26 of the Best Beaches in Albufeira

Albufeira's beaches are the main attraction for most visitors. Immediately in front of the Old Town, is Praia dos Pescadores (Fisherman’s Beach). Wide and sandy, with some interesting rock formations, this beach can get pretty crowded in peak season. An escalator down from the cliffs provides an alternative route to this beach. To the west of Fisherman’s Beach, the Praia do Tunel is accessed through a tunnel leading from Rua 5 de Outubro.

One of the area’s best Blue Flag beaches is Praia da Oura, a couple of kilometres east of the Old Town. Here, a wide strip of golden sand is backed by a walkway, along which are bars, cafes and restaurants. Because of this beach’s proximity to The Strip, it tends to attract a younger crowd.

If you’re prepared to explore a little further away from the town centre, there are plenty of lovely sandy coves to discover. One of the nicest is Praia de Sao Rafael, another terrific Blue Flag beach. The clear, shallow waters here make this a good place to snorkel.

What are the best beaches and closest beaches to Albufeira?

Showing 1 - 10 of 26

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 dos Pescadores
Albufeira

iStockPhoto

Praia dos Pescadores (Fisherman's beach) is situated right in front of Albufeira's old town. It is one of the resort's main beaches along with neighbouring Praia do Túnel and as such can get pretty busy in the summer months. Of course there are advantages; it is easily accessible from the Old Town - there is even an escalator down to beach level from the cliffs behind.
The name of the beach comes from it once being where the town's fishermen would launch their boats from. There are...
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Praia do Peneco
Albufeira

José Manuel

Praia do Peneco (also known as Praia do Túnel) is one of Albufeira's two main town beaches. In fact it really is part of the same stretch of sand as neighbouring Praia dos Pescadores with just the jetty and slipway separating the two.
Peneco beach is named after the huge sandstone rock which rises out of the sand towards the western end of the beach. Penedo is the Portuguese word for boulder.
As you might imagine, being the main beach at one of the Algarve's most...
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Praia do Inatel
Albufeira

Located just to the east of Albufeira old town is Praia do Inatel - a lovely, wide stretch of golden sand. This is the next beach along after the town's main beach (Praia dos Pescadores) and is around a 10 minute walk from Albufeira. Whilst not quite as busy, Praia do Inatel is rather popular during the summer months.
The name of the beach comes from the Inatel Albufeira Hotel which somewhat dominates the backdrop as well as providing a pleasant spot for a coffee. This is set in...
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Praia dos Alemães
Albufeira

Kolforn | BY-SA

Praia dos Alemães (German beach) is part of the long stretch of golden sand that takes in all of Albufeira's main town beaches. Don't read too much into the name as you are equally likely to see British or Dutch beachgoers as you are German. The name actually comes from an old fish canning factory located nearby which was owned by a German family.
This beach is the most easterly of the main Albufeira beaches, making it the furthest from the old town. As such it is somewhat less...
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Praia dos Aveiros
Albufeira

Vitor Oliveira | BY-SA

The small cove that forms Praia dos Aveiros sits between the bustling main beaches of Albufeira and Praia da Oura. By local standards this is something of a hidden gem which rarely gets as crowded as neighbouring beaches.
Despite this Praia dos Aveiros has the same golden sand and Blue Flag status of the beaches either side and is arguably somewhat prettier. To either side are high sandstone cliffs and various rock formations which separate the...
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Praia da Oura
Albufeira

CanStockPhoto/photostudio

Situated at the bottom of a steep hill in front of the resort village of Oura, is one of Albufeira's best beaches. A long sweep of golden sand backed by a promenade lined with cafes, bars and some nice restaurants the beach here is a little more laid back than those closer to Albufeira town.
The beach itself stretches all the way to neighbouring Praia dos Olhos d’Agua, about 2km (1.3 miles) when the tide is out. So there's plenty of space.
Praia da Oura is an accessible Blue...
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Praia de Santa Eulália
Albufeira

stavros1 | BY-SA

The Praia de Santa Eulália is located a little over 4 km to the east of Albufeira. It is something of an upmarket resort beach as the meticulously landscaped gardens to the rear of the beach will tell you. You will find rows of palm trees interspersed with aloes and other exotic plants along with areas of neatly trimmed grassy lawn.
The beach itself is a good-sized stretch of golden Algarvian sand flanked by low, pine-covered ochre cliffs at either end. The water is the typical clear...
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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 Coelha
Albufeira

Beeston | BY-SA

Located on the lovely stretch of coast between Albufeira and Armação de Pera is the charming little Praia da Coelha. Translated this means "Rabbit beach" although the only rabbit of any note here is the one on the sign.
To get to the beach involves a short walk along a footpath through assorted greenery. There are olive trees, bamboo groves and ancient carob trees which all lead you towards the wooden stairs down to the beach. Once on the beach you won't be disappointed; there are the...
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