cross soon enough. Isn’t it great to have such relaxing and easy boarder crossing from Spain to Portugal? Also going from France into Spain was just as easy…I love it. I wish all country borders could be like these. Thank you for travelling along with us 🙂
Hi Gilda, it was great to see you guys here in the Algarve, we were super-impressed with your new motorhome lifestyle! You’ve really made the most of exploring the Algarve, looking forward to following the next leg of the exciting journey!
Amy, meeting you and Andrew was great fun, thank you so much for taking the time to see us. I am sure our paths will cross again in the near future 🙂
Gilda, thank you for your blog post.Really thank you! Awesome.
You are very welcome! I am glad you have enjoyed it 🙂
Hi Gilda, Great blog and the pictures of Portugal are fantastic. It’s been on my list of places to go and now I want to go even more after seeing the photos.
Lesley, thank you 🙂 Portugal has exceeded our expectations. We particularly liked the West coast and the Medieval towns of central Portugal. How are you guys doing? already planning your next trip?
We’ve been back home for just over 2 weeks and it feels like being away was ages ago. We have put the Norway trip on hold for another year since we decided that with other commitments it was going to be too rushed. We are also thinking about changing the van so we are better equipped for skiing next year….
Lesley, wise decision to leave Norway for next year when you will have more time in your hands. You love your skiing, so I guess it makes sense to ensure that you have a van that will ensure a very comfortable winter stay…although you current van is lovely.