📍ALJEZUR
-Built in the 10th century, Aljezur Castle, the last to be conquered from the Moors, offers a superb panoramic view of the town and the Serra de Monchique in the distance.
- 🌽🍠 Farmers' market: Saturday mornings from 8am to 12pm.
🍽 Pont’a pé : local restaurant with terrace overlooking the river.
📍ARRIFANA (15 minutes 🚗 from Aljezur)
- The landscape is marked by the imposing rock in the middle of the Ocean, known as Pedra da Agulha. Arrifana beach is very popular with surfers. In recent years, there has been an explosion in the number of holiday rentals around Praia da Arrifana 🏖.
- Beautiful views from the Fortaleza da Arrifana at the end of the village.
📍CARRAPATEIRA
- The charming village of Carrapateira is just a few hundred metres from the Ocean.
- 🌅 Pontal da Carrapateira: enjoy fantastic views (and lovely sunsets) from the various observation points along the coast.
- Several beautiful beaches nearby: 🏖 Praia da Bordeira, 🏄🏽♂️ Praia do Amado (4 km south of Pontal da Carrapateira).
🛌Casa da Olivia : (reservation possible via Booking or Airbnb) very well arranged and extremely clean appartment. Very well equipped and functional kitchen. Spacious and cosy bedroom. Pleasant balcony for meals, sunbathing and enjoying the lovely view of the charming little village of Carrapateira with the beautiful dunes in the background.
🍽 Sitio do Forno : restaurant nestled next to Muslim ruins, overlooking the ocean. Close to the Praia do Portinho do Forno.
📍ALDEIA DA PEDRALVA (10 minutes 🚗 from Carrapateira)
- This village was almost in ruins and deserted before it was renovated: 24 traditional houses for rent, a community oven, a restaurant, a café and bike hire. A place full of authenticity that preserves the rural environment.
📍PRAIA DO CASTELEJO (20 minutes 🚗 from Carrapateira)
-🏖🌊 Very beautiful and wide beach with boulders, ideal for a long walk. Access to the nearby beaches of ⛱ Cordoama and ⛱ Barriga only at low tide. 🏄🏻♀️ Beaches popular with surfers.
📍VILA DO BISPO (interior, 4km from Praia do Castelejo)
- Famous for its beautiful 16th-century parish church covered in azulejos.
📍FAROL DO CABO DE SAO VICENTE
- A superb viewpoint.
- Known as the most south-westerly point in Europe, the ancient Greeks called it the "Land of Snakes", and the Romans called it "Promontorium Sacrum" (Sacred Promontory), hence the origin of the name Sagres.
📍FORTALEZA DO BELIXE and ⛱ Praia do Belixe (5km West of Sagres)
📍SAGRES
- Don't miss a visit to the Fort of Sagres: take in the superb panoramic views, stroll around the Sagres chapel and its wind rose measuring 43 metres in diameter, and the lighthouse with its 95 km range, making it one of the most powerful in Europe.
- To be done: a visit to the Fort's Exhibition Centre, dedicated to the History of the Portuguese maritime expedition that began in Sagres (this interactive museum was inaugurated at the end of 2022).
🏖 Beautiful beaches nearby: Tonel, Mareta, Martinhal, Ingrina, Zavial.
🍽 Pau de Pita : spacious bar/restaurant with a pleasant rooftop; 500 metres from the Praia da Mareta.
🛣 And, if you decide to continue along the southern coast of the Algarve, towards Lagos :
📍 SALEMA et BURGAU (between Sagres et Lagos)
-🏖 2 fishing villages with pretty sandy beaches.
