The Algarve is a jewel of a holiday destination, loved by millions and home to a dazzling array of Algarve tours of every sort. It also happens to be a fascinating place with an ancient history reaching back thousands of years, a magical climate, stunning architecture and some of the world’s finest sandy beaches and coves. Add the sheer rocky drama of some parts of the coastline and it’s easy to see why it fascinates so many of us. Let’s take a look at some interesting and seriously useful facts about the Algarve, designed to inspire.  

41 handy Algarve facts

  1. The Algarve offers 124 miles of stunning coastline, some craggy and others perfect golden sand, some remote and others framing pretty towns and resorts
  2. The capital of the region is Faro – the landscapes and beaches nearby are pretty busy with tourists but if you like life quieter, choose  a break in the western Algarve around Sagres and tavira, where life’s a bit more mellow and tourism is less-developed
  3. The bright blue tiles on the outside of the buildings have Moorish origins and are called Azulejos
  4. Almond trees have been grown in the Algarve for centuries. When they flower it’s particularly lovely, with all the white blossom set against the vivid blue sky
  5. The fishing town of Fuseta is lively and traditional, one of the least ‘discovered’ towns in the Faro area and a great way to get a flavour of how the locals live – and there’s a gorgeous pure white sandy beach as well
  6. The Roman ruins of Milreu are quite something, well worth a look
  7. Praia de Alvor beach is absolutely huge, along with lovely soft sand and calm waters – this is also home to the beautiful Ria de Alvor Nature Reserve
  8. There’s basically no rain at all through the summers here 
  9. Look out for the wonderful ‘healing’ thermal springs, for example at Caldas de Monchique
  10. Depending on the year, around 85 of the Algarve’s beaches have a Blue Flag, which means the region is perfect for a beach vacation
  11. Don’t miss the dramatically picturesque Serra de Monchique mountain range
  12. The Algarve is one of the world’s sunniest places, hottest and sunniest between June and August. It’s even balmy in January, when it’s horrible in the UK
  13. It’s also one of the oldest European settlements. No surprise really – you can easily imagine wanting to settle in this glorious place with its kind weather and fertile land
  14. The region offers plenty of Michelin Star eateries
  15. Atmospheric Olhao and its many stunning sandbank islands makes a wonderful day out, and there are boat trips to enjoy
  16. Ria Formosa Natural Park offers 60,000 hectares of beautiful barrier islands, salt marshes, and sand dunes, and there are guided Algarve boat tours to explore the area. It’s also popular with walkers and hikers   
  17. The Algarve has two coastlines. One runs north to south along the Atlantic, the other east to west connecting the Atlantic and Mediterranean
  18. You’ll find flamingos at the Ria Formosa national Park
  19. This region offers powerful surf – and the golf is legendary
  20. It’s just a two and a half hour flight from the UK, just a short haul away
  21. The Algarve is famous for its cork oak trees, a sustainable wood whose bark is harvested without harming the tree, used for all sorts of purposes from floor tiling to wine bottle corks – you can even take guided Algarve tours of the cork plantations
  22. The famous one-eyed, no-eared Portuguese cat called Mr No Ears attracted more than 20,000 followers on his social media, making the streets of Albufeira famous worldwide  
  23. Love caves? There are loads of caves along the copast to explore. Visit the eerie Benagil cave, for example, formed 20 million years ago and only accessible by boat
  24. Want to explore more caves? The Algar rock formation is an extraordinary sight, as are the breathtaking grottoes at Ponta da Piedade
  25. The Alfarrobeira plant grows freely here, looking like a flat wrinkled banana but opening to reveal a little fruit a bit like a black olive. It plays a role in many traditional Algarve recipes as well as being used in old-style medicines. Andd because it’s such an attractive plant it is grown for its looks, too 
  26. The interior uplands of the Algarve are sparsely populated, a unique place to visit when you love venturing off the beaten track. There are just 76 people per square kilometre there, compared to the UK’s 267
  27. Dolphins and whales love the waters along the coast, and you can take guided boat tours to spot them
  28. The markets held at Loule are a great place to rummage
  29. Apparently Portugal is one of the safest places in the world to live, and the crime rates on the Algarve are very low
  30. The pretty whitewashed village of Cacela Velha reveals what the Algarve must have looked like fifty years ago, dreamy and old fashioned – and the beach below it has been voted one of the world’s finest
  31. Visit Cacela Velha in July for Moorish Nights, a four day celebration of Arabic food and events along with a souk
  32. The Moorish influence can still be seen in many of the place names, particularly those beginning with Al, which simply means ‘the’. The Algarve was once called Gharb Al-Andalus, which translates as ‘The West of the Andalus’. Over time it was shortened to Al-Gharb, ‘the West’, then it was eventually shortened even more to ‘Algarve’
  33. This region is home to Piri-Piri chicken, which has been eaten here since the 1400s when Portuguese explorers brought hot chillies back from Mozambique 
  34. There are vast salt flats here, which have been mined for salt since the 700s when the Moorish people invaded – watch out for fascinating guided tours of the salt pans
  35. The 1300s castle at the ancient border village and river port of Alcoutim reveals a turbulent past when the area was run by the Greeks, Romans, and Arabs
  36. Once upon a time, until 1822, Brazil and Portugal were part of the same kingdom
  37. The western Algarve is wonderfully unspoiled – visit Burgau and Salema to get a flavour of the area’s personality 
  38. The rocky arches dotting the coast are perfectly natural, called arcos and one of the region’s best-loved natural wonders  
  39. Cabanas offers three golf courses, a 1600s fort called Sao Joao da Barra fort, now a luxury seafront hotel, and boat trips out to the Ria Formosa Natural Reserve, adored by birdwatchers
  40. Quinta do Lago, Vale do Lobo, and Vilamoura are all relatively uncrowded and upmarket
  41. Hardy people, walkers, caravanners, surfers, mobile homers and campers  love the wild and windy west coast where the Atlantic waves hurl froth and the beaches are unusually wide. This is also home to nudist beaches to enjoy the sand, sun and sea in your natural state 😉

We’ve mentioned several tours in our list. Check out our Algarve tours, see what takes your fancy most in this fantastic place.

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