Salema
A low-key beach village on the western Algarve coast where fishing boats still share the sand with sunbathers.
Salema lies on the coast between Lagos and Sagres, at the point where the busy southern Algarve begins to thin out towards the wilder landscapes of the Costa Vicentina. The village occupies a sheltered valley that opens onto a broad sandy beach, and it has managed to retain much of its fishing village character despite steady growth over the past three decades. The mix of working boats on the sand and visitors on their towels is part of the daily scene and captures something of Salema's particular appeal.
The eastern end of the beach is still the domain of local fishermen, who haul their brightly painted boats up onto the sand each morning. The catch is sold directly on the beach or from a small stall near the slipway, and several of the village restaurants take their supply from here. The western end of the beach is backed by low cliffs where a modest development of apartments and villas has grown up since the 1980s, but the scale remains modest and there are no high-rise buildings. The architecture is low and whitewashed, mostly respectful of the landscape it sits within.
Salema's beach is one of the better swimming spots on this stretch of coast. The bay faces south and is partly sheltered from the prevailing north-westerly winds, so the water is calmer than at many nearby beaches. The sand is clean and the water clear, and the beach has held Blue Flag status in recent years. Facilities are limited to a couple of beach bars and a lifeguard station in summer. The absence of commercial overdevelopment is part of the attraction for the visitors who return year after year.
Beyond the beach, the village has a small but functional collection of amenities including a supermarket, a bakery, a pharmacy and a handful of restaurants and bars. The Boia Bar, perched on the cliff at the western end of the beach, is a popular spot for sunset drinks with views along the coast. Accommodation ranges from simple guesthouses to self-catering apartments, with a few upmarket villas in the surrounding countryside.
The coastal cliffs around Salema are rich in dinosaur footprints, dating from the late Jurassic period roughly 130 million years ago. Several trackways are visible on the rock platforms at the base of the cliffs west of the beach, and information panels explain what to look for. The footprints are best seen at low tide and include tracks attributed to both herbivorous and carnivorous species. A local palaeontological association has documented over 70 individual prints in the area, making it one of the more significant dinosaur ichnological sites in southern Europe.
Salema sits within the boundaries of the Parque Natural do Sudoeste Alentejano e Costa Vicentina, and the cliff-top walking trails in both directions offer some of the finest coastal scenery in southern Portugal. The Rota Vicentina long-distance path passes through the village, making it a natural stopping point for hikers. The trail south towards Sagres crosses open headlands with views to the horizon, while the northern route towards Figueira drops through sheltered valleys planted with fig and carob.