Adventures from the Algarve

The Algarve is one place not to miss when exploring Southern Europe. Each little town has its own character, and it is very easy to get around on a train running parallel to the coast. I had the opportunity to spend time in Lagos and Faro during my travels.

Lagos

This is a great beach town for travelers but catered to tourists, and even more toward to Americans. Nonetheless, I loved my time here!

The beaches are accessible from the city center and the entire city is incredibly walkable. While there, we went to Praia do Porto de Mos which was a long beach so there was plenty of space to claim your a spot.

I was told that the best activity to do in the Algarve is to explore the caves, but unfortunately the tide was too high for us to see them via boat or kayak. We did the next best thing we could do, which was to see them from above. Pointe de Piedate gave us great views as you can still walk down close to the caves.

Lago’s old town was adorable and a highlight was experiencing the city come to life at night during one of the hostel pub crawls. There are lots of young travelers here, so we met people from all around the world!

Faro

While this city had a very different feel to it, I liked it just as much, if not even more.

First things first, my grandpa and I started off with a free walking tour. These tours are great because you get to experience the city through the eyes of a local, while learning about its history. Something I found out on this tour is that the Algarve is directly translated to “The West” of Portugal and Christopher Columbus passed through Faro on his first journey to America.

Since I was on the coast, I decided to adventure out and check out the local beach… but little did I know that the only way to get there was by ferry or a one-lane bridge. A round-trip ticket from Praia to Faro on the ferry costs €3.90 and the trip takes about 20 minutes each way. I wish I had been prepared with a swimsuit because the beach was beautiful! Instead, I enjoyed the views from one of the beachfront restaurants.

For dinner, we stumbled upon Mavala’ Osteria, a little Italian restaurant off the beaten path. We happened to arrive before it opened, and thankfully we did as we secured the last available table of the night. The restaurant has six tables and it felt as if you were dining in a traditional Italian family’s house. We ordered the eggplant parmigiana, butternut squash ravioli, and shrimp and zucchini spaghetti… and everything was phenomenal. This meal has 100% set our standards high for meals on the trip and is a must-try in Faro!