Carvoeiro
A cliff-edge village resort with painted houses above a tiny beach, the sculpted rock formations of Algar Seco and a clifftop boardwalk.
Carvoeiro is a small resort of around 3,000 permanent residents within the municipality of Lagoa, built on and around cliffs above a tiny beach on the western Algarve coast. It began as a fishing village, and traces of that origin survive in the colourful houses that stack up the hillside and in the narrow central street that leads down to the sand. The beach itself, Praia do Carvoeiro, is barely 100 metres wide, hemmed in by ochre cliffs on both sides, and in summer it fills to capacity by mid-morning. But Carvoeiro's appeal is less about its own beach than about the spectacular cliff coastline that extends in both directions.
The Algar Seco, a short walk east of the village, is a sculpted limestone headland where the sea has carved blowholes, arches, tunnels and a natural pool known as the Boneca, meaning Doll, for the shape of the surrounding rock. A wooden staircase descends to the rock platform, where the sea surges through the channels and the blowholes hiss on incoming swells. The Boardwalk of Carvoeiro, a 570-metre clifftop path built on raised wooden platforms and metal walkways, connects the village to the Algar Seco and offers views down to the sea stacks and hidden coves below. At sunset the cliffs glow a deep amber, and the boardwalk is one of the most popular viewpoints on the coast.
West of the village, the coastline towards Benagil is equally dramatic. A walking trail follows the cliff edge past caves, collapsed grottos and beaches accessible only by steep paths or by sea. Praia de Vale Centeanes, roughly two kilometres west, is the starting point of the Seven Hanging Valleys Trail, the celebrated six-kilometre clifftop walk that ends at Praia da Marinha. Boat trips from Carvoeiro beach offer a sea-level perspective on the coast, visiting caves and sea arches along the way.
Carvoeiro has developed as a resort without high-rise buildings. Planning regulations have kept construction to a modest scale, and the surrounding development consists largely of villas, townhouses and low-rise apartment complexes spread across the hillside above the village. This gives Carvoeiro a more intimate atmosphere than the larger resorts. Restaurants in the village centre serve fresh fish, and there are enough shops, cafes and bars to sustain a short stay without needing to drive elsewhere.
The resort has a significant community of foreign residents, particularly British and Dutch, many of whom live here year-round. Property prices are above the Algarve average but below those of Vilamoura or Vale do Lobo. Several golf courses are within a short drive. Carvoeiro is roughly 10 kilometres south of the EN125 and connected to the main coast road by a winding road through the village of Lagoa. Faro Airport is approximately 55 minutes to the east by car.
Highlights
- Algar Seco sculpted rock formations with blowholes, arches and natural pool
- 570-metre clifftop boardwalk with views over sea stacks and hidden coves
- Starting point for the Seven Hanging Valleys Trail to Praia da Marinha