The Best Beaches in Portugal

With around 600 miles of coast, much of which is sandy beach, Portugal is a beach-goer's paradise. Add Portugal's excellent climate and you can see why portugal rates as one of the most popular holiday destinations in Europe

Portugal's beaches vary widely in both appearance and the range of activities they offer. From the weird and wonderful rock formations of the Algarve's coves to the exposed, windswept expanse of Guincho near Cascais all are endowed with an unquestionable natural beauty.

Unlike other countries in Southern Europe, whose coasts face into the calm waters of the Mediterranean, Portugal faces the full force of the Atlantic Ocean. As a result they provide some of the best surf and surfing in Europe.

Portugal also scores well with its Blue Flag beaches - there are 18 in total most of which are in the vicinity of Lisbon. These beaches are rated not only on their excellent water quality, but on the facilities available and therefore make excellent family beaches.

Without doubt, Portugal is home to some of the best beaches in the world.

Portugal Top Rated Beaches

Praia da Dona Ana
Lagos

Jose Manuel

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...
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Praia de São Rafael
Albufeira

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).
Set in a pretty bay, flanked by tall ochre coloured limestone cliffs São Rafael is reminiscent of many of the beaches along this stretch of Algarve coast. The beach is home to an array of wonderful rock...
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Praia da Franquia
Vila Nova de Milfontes

Ben Jeayes

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.
...
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Almograve
Vila Nova de Milfontes

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.
The beach at Almograve is one of a number of beaches in the area but is by far the biggest and best known. At low tide a wide crescent of golden sand is revealed which is almost separated by a set of rocks towards the middle of the beach. As the tide comes in the...
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Praia da Rocha
Portimão

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...
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Praia do Camilo
Lagos

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.
To reach the beach involves negotiating the 200 wooden steps which wind their way down the orange cliffs. These same cliffs offer shelter from the ocean winds making Praia do Camilo a...
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Zambujeira do Mar
Zambujeira do Mar

Rui Santos

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.
This is a good-sized sandy beach with a Blue Flag award so you can be assured that there are plenty of facilities, clean bathing water and a seasonal lifeguard service. Zambujeira is also a good surf spot and attracts...
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Costa da Caparica
Lisbon

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.
The first five kilometres of...
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Praia dos Galapinhos
Sesimbra Setúbal

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.
Whilst the beach is a little slice of paradise getting down to it is a different matter....
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Ribeira d'Ilhas
Ericeira

Set in a valley between high cliffs, just to the north of Ericeira is the beach of Ribeira d'Ilhas. A lovely sandy beach complete with river and lots of interesting nooks and crannies, there's plenty here for the kids to do.
What Ribeira d'Ilhas is best known for though is the surf. Having hosted numerous rounds of the WQL surfing World Tour championships there is no doubts this is a world class break. There are actually better waves in the Ericeira area but most are harder to get too...
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Duquesa Beach
Cascais

Can Stock Photo Inc

This popular beach gets its name from the Palace of the Dukes of Palmela (Palacio do Duque de Palmela) which overlooks it. Along with adjoining Praia de Conceição, this is the most easily accessed beach from Cascais town and the train station. As such it can get pretty busy in the summer months.
At lower tides Praia de Duquesa and Conceição beaches join together to form one sandy stretch. As the tide comes in they are separated by the Faial Chalet the former Court of Justice for...
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Praia da Adraga
Sintra

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.
Adraga is a fairly wild spot being located just a few kilometres north of Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point on mainland...
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Praia da Falesia
Albufeira Vilamoura

Karl Egger

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...
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Praia da Arrifana
Aljezur

Filipe Varela / 123RF

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.
Arrifana village, which spreads itself over the cliffs above the beach, has been turned largely over to...
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Praia da Cordoama
Sagres

Michael Clarke | BY-SA

Praia da Cordoama is one of several beaches that form a long sandy stretch along the coast just west of Vila do Bispo. Cordoama is by far the longest of these beaches but at low tide this doesn't matter as it joins together with neighbouring Castelejo and Barriga to form a huge sandy beach.
All these beaches are part of the beautiful coastline that makes up the Sudoeste Alentejano e Costa Vicentina Natural Park. As such they have not succumb to the ravages of tourism and are largely...
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