Itinerary · 7 days · 30 places
7 Days in Portugal
A week on the Algarve at your own pace: two nights in Faro with the Ria Formosa on your doorstep, then via Silves and the cave coves of Carvoeiro to Lagos and all the way out to Sagres — short stages, plenty of coast and a local restaurant every evening.
Open in the appThere you can adjust the plan to your dates, your pace and your interests.
Photo: Jeffrey Eisen · Pexels
The route on the map
The plan, day by day
Day 1Arriving in Faro: hire car and the old town behind the walls
Arrival in Faro
Hotel check-in
A base in the walled Cidade Velha: narrow lanes, no through traffic and just two minutes' walk to the harbour in the evening.
Faro's Cidade Velha
Through the Arco da Vila into the old town of the Romans and Moors, where storks nest on the cathedral tower and the cobbles lead to the Bishop's Palace.
Evening: Doca de Faro
A stroll around the small marina and on into the Baixa, where the terraces between harbour and pedestrian zone stay busy until late.
Day 2Ria Formosa: fish market, salt marshes and a sand island
Mercado de Olhão
Two brick market halls on the quay — fish from the morning catch on the left, fruit, cheese and fig bread on the right; the boats land right in front.
Quinta de Marim
Nature trail of the Ria Formosa Natural Park through salt marshes and dunes, past an old tide mill and the birdwatching hides.
Ilha da Armona
Ferry from Olhão to the car-free sand island; from the jetty a boardwalk leads in ten minutes to the open Atlantic beach without a single hotel.
Praia de Faro
The town beach on the sandbar, reached over a narrow single-lane bridge; on the lagoon side the water is shallow and warm.
Evening: Rua do Prior
The bar street behind the pedestrian zone, where students and neighbours stand outside the doors with a beer in the evening.
Day 3Inland: Silves' sandstone castle, then the Carvoeiro cliffs at dusk
Onward to Silves
Hotel check-in
Castelo de Silves
The Algarve's largest Moorish castle, built of red sandstone; from the battlements you look out over the orange groves to the Serra de Monchique.
Sé Velha de Silves
Gothic cathedral just below the castle, with the tombstones of 14th-century knights set into its floor.
Cruz de Portugal
Late Gothic stone cross at the eastern edge of town: the Crucifixion on one side, the Pietà on the other.
Algar Seco
Jagged limestone rocks east of Carvoeiro, with steps down to the eroded window caves above the water.
Praia de Carvoeiro
Small cove between two cliff walls, into which the white town tumbles with its stepped lanes.
Evening: Passeio do Algar Seco
The illuminated boardwalk along the clifftop from the town to the rocks; below you can hear the surf at work in the caves.
Day 4Cave coves of the rocky Algarve
Praia da Marinha
The postcard beach with the double rock arch; the steps down are steep, but before nine the sand is still almost empty.
Algar de Benagil
The famous cave with the hole in its roof — seen from the water on one of the small boats you book down on Benagil beach.
Praia da Senhora da Rocha
Two coves linked by a tunnel through the rock, with the white chapel on the jutting headland above.
Farol de Alfanzina
White lighthouse on the clifftop; the path beside it runs past sinkholes with views all the way down the cliff coast.
Evening: Carvoeiro beach square
The small square right above the sand, where the terraces fill up in the evening and someone is usually playing the guitar.
Day 5Lagos: market hall, golden church and the rock stacks of Ponta da Piedade
Onward to Lagos
Hotel check-in
Mercado Municipal de Lagos
Two-storey market hall on the harbour channel: the morning's catch downstairs, fruit, cheese and a café overlooking the boats upstairs.
Igreja de Santo António
Behind a plain façade lies a fully gilded Baroque church; in the adjoining building the Museu Municipal displays the town's finds.
Ponta da Piedade
Golden rock stacks on the cape south of town; 182 steps lead down to the landing stage, where small boats head into the grottoes.
Praia Dona Ana
Cove with ochre rocks standing in the water, reached by a wide staircase; in the afternoon the eastern side lies in shade.
Evening: Rua 25 de Abril
The old town's pedestrian street with azulejo façades, small bars and terraces that stay busy until midnight.
Day 6The end of Europe: Sagres and Cabo de São Vicente
Onward to Sagres
Hotel check-in
Fortaleza de Sagres
Vast fortress plateau on the cape with the mysterious stone wind rose in the ground and a circular path right along the cliff edge.
Praia da Mareta
Sagres' town beach, open to the south — it stays calm here when the north-wester is blowing on the cape.
Cabo de São Vicente
The south-westernmost point of mainland Europe with a red lighthouse; in the car park stands the snack van selling the "last bratwurst before America".
Praia do Beliche
Cove between cape and fortress, reached by a long wooden staircase below the old Fortaleza do Beliche.
Evening: Baleeira harbour
At the fishing harbour you sit above the trawlers; from the mole you can watch them head out with their lights on in the evening.
Day 7A farewell to the west coast and the drive back to Faro
Torre de Aspa
At 156 metres the highest point of the cliff coast; from the concrete obelisk, on a clear day, you can see the whole west coast down to the cape.
Praia do Castelejo
Dark sandy beach on the west coast with black rock ribs, against which the Atlantic rolls in with no shelter at all.
Departure from Faro
Make it your trip
Viatro AI opens this plan in the app — with map, travel times and opening hours. You change the days, pace and places yourself.
