The Best Beaches in Portugal

Praia da Dona Ana is often cited as the best beach on the Algarve, in fact it was even described as the 'best beach in the World' by magazine Condé Nast Traveller. That's quite a lot to live up to! 

Dona Ana beach is the classic Algarve cove; nestled between the sandstone cliffs on the eastern side of Ponta da Piedade, it is sheltered from the breeze but catches all the day's sun. This section of coast is sometimes referred to as the Costa d'Ouro (Golden coast) on account of the yellow/red cliffs that line it.

The crystal clear, shallow waters and silky soft golden sand make Praia de São Rafael one of the most popular beaches in the Albufeira area. The beach is just far enough away from the resort town to not be overrun, but close enough to be within easy reach (2 km to be precise).

Praia da Franquia is one of Vila Nova de Milfontes main beaches. Tucked away from the coast on the northern bank of the River Mira, this is probably the most sheltered beach in the area. This makes it a great family beach, as do all the facilities such as a lifeguard service and beach cafe / bar etc. Praia da Franquia also benefits from being located close to the town.

Given its sheltered aspect water sports such as windsurfing and canoeing are particularly popular here. 

Set in the Parque Natural Arrábida near Setúbal, the idyllic Praia de Galapinhos is one of the regions most stunning beaches. The crescent of golden-white sand, backed by the densely forested hills of the Serra da Arrabida, is lapped by crystal-clear azure waters. It is little wonder this beach was awarded 'most beautiful beach in Europe' by the European Best Destinations organization.

Consisting of nearly two kilometres of sand punctuated by jagged rock formations rising from the sea and backed by steep limestone cliffs, Praia da Rocha was one of the first places in the Algarve to be developed for tourism. As a result it is not the prettiest of towns. Purpose-built multi-storey apartment blocks dominate the cliffs behind the beach while discos, casinos, bars and restaurants line the main street, the Avenida Tomas Cabreira.

Caparica itself is a lively if not particularly pretty town whose overwhelming popularity with holidaying locals from Lisbon and the surrounding area rests largely on the access she offers to some ten kilometres of sandy beach.

The beach, known as Costa da Caparica, is backed by acacia and eucalyptus trees and home to a string of campsites, packed out during the summer months.

Set about 10 km to the south of Vila Nova de Milfontes is the low-key, little resort of Almograve. The coast around here is fairly rugged with high cliffs and rocky basalt outcrops jutting out into the might of the Atlantic.

Along with neighbouring Praia Dona Ana, the beach of Camilo is Lagos' (if not one of the Algarve's) iconic beach. Whilst Dona Ana may have the slight edge when it comes to outlandish, cohre rock formations and grottoes, Praia do Camilo shares the same golden sand and crystal clear, azure waters.

The sleepy seaside village of Zambujeira do Mar is set within the Costa Vicentina and Sudoeste Alentejano Nature Park towards the southern end of the Alentejo coast. A huddle of whitewashed walls and terracotta roofs overlook this fantastic beach from the cliff top. 

Located just around the corner from Cascais is one of the regions best known beaches. Unlike the beaches of Cascais and Estoril, Praia do Guincho faces directly into the Atlantic Ocean making it a very different place. The large stretch of golden sand is backed by dunes leading towards high cliffs in the north with not much between here and Cabo da Roca, the most westerly point in mainland Europe.

Boasting more than six kilometres of golden sand, stretching from Vilamoura in the west to Olhos do Agua in the east, Praia da Falesia is home to one of the longest beaches in Portugal.

This sleepy residential town is known by the locals as 'beach town' and has managed to preserve something of its traditional Portuguese lifestyle. Backed by cliffs (falesia is Portuguese for cliff) decorated with pine trees the beach is accessed by steps that lead down from a clifftop car park.

Sixteen kilometres north of Carrapateira lies the village of Aljezur, which is considerably larger than Carrapateira and probably one of the prettiest and liveliest towns on the western Algarve. From here buses run to a couple of outstanding beaches, the largest of which is Praia da Arrifana, ten kilometres to the south west.

Just around the corner from Praia Grande is another local favourite Praia da Adraga. This sandy little cove is backed by high cliffs with a deep valley winding down to the beach. The beach here is usually quieter than the better known beaches in the area and is mostly the preserve of locals. However, it can get quite busy at weekends when parking is at a premium.

Set in the Serra da Arrábida National Park, just beyond the mouth of the Rio Sado estuary, is Praia da Figueirinha. This is one of the best known and most popular beaches in the Arrábida area and is one of the closest to the town of Setubal.

Figueirinha has a stunning backdrop of the Arrábida Hills along with a fine stretch of golden sand which forms a narrow sandbank extending out into the calm, clean waters of the Sado at low tide. You can walk out along this sandbar which also forms a safe, sheltered lagoon in front of the main beach.