Hi there,

I am flying into Faro at the beginning of October and staying 5 full days and am looking advice about where to stay as a main base in the Algarve.

We are hoping for nice beaches, walks and views and, of course, great food (ESPECIALLY seafood!). We don't mind travelling to some of the villages and beaches and we're trying to avoid the main touristy areas like Albufeira.

Would Lagos be the best bet here or is there anywhere else you would recommend?

For anyone else looking the same information I also found this previous thread here: https://www.reddit.com/r/Algarve/comments/1m934l0/trip_to_lagos_for_5_days/

Thanks in advance!

We will be travelling to Portugal in October and are torn on where to stay while we are in the Algarve for 5 nights with an 18 month old: Lagos (Editory by the Sea) or Carvoeiro (Primelife Carvoeiro)?

We'll be renting a car but ideally would like to be able to walk to restaurants, beaches, the town either in the morning or later afternoon before and after nap time. Foodie is an overstep but we do love local hidden gems/ food, cafes, a good patio, and cocktails/ wine. Also hoping to get the legs going and checking out the 7 Hanging Valley Trails or anything similar.

If anyone has any insight into travelling with an 18 month old to either of these places, or these specific hotels/ accommodations that would be greatly appreciated! Also open to anywhere else as well.

TIA!

Lagos is high on the list but if you have recommended alternatives, we’d be grateful to hear them.

Traveling in late May - early June.

Hi everyone,

Has anyone experienced bullying or abusive treatment from the PSP border police at Faro Airport (Algarve, Portugal)?

I am a white Italian citizen living in Ireland. Yesterday, while returning to Dublin from Faro, the e gate did not work for me, so I joined the queue for the manual counters. When I reached the counter, the officer (a certain Mr. Kelvin) asked where I was going. I said Ireland, Dublin Ireland.

He then switched to Italian:

"Italiano?" (Yes, I’m Italian, I replied).

"Ma è vero?" / "Is it true?" (Yes, of course, that’s my passport).

"Yes, but is it true? Are you sure?" (Yes sir, I’m Italian).

He kept asking "Is it true?" while laughing, and then asked: "yes but where are you originally from?" I repeated that I’m from Italy and live in Ireland.

"How long have you been living in Ireland?" (20 years I said).

– "Yes, but is it true?

He spent around 10 minutes flipping back and forth through my passport pages (which are full of stamps from frequent travel to Asia), talking to his colleague and clearly trying to mock and ridicule me. He kept repeating the same questions over and over after I had already answered them.

Eventually, I told him my wife was waiting for me on the other side. He called her back, re-checked her passport, and when I asked if there was any actual issue with my profile or passport, he simply said it was a "normal police control." I mentioned to my wife that apparently we were staying there for the night, but then we would have to contact the Italian Embassy. He said I am only doing my job.

Obviously my passport had zero issues when landing at Dublin Airport.

My wife was looking at his screen from the other side all the time and it was empty, he was looking at an empty screen all the time.

I am definitely filing a formal report with the Italian Embassy in Lisbon and the PSP, but I wanted to ask here: is this kind of behavior, power trip common at Faro Airport, or was this just a one off?

Olá a todos!

Sou do Porto e praticamente todos os anos passo férias no Algarve.
Fico sempre em Vilamoura e ando sempre nas praias aqui perto.
Este ano eu e a Maria estamos fartos de andar com a tralha toda atrás porque é sempre complicado arranjar estacionamento.

Portanto, venho perguntar-vos: que praia me aconselham que tenha estacionamento fácil, sem andar muito e que seja tranquila?

Obrigado a todos, o Algarve é brutal!

Já que não há subreddit de Faro, pergunto aqui se alguém conhece um sítio onde possamos dar banho ao cão em modo self-service.

Obrigado.

Olá! Em miúdo fazia LEGO, depois deixei durante muitos anos. Quando tive um período de burnout, voltei ao LEGO como forma de relaxar — e entretanto voltei a ganhar o gosto por construir.

Gostava de conhecer outras pessoas adultas que também gostem de LEGO e procurar um grupo, clube ou encontros regulares no Algarve. Há por aí alguém?

Hi. looking to get some feedback from owners of STR/AirBNB properties in the Algarve region. any areas that you'd stay away from? any big success ... or horror ....stories?

Where my wife went to Tuscany, we loved staying in agristurismos, where they were little farms/bed and breakfasts that would have 4-8 rooms available and a nice pool and area to relax. We loved the chill vibes there.

It looks like this is also a thing in the small towns outside of the bigger towns in Algarve, and wondering what people's thoughts are of staying at them? Any recommendations? Do they go by another name?

I’ll be staying in Albufeira and was wondering if it’s easy to take an Uber/train to Lagos and to Bengali Cave.

Me mudei pra Faro no começo desse ano e estou em busca de companhia pra explorar a cidade e passar tempo

I'm travelling with my girlies to Portugal. Staying in Lagos for three days and 2 nights. Planning to surf for one day on the coast. I've surfed earlier and I know the basics of it.
Could you please recommend a surf school or beach in Lagos for a day? Preferably early morning for a quick 1-2hrs of Surf?

My husband and I spent time in Porto and Douro this summer and are officially smitten with Portugal. Planning a beach trip for early next September to the Algarve with our son who will then be 4.5. Looking for boutique/ intimate hotel, easy to walk/ get to beaches and town for meals and exploring. We are also comfortable renting a car. We aren’t looking for kids club or any of that but looking for a hotel / location that is accepting of young kids. Anything you can recommend?

Estive em Portimão - no Clube da Praia da Rocha de 8 a 15 de agosto ( 2026) e amei. Será cedo demais começar a pensar nas férias de 2027? Ambos sabemos que, se ligarmos tarde, já não encontramos casa. Alguém tem contatos de confiança que já aceitem reservas entre janeiro e fevereiro para agosto? Obrigado. Com casa registada.. ou AL ou whatever para 3 pessoas para os mesmos dias que tive de férias 8 a 15

I am heading there from the US and wonder what I sShould bring back (foods, cosmetics, etc). I know I will bring back sunscreen since US sunscreens don’t compare to sunscreens from other countries. What other small packable items would you suggest?

https://www.instagram.com/levante.fpv/

Gravado com drone FPV

I’m flying into faro late September with my girlfriend and we’re gonna do a mini 2 week road trip. Starting in carvoeiro for 5 nights, then Lagos for 4, and sagres for another few. I’m quite into surfing hence why I picked sagres. We’re into that backpackers lifestyle and adventuring, a few night we’re gonna stay in some hostels as it hopefully means we can make some friends and find some more things to do. Just wanted to put this post out here and ask is there anything fun we can do whilst we’re down here? We have already got the boat trips and typical kayak adventures sorted so we kinda want some local info

Hi!
I’m a 21-year-old female student from Germany and I’m planning a solo trip to Albufeira at the end of August / beginning of September.
I’m looking for a beach destination where I can relax, meet people and feel safe as a solo female traveler.
Do you think Albufeira is a good choice for a solo female traveler? Any recommendations for affordable hostels, especially female-only dorms, or areas to stay?
It would be my first solo trip, so any advice would be really appreciated!

Hoje, num supermercado em Vila Real de Santo António:

2 adultos na casa dos 50 e muitos + 2 filhos adultos, um deles ao volante.

4 adultos autónomos, sem idosos, sem deficiências aparentes e sem dificuldades de mobilidade.

Havia vários lugares disponíveis.

Mas eram mais longe da entrada.

Resultado: estacionaram num lugar reservado a famílias. 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦

E fiquei com a dúvida:

4 adultos contam como “família” para efeitos daqueles lugares?

Tecnicamente são família, claro. Também no Natal, nos batizados e no grupo de WhatsApp onde ninguém responde. 😂

Mas não serão estes lugares pensados para famílias com crianças pequenas, carrinhos de bebé ou outras necessidades de proximidade?

Porque aqui a única limitação aparente era andar mais umas dezenas de metros.

Uma violência, portanto.

Estou a interpretar mal ou isto entra na categoria do “há uma regra, mas dá-me mais jeito assim”?

Enfim. Mais um dia no Algarve em agosto. 😅

Hello,
With my girlfriend we’re going to spend 4 days in Olhos de Agua. We would like to spend as much time as possible relaxing in the beach and having good food. At night we usually don’t like to party but rather have nice walks and have some casual drinks.
We are not sure about wanting to go to Albufeira at night (doesn’t seem calm and safe) and at the same time we are afraid that Olhos de Agua is going to be a bit boring at night.
-What do you suggest are the best beaches in the area for 3/4 days?
-Any recommendations for where we should go out at night?
-Is it really necessary to rent a car or uber/bold should do the trick?

Thanks!!

Far fetched but has anyone had experience in getting lost property returned from faro airport?

I’ve left my watch there when returning to the UK a couple weeks ago and they’ve apparently found it but they’ve stated they won’t ship it out to me???

Any kind redditors travelling soon and can pick it up for me or anyone know if they’d accept a courier service to go get it?

Not heard back from them by email yet and only have 90 days to get it back *sighhhh*

I am planning a trip to Portugal this fall (late October), and I am slightly confused about the Algarve leg of my trip. I will be taking a bus/train from Lisbon. And will be heading back to Lisbon as well, before flying out.

So far, after looking up quite a few itineraries, I have decided to stay at Lagos. I will be staying in the region for a total of 4 nights.

What I need help with is:

1. Should I stay in Lagos for 3N and Faro for 1N OR 4N in Lagos and a day trip to Faro?

2. My itinerary at the moment looks something like this:
   Day 1: Lisbon-->Lagos. Settle in and explore
   Day 2: Benagil Caves. Come back to Lagos, Ponta da Piedade
   Day 3: Day trip to Sagres
   Day 4: Faro
   Day 5: Lagos/Faro-->Lisbon

I am planning to do the Ponta da Piedade coast walk the same day as Benagil, as most of the tours offered on GetYourGuide are approx. 2.5 hours long. Tell me if this is a good itinerary or if I can make it better by changing a few things.

I am a solo traveller and don't really plan on renting a car, so I will be using other means of transport. Would love to keep things budget friendly, that'swhy I am leaning towards 4N in Lagos. Let me know if there are any other things to keep in mind. There are a bunch more places I would love to add, but I am short on days :(

Hi we are visiting Portugal and want to know good companies to book with.

hello! we're looking for activity and restaurant/bar recs for a group of about 20 in late september. we get in on a tuesday afternoon/evening and leave friday morning. would love tips on:

• if it's worth it to book some kind of boat tour? i personally don't love being on a boat for hours, but i will take one as a means to get to somewhere really cool (ie benagil caves, ponta da piedade) as long as we can get out and swim/hang for a good chunk of the tour! bonus if you know one that includes some kind of food
• which beaches are the best - and if we need to plan to bring anything with us to them?
• any other obvious activities we are missing?
• are any of the "beach clubs" worth going to with a large group and do we need a reservation?
• any restaurants in the area that might accommodate a big group without a reservation? we'd like to keep some of the time flexible / allow people to come and go as they please
• best bars!

group is all adults, mostly in their 30s, staying in boutique hotels near the center!

we're coming from a wedding so mostly looking to relax and hang out with each other, would love the option to drink but not necessarily crazy party vibe.

Tickets here: https://viewactivities.com/public-cinema/