Towns in Algarve
18 towns across Algarve
Algarve has 18 distinct towns, each with its own character shaped by centuries of history, geography, and the surrounding landscape.
Faro
The Algarve's administrative capital and transport hub, a cultured university city on the edge of the Ria Formosa lagoon.
Lagos
Henry the Navigator's port town, framed by the spectacular sea cliffs of Ponta da Piedade and a lively old quarter inside medieval walls.
Albufeira
The Algarve's largest and busiest resort town, built around a whitewashed old quarter perched on cliffs above a fishermen's beach.
Tavira
The most elegant town in the eastern Algarve, with 37 churches, a Roman bridge over the Gilao river and a refined, unhurried atmosphere.
Silves
The former Moorish capital of the Algarve, dominated by a massive red sandstone castle above the Arade river and surrounded by orange groves.
Loule
The Algarve's largest municipality by area, a working market town with Moorish craft traditions, a famous carnival and the region's finest covered market.
Portimao
A former sardine-canning port reinvented as a resort city, with the landmark beach of Praia da Rocha beneath towering sandstone cliffs.
Olhao
The Algarve's largest fishing port, with cubist flat-roofed architecture, outstanding waterfront markets and ferries to the Ria Formosa islands.
Sagres
A windswept settlement at the southwestern tip of Europe, defined by Henry the Navigator's fortress, powerful surf and a sense of geographic finality.
Vila Real de Santo Antonio
A Pombaline grid-plan border town on the Guadiana river, built in five months in 1774, facing Spain across the water.
Aljezur
A relaxed surf town beneath a Moorish castle, serving as the gateway to the wild beaches and protected coastline of the Costa Vicentina.
Monchique
A mountain spa town in the forested Serra de Monchique, known for thermal springs, medronho spirit and the 902-metre peak of Foia.
Lagoa
A wine-producing municipality that encompasses some of the Algarve's most spectacular coastline, including the Benagil sea cave and Carvoeiro.
Quarteira
A local beach resort with a popular fish market, long sandy beach and proximity to the purpose-built resort of Vilamoura.
Vilamoura
A purpose-built luxury resort centred on a 1,000-berth marina, with championship golf courses, a Roman archaeological site and upmarket nightlife.
Carvoeiro
A cliff-edge village resort with painted houses above a tiny beach, the sculpted rock formations of Algar Seco and a clifftop boardwalk.
Armacao de Pera
A fishing village turned beach resort with one of the longest sandy beaches in the Algarve, a clifftop chapel and boat trips to sea caves.
Sao Bras de Alportel
The cork capital of the Algarve, a peaceful interior market town surrounded by orchards and rolling hills, cooler and quieter than the coast.