Albufeira is a small town tucked in the southern tip of the Algarve region of Portugal. This beautiful town is just a 2 1/2 hour ride from Lisboa (Lisbon) and is very well connected by train and bus; opting for a non-stop bus ride from Oriente saved an hour of travel for us. The Oriente train and bus terminal has amazing design, several good cafes and options to eat, and plenty of indoor and outdoor seating.
Upon reaching Albufeira, we checked into our resort Cerro Mar Garden which offers great views of the Atlantic Ocean overlooking the Old Town. The Old Town is the historic center of Albufeira with cobble stone paved streets filled with cafes, bars, restaurants and local shops. Old Town is specially a great place to spend time with family and children. It opens out on the Praia dos Pescadores beach - a calm and sheltered beach.
For those looking to get some good nightlife, you should definitely check out The Strip at the heart of New Town. Crammed with themed bars and clubs, we heard that The Strip offers an extreme partying experience in the summer when the Europeans flock the beach towns of the Algarve.
There are a lot of options for different types of excursions in and around Albufeira. Amongst these a must do is the Benagil Cave. Unfortunately, during our visit the weather did not permit a kayak visit to the Benagil Cave so we opted for Andre’s Tuk Tuk tour. Our tour started with Andre picking us up from the resort and off to our first stop.
Our Lady of the Rock da Nossa Senhora da Rocha - This stop offers beautiful scenic views of the ocean, access to a couple of nice beaches and a serene and peaceful chapel. If you love hiking/walking, from here you can get on The Walk trail, spanning a 5.7 km stretch, that follows the almost unbroken line of the cliffs. We would highly recommend the trail as you will find some hidden gems along your way. After spending some quality time here we headed to our next stop.
Playa De Marinha - The trail the Lady of the Rock extends to Playa De Marinha as well. Here you can see how nature constantly transforms landscapes, with the two sink holes that opened up as water eroded the top layer. Playa De Marina also provides access to a nice beach with a fancy bar that you can get to from the trail. From here we headed to the must awaited stop.
Cathedral Cave at Benagil - This cave is one of most famous tourist spots of Algarve. Visiting the cave from the ocean on a perfect sunny day is an experience parallel to none but seeing it from the top gives you another perspective. From here you can get a beautiful panoramic view of the small village of Benagil. After spending a wonderful day at these places, Andre dropped us back to our resort. Through out the way he shared with us history of Algarve and the places we passed by including the Bone Chapel. All in all a great experience.
If you are traveling with children you may want to look into -
Slide n’ Splash - Offering insane slides, flumes and rubber ring rides
Aqualand and Aquashow Park
Zoomarine - Theme park with a combination of waterpark and sea life specializing in dolphins
Albufeira, once a small fishing village, is now considered to be the largest, liveliest and most energetic of all towns in southern Portugal and rightly so. We would definitely suggest to plan for at least 4-5 days if you want to explore the beauty of Algarve. A must visit destination on your next visit to Portugal.
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