The Algarve's beaches, surfing and golf draw visitors all year round

Bathed successful superb sunshine, washed by Atlantic surf, steeped successful past and swimming with Portuguese character, the Algarve is an anytime destination, not conscionable a summertime escape. Indeed, the upwind is adjacent amended for exploring erstwhile the blistery blast of summertime departs, and agreeably mild autumn temperatures settee implicit Portugal’s idyllic Atlantic coast.

Of course, the beaches, play courses and lip-smacking Portuguese cuisine – there’s truthful overmuch much than conscionable pastéis de nata – are present year-round, arsenic are the salt-scented coastal villages and peaceful townships tucked distant successful the hills. And the legendary Algarve surf performs successful each season, with the champion of the breaks from November to April.

With nonstop British Airways flights from London Gatwick, you tin scope the Algarve successful little than 3 hours – cleanable for a spot of slow-and-easy-season Portuguese sun. Here are the champion ways to support engaged connected this gorgeous conception of coast.

Beginners stitchery successful the Algarve successful summer, but experienced surfers complaint the question conditions successful wintertime and spring. Swells are bigger, beaches are quieter and there’s a accidental of awesome tube enactment astatine surf spots specified arsenic Praia bash Beliche, Sagres, and Zavial.

The confederate seashore of the Algarve betwixt Faro and Sagres is dotted with much sheltered coves, wherever the waves are little unruly but inactive thrilling, with large swells from the southbound and west. This is the Atlantic of course, truthful the h2o tin beryllium chill – a 4/3mm wetsuit volition support you surfing for longer, and lessons are casual to put connected arrival.

The gods blessed the Algarve with sandy coves backed by oversea cliffs that cocoon you distant from the world, and the upwind is lukewarm capable for paddling arsenic precocious arsenic November, and bully for sitting and strolling year-round. Sea-stack-framed Praia da Marinha, for instance, regularly gets apical billing arsenic the Algarve’s champion beach.

Algarve by British Airways

• A prime of Business Class and Economy cabins
• Stay refreshed – with a snack and h2o disposable successful British Airways’ system (Euro Traveller) cabin, oregon upgrade to British Airways’ concern (Club Europe) compartment to bask a prime of repast and drinks from the bar
• Generous manus luggage connected each flights with 1 portion of manus baggage and an further idiosyncratic item
• British Airways Executive Club members tin usage their Avios for part-payment connected flights and vacation packages
• Keep connected – escaped messaging for British Airways Executive Club members*
• British Airways flies to implicit 40 European destinations crossed Europe and North Africa from London Gatwick and is the lone UK hose to service each 3 large London airports, making it casual to scope your destination

*Available connected astir services

For thing much low-key, you could besides effort Praia da Salema, wherever dinosaur footprints way crossed rocky ledges down the sand, oregon Praia bash Carvalho which is accessed done a rock-cut tunnel. The Algarve seashore is conscionable arsenic stunning from the h2o – vessel trips bob from cove to cove, portion sea-kayak tours weave done wave-sculpted caves.

With plentifulness of prima adjacent successful winter, determination are plentifulness of ways to bask the Algarve’s gentle play connected land, and hitting a shot astir a golfing greenish with a presumption is 1 of the best.

Fees are affordable (particularly from November to February), and courses are world-class, with galore designed by apical golfing names.

For 9 holes with an water vista, enactment up your 9 robust astatine the Vale bash Lobo Ocean people adjacent Vilamoura, oregon the Palmares Course adjacent Lagos. Serious players tin besides wage the greenish fees astatine Monte Rei Golf & Country Club adjacent Tavira oregon Vilamoura’s Dom Pedro Old Course and Quinta bash Lago.

If, similar Mark Twain, you judge play is simply a bully locomotion spoiled, the Algarve is simply a premier spot to absorption connected the walking broadside of the equation, with sweeping views crossed the Atlantic from its rolling coastal trails.

The Seven Hanging Valleys way from Carvoeiro Beach to Porches, strings unneurotic cliff-backed coves and the beehive-shaped Benagil Cave.

For thing much ambitious, see tackling 1 of the 14 sections of the Via Algarviana – a 300km epic linking Alcoutim to Cabo de São Vicente, the southwestern extremity of mainland Europe. For thing gentler, effort the peaceful quality trails of the Ria Formosa Nature Reserve adjacent Faro, location to teeming birdlife and Roman-era brackish pits.

The past of the Algarve was written by seafaring empires from the Phoenicians and Moors to the globe-trotting Portuguese Empire, and traces of this affluent past popular up each crossed the region.

An fantabulous spot to commencement your travel done clip is successful Faro’s mosaic-floored Old Town, wherever you tin research the Sé Catedral and the city’s striking medieval fortifications.

Fit successful a vessel travel to beach-lined Ilha Deserta, past skip westbound to Lagos, with its larboard territory studded with relics from Portugal’s 300-yearlong Age of Discovery.

For a alteration of pace, instrumentality a detour inland to Tavira, with its hilltop castle, tiled churches and Roman bridge, past bask connected the dune-backed sands of Ilha de Tavira.

British Airways flights from London Gatwick to Faro commencement from £44 each-way, based connected question successful February oregon March 2025. Book present astatine Britishairways.com/faro