A Week in the Algarve is not enough time

This summer, we had a chance to spend a week in the Algarve, me for the first time and Beth for the second.

Our friend, Carrie, was coming to visit us for a few days and then head to Faro to meet up with an old friend and we decided to join her. The Algarve is about a 3 1/2 hour drive from our home, so it was time for a good old fashion road trip. We loaded up the tiny C3 with luggage and snacks and headed south.

Cork Forests

On our way down, we wanted to see some of the cork forests. Portugal produces over 50% of the worlds cork. You can buy all kinds of cork products here from purses to bags, shoes, everything. But seeing how it is harvested is rather interesting.

Harvesting cork is quite sustainable. The cork is carefully stripped every 9-12 years and each tree is marked with a number so that harvesters know which ones need to be left alone.

Cork trees can live over to 300 years. As a matter of fact, the oldest living cork tree is called the Whistler Tree and it is 236 years old. Cork is still being harvested from this tree but less now than 20 years ago. We made sure to stop and get some pics at the tree.

Faro: the capital of the Algarve

We made our base in Faro, since it is in the middle of the Algarve. This made it easy to travel around. Plus, Faro is the biggest town in the area.

We were surprised to find that they were hosting a motorcycle rally the weekend we arrived. This made the city a little louder than usual, even with all of the tourists.

Old Town and Faro Cathedral

The first day we were in town, we decided to take a walk around the old town. Dodging the loud motorcycles through town, we made our way into the Old Town through the Arco da Vila. This old medieval entrance to the walled city sits close to the marina and just inside you can still make out the old Arab entryway for those entering the city by the sea.

If you look up, you can see the stork nests on top of the Arco da Vila. They have made their homes here and return each year to nest in the same place. Storks have incredibly large nests and are allowed to build pretty much wherever they want.

It is actually against the law to destroy or move the nests unless it presents a danger to society, in which case you have to explain how and then the nests can only be moved between Sept 1 and Dec 31st of the year.

Faro Cathedral

We then wandered over to the Faro Cathedral. Construction on this beautiful church began during the 13th century when moors ruled the Algarve, but the modern day cathedral is built on top of a mosque.

This cathedral had several interesting sites that you just have to see to believe. The sanctuary is incredible with several small chapels.

Make sure you make it to the Reliquary. These are precious containers that have relics from a saint. In this particular church, they had the bones from the hand of São Bonafácio and bones from São Prospero’s chest.

Through the back gardens, there is a small alter built with skulls and bones inside.

But the best part is the view from the bell tower. Carrie and I climbed up to get a great look at the Ria Formosa and Faro.

Ria Formosa

When you are in Faro, you MUST take the time to check out the Ria Formosa National Park. It is a series of barrier islands and sandbars along the coast. It is a great place to take a relaxing boat ride, bird watch, fish, or just spend a day on one of the lovely beaches.

We took an eco-bird watching trip with From Here Solar Boats in Faro and it was incredible. The boat powered by solar panels and so the ride is incredible quiet which is great for birdwatching and hearing the wonderful sounds of the water on the shoreline.

They supply you with a set of binoculars and our guide was very knowledgable about the different species of birds. Plus, you get a great view of Faro from the water. We would definitely do this again.

Restaurants and Local Cuisine

The restaurants in Faro did not disappoint. On our first day there, Carrie’s friend—invited us to lunch at Ato Restaurante. I HIGHLY recommend this place if you are in Faro. It was so good, we went back at the end of our trip. They have a very small menu of local products and fantastic wine. We had an amazing lunch and dinner.

Across the street from Ato is a Brazilian Restaurant Sabores do Churrasco. Their specialty of course is meat on skewers. I wanted to try everything since I had never been to a restaurant like this and ordered the premium carvery. It did not disappoint.

Venturing Out

Benegil Caves

I have to say that seeing the Benagil caves is a must when visiting the Algarve. There are many options for seeing the caves. The best way is by water and you can do this with a boat tour or a kayak tour. In the dead of summer though, I’d recommend a boat tour. There were lots of boats, swimmers and kayaks out and it really seemed rather unsafe for kayakers and swimmers.

We took our tour through Majestic Adventure out of Marina Vilamoura which was about a 30 min drive from Faro. We were on a large boat which made the 40 min boat ride more comfortable but seeing the whole cave once you are inside is harder. And as you can see, the cave was full of people. You don’t get off the boat on this tour in the summer. Sometimes you can in the winter but they are allowing this less and less due to ecological damage.

There are lots of tours through Get your Guide from Vilamoura, Lagos, Faro, Albufeira and Portimão.

Fuzeta

Being in the Algarve means access to some of the most beautiful beaches in the world. If you want to explore them all, a week is just not long enough. We did take one day to lay on the beach and soak up some sun.

Our wonderful landlords recommended we go to Fuzeta and visit the island. We were not quite up to that trip, but we did find a wonderful beach in town. The Ria Formosa surrounds the area and made the beach a calm waterway for swimming. We rented a couple of chairs for the afternoon, had lunch at the beach cafe and just enjoyed the amazing weather.

Tavira

Looking for a short but nice day trip from Faro, we headed over to Tavira to wander about and see the sites. Tavira is one of the Algarve’s most picturesque cities located the Gilão River. We had no plan except to eat a a restaurant our friend, Chris, recommended. But as we have found throughout Portugal, the restaurants are not always open when they say they are.

Fortunately, we found a fabulous local place called à Do Peixe that served fresh fish. You know the meal is going to be good when the waiters cannot speak English.

We walked the beautiful streets and took many pics. There is a castle you can visit but we just wanted to enjoy the city. Next time, maybe we will get more involved.

Friends make the trip worth while

One of the best parts of the trip, of course, was hanging out with friends, old and new. We enjoyed time with Carrie and meeting her friend, Chris, who is a foodie as well and had great recommendations for the city. But we also traveled over to Lagos for the day to see our plane mates Cindy and Bill. We did not see much of Lagos at all (another time) but we enjoyed an amazing lunch on the beach and catching up.

All in all, we are definitely going back to the Algarve, but probably in the fall or spring next time. The crowds and weather was a little much for us but the company was well worth it.

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