Most sunbathers flock to the Algarve’s sheltered coves and resort beaches (and rightly so! ), but there are lots of other fantastic coastal swimming sites strewn along the country’s coastline – especially if you want your beaches to be a little wilder and wind-lashed. Here are our recommendations for the top beaches in Portugal.
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With 830 kilometres of coastline, Portugal offers sun-drenched beaches of all kinds, from bustling city beaches with bars to huge swaths of golden sand where scores of surfers battle the famed Atlantic swells.
Camilo Beach, near the busy seaside town of Lagos in the western Algarve, is one of the nicest beaches in southern Portugal. This beautiful area of sparkling white sand is accessible via a long wooden stairway that snakes down through a carpet of shrubby kermes oak and wrinkle-leaved rockrose, hemmed in by sandstone cliffs and strangely shaped rock formations.
Despite its proximity to some of the region’s major resorts, Praia do Camilo’s serene environment emanates an impression of peaceful exclusivity, lapped by warm, shallow, turquoise waters favoured by snorkelers.
Sunbathers and tourists are served at a modest cliff-top restaurant, where the menu is enhanced by a spectacular panoramic view of the coastline between Lagos and faraway Albufeira.
Praia Baleal is a spectacular beach located 5 kilometres northeast of Peniche on Portugal’s west coast. This sand stretch serves as a causeway connecting the mainland to Baleal, a picturesque island-village perched atop a rugged headland jutting into the Atlantic Ocean. The beautiful swath of sandy beach here offers both north and south swimming, as well as excellent surfing. As a result, surf schools and some bar restaurants dot the sands.
Amado Beach is one of the best surfing spots in Portugal. This lovely half-moon strip of sand is bordered by undulating dunes and falls inside the confines of the protected Parque Natural do Sudoeste Alentejano e Costa Vicentina, which is known for its consistent and diverse waves.
Praia do Amado, like many of the beaches along the Algarve’s wild and unpredictable Atlantic Ocean west coast, has multiple surf schools, some of which are open all year. Indeed, significant national and international surfing events are held in this location.
Amado is not for the usual resort-seeking traveller. It is remote and off the main path. Instead, this is a place for independent, free-spirited travellers who are fascinated by the region’s varied flora and fauna.
This spectacular beach constitutes the western edge of the So Jacinto environmental reserve, sandwiched between smashing Atlantic breakers and infinite dunes. The beach is accessible via a 20-minute bus ride (from Aveiro to Forte da Barra), a boat ride (to So Jacinto), and a short walk, but the effort will be well worth it for those who want sandy, secluded, and rugged beaches. Aveiro is also approximately 45 minutes by rail from Porto, making this beach a wonderful day trip from the capital.
Falésia Beach is one of the most famous tourist destinations in the Algarve, with a golden ribbon of sand stretching over six kilometres.
Praia da Falésia, east of Albufeira, is surrounded by a stretch of spectacular cliffs painted in rich earthy hues such as burnt ochre, rust red, and gingerbread orange. Years of erosion have carved serpentine furrows and deep gullies into this sandstone belt as if ploughed by a hardworking monster.
The overhang is crowned by a coastal promenade that winds through fragrant pine forests. Falésia is long enough that you may find a calm, uncrowded location to rest and tan even in the height of summer.
A variety of top coastal resorts overlook the beach, including the premium PortoBay Falésia, which has café and restaurant options.
Quinta do Lago Beach – practically a big sand bar – is reached by crossing a long, narrow, finger-like bridge across a brine-laced reed bed and then strolling the boardwalk to the water’s edge in the globally known Parque Natural da Ria Formosa.
The abundance of birds that makes this stretch of the Algarve home is part of the attraction of Praia da Quinta do Lago; the marshlands are home to countless waders, and you may regularly see beautiful storks and flamingos.
Except for an excellent restaurant known for its seafood selection, the beach is stunning and devoid of commercialism. The neighbouring Quinta do Lago Hotel caters to a more affluent audience and is at a short distance from the San Lorenzo Golf Club.
This massive natural seaside cave has a hole in its ceiling through which streaming sunshine lights the sandstone and beach below, making it one of the Algarve’s – and Portugal’s – most iconic sites. The only way to go into the interior is by boat. Many firms along the coast, such as Taruga Tours, provide boat tours and rent kayaks and SUPs (stand-up paddleboards) so you may paddle here on your own. Due to severe tides and currents, as well as high watercraft traffic, swimming to the caverns is not recommended.
Praia das Furnas is a long stretch of fine sand flanked by small rocky cliffs on the left bank of the Rio Mira, on the coast of Portugal’s southern Alentejo area. The area’s sandbars are ideal for some peaceful wave frolicking — a great alternative for families. You may drive here or take the Maresia Milfontes ferry from Vila Nova de Milfontes, a sleepy tourist town with plenty of character.
Martinhal Beach, which is wonderfully isolated and fronts the Martinhal Sagres Beach Family Resort Hotel, is a popular family destination since it offers food and drinks from sophisticated beachside bistros.
The wonderfully soft and golden sand at Praia does Martinhal forms a natural bay with stunning limestone rock outcroppings. These islets, teeming with marine life, make for fantastic diving expeditions. Swimming is a safe activity, and there are numerous water sports to choose from. Windsurfing is possible when the wind is blowing from the north.
Other activities include beachcombing the 30-minute walk west to Sagres and exploring the ruins of the Roman kilns located east of the resort complex.
Praia da Rocha is one of Portugal’s most well-known beaches, named after a resort near Portimao, the Algarve’s second city. Rocha, a spectacular swath of sand with multiple boardwalks and pathways, is a popular summer vacation spot for both locals and tourists.
The seaside boulevard, a popular promenade packed with hotels, cafés, restaurants, and other recreational amenities, leads to the beach.
The nearby Portimao Marina and the Fortaleza de Santa Catarina fortification to the east of the beach, as well as the hilltop viewpoint at Três Castelos at the far western end, make for interesting viewing diversions. You can also see massive sandstone rock outcroppings here (Rocha means “rock” in Portuguese).
Visit the historic Bela Vista Hotel & Spa, built-in 1918 and one of the region’s original hotels, for a light lunch.
Comporta Beach, an hour’s drive south of Lisbon, has a charming beach-shack ambience. This simple hideaway, perched on the Tróia Peninsula – a sliver of sand jutting out from Portugal’s Alentejo province’s northern shore – is delightfully devoid of mass tourists.
The pristine Praia da Comporta is the preserve of a chic, more discerning crowd, as well as in-the-know surfers, and is named after the charming little whitewashed village of Comporta, a gem of a place straddled over rice paddies and salt pans and where every chimneystack, it seems, has been commandeered by white storks.
The bleached-wood eateries that punctuate the boardwalks surprise with their colourful and eccentric interiors, while thatched cabanas cling to shifting dunes.
Guincho Beach, one of Europe’s best windsurfing and kitesurfing spots, is located on the Lisbon coast, six kilometres northwest of the cheerful tourist town of Cascais.
The huge expanse of sand that borders the western edge of the Parque Natural de Sintra-Cascais receives the roaring Atlantic Ocean at Praia do Guincho. This wild and windy coastline, combined with an almost constant breeze, creates ideal conditions for surfers, windsurfers, and kitesurfers brave enough to harness nature’s raw and often unpredictable force.
Guincho isn’t exactly a beach for tourists looking for a place to relax in the sun because it offers little protection from the elements. It’s also not particularly family-oriented. Instead, for serious water sports aficionados, this is an adrenaline-pumping option.
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