The Algarve is the beautiful southern coastline of Portugal and is one of a unique place in the world with a coastal strip just over 150 Km (95 miles). It is a region blessed with stunning beaches, picturesque fishing towns and a glorious climate, all of which combine to create the perfect holiday destination.

The Algarve provides some of the best value for money in Europe, being the second least expensive holiday destination.

The region combines its natural environment and cultural heritage with the traditions of coastal town’s picturesque fisherman villages. The Algarve is wonderfully varied, able to appeal to a wide cross-section of tourists; there are pristine beaches for families, water parks and theme parks for thrill-seekers, buzzing nightlife for partying and historic towns for cultural visitors.

Many of the natural areas are protected and considered a world heritage by UNESCO. The region is among the best tourism destinations in the whole European continent, with many awards. The region is very safe, hotels are of a high standard, English is widely spoken, and the Portuguese are welcoming and hospitable.

The Algarve has long hot summers, pleasant spring/autumns and winters that are mild but unpredictable with an equal number of bright days as wet days.

The Ocean water temperature in the Algarve is usually between 12ºC in winter and 25ºC during summer, peaking at its highest between August and September.

The south coast of Portugal, bordering the Algarve, is usually privileged with warm temperatures, gradually increasing from West to East.  So, if you’re reading this and still wondering where you should go for your vacations, the Algarve has some of the best and warmer beaches one could ask for.

The height of the tourist season is from July through to August, June and September tend to be popular months with couples, being outside of the school holidays and without the hordes of children, but there is still fantastic weather and a buzz about the region. The weather is suitable for spending time on the beach from May until the end of September.

Indulge yourself in Algarve, your holidays’ destination.

The Algarve has the city of Faro as the capital and its territory coincides with the district of Faro. Immerse yourself in the identity of the Algarve, to discover the historical heritage and cultural marks in architecture, ways of doing and in the popular imagination, tending the cultural routes of the interior and coast.

The Algarve has more than 3000 years of history and has always been a meeting place for different cultures. During different periods, the south coast of Portugal was occupied by people from the Mediterranean, such as the Phoenicians, Greeks, Carthaginians, Romans and Moors.

The word Algarve originates from the Arabic term Al Garb, which means “the west”. One of the most important facts in the Algarve’s history: the five centuries of Arab occupation, visible in the regions architecture (lattice chimneys and tiles, for example) and in many places’ names beginning with ‘Al’.

The Algarve was once part of the Roman province of Lusitânia, later becoming part of the Visigoths’ jurisdiction. The Roman presence left tracks in Milreu, Faro, Boca do Rio and Vilamoura.

Let yourself be seduced by the legends of the Algarve of enchanted Moors and brave knights, but also of Christian maidens or mermaids attracting fishermen, magical sites and tempting treasures. The region “where the land ends and the sea begins”, the first of the country to be conquered by the Romans and the last to be abandoned by the Moors, created its own symbology, fruit of the crossing of cultures.

Sagres, where Discoveries begin

Later, infant D. Henrique, the main architect of the Discoveries, also left, especially in the little town of Sagres and the city of Lagos, testimonies of the glorious times and deeds spent in the fifteenth century, when the entire African coast, Brazil and the sea route to India and other Asian countries were discovered.

The Marquis of Pombal, Sebastião José de Carvalho e Melo was another of the great men who left important marks in Algarve territory. His tenacity and genius are until now clearly visible in the center of Vila Real de Santo António, near the Guadiana river, where architecture was built very advanced for the time. These and other examples make up a whole heritage to explore, helping to get to know better this hospitable land.

Now, the Algarve has become one of the Portuguese regions with the highest number of foreign residents, mainly from other European countries.

The Algarve is the westernmost place in Europe, the last pier before the waters of the Atlantic, a region where cultures have crossed since time immemorial. Everything invites us to feel the Algarve, paths that lead us to action and emotion, to the challenge of discovery.

The hundreds of beaches in the Algarve seduce, by their white sands, and vague Atlantics that are now rising, in foam lace, now are eased in warm waves.

There the visitor finds the key to a stay full of strong emotions, a passport to adventure, where the magic of nature, hospitality, the grandeus of cultural heritage, but also the luxuriant and cosmopolitan luxury is combined.

There are places tailor-made to live or relax on lively family holidays, in high-energy sports experiences, in meditative contemplation of romantic sunsets.

The interior, that the inhabitants call Barrocal (place with many ravines) awaits us a diverse Algarve, of unexplored gardens and vast areas of Nature Reserve, where you can follow the majstatic flight of eagles or the gentle planar of the storks.

From the Algarve inhabitants, you will say of their hospitality, scant storytellers, always ready to share experiences, open to change and diversity. The sophisticated simplicity of the sea-inspired gastronomy, scented with herbs, retains Mourisk flavors, as many as traditional architecture has also been able to store.

In the Algarve is the traditional and the modern, baroque and minimalist arts, forms of being religious but tolerant, popular amusements and nightclubs, teals and lime walls deseed to ochre and blue, cliffs and dunes, mountains and rugged plateaus with the deep sea always so close.

Visit this fantastic spot, full of contrast, with people that welcome all the travelers with sympathy. In the last land of Europe, before de Atlantic Ocean, there are an unspoiled Nature, the climate is Mediterranean with long sunny days during Spring and Summer, moderate warm Autumns and Winters.