Algarve

Tavira - Tavira is east of Faro and is arguably the most charming town in the Algarve. Its cobbled streets, compact center dotted with little green spaces and tiny squares where you can have a drink and watch the world go by. The beach is 3km offshore, on the Ilha de Tavira, a beautiful haven situated in the Rio Formosa national park. Taking the little boat over, crammed with locals is a wonderful experience. You can visit Tavira on our Authentic Algarve by Bike tour. 

Lagos - Lagos is your typical Algarve town, white-washed with neatly cobbled streets, a riverfront, and amazing fish-market and an outstanding beach. Restaurants and bars spill over onto the impeccably clean white cobbled streets. The main square is wide open, fringed with buildings covered in Portuguese Azulejos (decorative tiles) and studded with fragrant trees. You can visit Lagos on our Algarve Coastal Trails trip.

Silves - There is an Algarve away from the coast and Silves is a great example of somewhere inland that glorifies the region. A 12th Century Visigoth castle with baked-red walls proudly watches over this colorful little town on the hills over the Rio Arade. Streets are lined with orange trees, scenting the air as you walk towards the beautiful white-washed Portuguese Cathedral. Silves shows a completely relaxed side of the Algarve, away from tourism, part of Algarve life. Silves is on our Authentic Algarve by Bike trip. 

Monchique - This geothermal spa-town sits up in the hills of the Algarve, tucked away in almost secrecy, on the route of the Via Algarviana. This little hamlet makes for the perfect retreat from the coast, offering a wealth of locally grown olive-oil products and of course, down in Caldas de Monchique, the sulfurous, geothermal waters much loved by the Romans are available for public bathing and recuperating. 

Cabo sao Vicente - The most south-westerly point in Europe, Cabo sao Vicente is a wild, rugged full-stop to Europe. The lighthouse sits proudly on the menacing cliffs as the wilds of the Atlantic batter against them. Down precarious sets of stairs to Pria do Beliche or Pria do Tonel, reveal these stunning, isolated little beaches where you can often be almost entirely alone. Sitting close to the town of Sagres (producer of Portugal's most famous beer) means that you can combine a visit to the Cape with time in this lively little town at the end of Europe. You finish up our Wild Algarve trip at Cabo sao Vicente, before spending your last night in Sagres.