Things to do in the Algarvewest, centre and east, with kids and in winter

Short answer: the Algarve splits into three very different holidays. The west (Lagos, Sagres) is cliffs, grottoes and surf: take a boat into the Ponta da Piedade grottoes and stand at Cape St Vincent. The centre (Carvoeiro to Vilamoura) has Benagil, the Seven Hanging Valleys walk and the big family parks, with Silves, Loulé and Monchique inland. The east (Faro, Olhão, Tavira) is the Ria Formosa lagoon, with barrier-island beaches reached by ferry, and three old towns on the railway. Each section below links to the guide with the prices, hours and timetables.

We spent about a year in the western Algarve (Sagres, Lagos); the rest of this page is research from official sources, dated, and it says so where we haven’t been. Not sure which side suits you? Read east vs west Algarve first.

The west: Lagos, Sagres and the Atlantic coast

1. Ponta da Piedade by boat or kayak. The headland just south of Lagos is a maze of sea stacks, arches and grottoes. Local boatmen take visitors in from a landing at the foot of a long stairway below the lighthouse [1]; boat and kayak trips from the town are compared on our Lagos page. Operators, prices and the boardwalk walk to the coves are in things to do in Lagos.

2. Lagos old town and beaches. Lagos is the west’s base: a walled old town, the museum, a Saturday morning market [30] and the coves of Camilo and Dona Ana. We cover it in things to do in Lagos, Lagos beaches and day trips from Lagos.

3. Sagres fortress and Cape St Vincent. The 15th-century Fortaleza de Sagres sits on its own headland [31]; the official listing gives 09:30–17:30 [2]. About 6 km west, Cabo de São Vicente is the south-westernmost point of mainland Europe [3]. The lighthouse itself is closed to visits until further notice, according to the navy authority that runs lighthouse visits [4]. Getting there by bus is covered in Sagres without a car.

4. The west coast beaches and the Fishermen’s Trail. North of Sagres the coast turns to the Atlantic: surf beaches, few buildings, and the Rota Vicentina’s Fishermen’s Trail, a mostly sandy clifftop route its organisers recommend from September to June [5]. Our Fishermen’s Trail guide picks the stages that work as a half day, and west coast beaches sorts the beaches by surfers, beginners and children.

The centre: Benagil, Carvoeiro, Silves, Monchique, Albufeira, Loulé

5. Benagil cave, the legal way. You can no longer swim into the Benagil cave or land on its beach (since August 2024), and since July 2025 kayak and SUP trips without a guide are banned too. A licensed boat goes in for two minutes; a guided kayak or SUP group can stay up to eight [6][7]. Our Benagil cave guide compares boat, kayak and the clifftop view, with parking and advice for children.

6. The Seven Hanging Valleys trail. A clifftop path of 5.7 km one way (11.2 km there and back) from Praia de Vale Centeanes near Carvoeiro to Praia da Marinha, passing above Benagil; the municipality rates it medium and recommends spring and autumn [8]. With small children, the short Algar Seco boardwalk in Carvoeiro is the easier option. Both are in our Seven Hanging Valleys and Carvoeiro boardwalk guide.

7. Silves castle. The Castelo de Silves and the town below it are a half day, with a combined ticket for the castle and the archaeology museum [9]. Trains, the tide-dependent boat from Portimão and the August medieval fair are in our Silves day trip.

8. Monchique and Fóia. The hills behind Portimão are the Algarve’s cooler, greener side. Fóia, at 902 m, is the region’s highest point [10], and the spa hamlet of Caldas de Monchique has hot springs 6 km below the town [11]. How to get up there, by car or by bus, is in the Monchique day trip.

Also in the centre: Portimão. At the mouth of the Arade, Portimão has Praia da Rocha, a museum in its old sardine cannery, boat trips from the marina and the villages of Ferragudo and Alvor on either side; all in things to do in Portimão.

9. Albufeira. The big resort of the centre: an old town above the fishing-boat beach, the long beaches either side, the marina and Zoomarine nearby. What to do there is in things to do in Albufeira; whether to base yourself there is a separate question, answered in is Albufeira worth it?.

10. Loulé market and old town. Inland from Vilamoura, Loulé’s domed market hall opened in 1908 and was restored between 2004 and 2007 [12]; the council also lists a weekly market every Saturday [13]. The castle museum, craft workshops and walks are in things to do in Loulé.

11. Roman Vilamoura. Next to the marina at Vilamoura, Cerro da Vila is an excavated Roman site occupied from the 1st century BC to the 11th century AD, with a small museum [14]. A quiet hour away from the beach. The marina, the beaches towards Falésia and the nature trail are in things to do in Vilamoura.

The east: Faro, the Ria Formosa islands and Tavira

12. Faro old town. Faro is more than its airport. Walk through the 1812 Arco da Vila into the walled old town [15] and climb the cathedral’s bell tower, which is on the same ticket as the church and its museum [16]. The bone chapel, the market and a one-day plan are in things to do in Faro.

13. A boat to a barrier island. The Ria Formosa lagoon is lined with sandy barrier islands. From Faro, boats run to Ilha Deserta, the Farol and Culatra [17]; from Olhão, the boats to Armona and Culatra run all year, four times a day to Armona in winter [18]; from Tavira, ferries cross to the long beach of Ilha de Tavira [19]. Which island suits families, a quiet day or a car-free stay, with fares and winter timetables, is in our Ria Formosa islands guide.

14. Tavira. A low-rise river town rebuilt after the 1755 earthquake, with a bridge linking the two halves of the centre and 37 churches, among them Santa Maria do Castelo [20]. Its beach is on the island. The island ferry timetables, the castle, Barril and Cacela Velha are in things to do in Tavira; the town itself in our Tavira guide, families in Tavira with kids. At nearby Praia do Barril, a footbridge and an adapted beach train make the island reachable with a pushchair or a wheelchair [21].

15. Olhão’s markets and waterfront. Olhão, the next town east of Faro on the railway, has its market halls on the waterfront and is the port for the Armona and Culatra boats [18]. See Olhão.

With kids

The big family parks are in the centre, between Albufeira and Lagoa, and their seasons matter more than their prices.

• Zoomarine, the marine park at Guia near Albufeira, runs a reduced autumn calendar: in October 2026 it opens Tuesday to Saturday, in November only Thursday to Saturday until 28 November [22].
• Slide & Splash, the water park at Estômbar in Lagoa, closes for the season on 31 October 2026 [23].
• Aquashow in Quarteira has an indoor water park, open daily from 1 October 2026 with timed 2- or 3-hour tickets [24].
• Zoo de Lagos, inland from Lagos, opens all year (10:00–17:00 from October to March) and is reachable by town bus line 6 [25].
• Krazy World near Algoz is an interactive zoo with pools and mini golf [26]; its opening days were not readable on its site, so phone before you drive.

Ticket prices change by season and by height. We list them, read from each park’s own site, in the Algarve with kids, together with which coast suits small children, car seats, doctors and rainy days. Town by town: Lagos with kids, Portimão with kids, Sagres with kids, Tavira with kids.

In winter

Winter is mild rather than warm. Faro’s January mean daily maximum is 16.3 °C and the mean minimum 8.3 °C, with about six days of 1 mm of rain or more a month in the 1991–2020 normal [28], and the January offshore Faro sea average is 16.6 °C [32]. It is the time for walking, towns and long stays, not for beach days. More month by month in the best time to visit the Algarve.

What still works from November to March:

• Coastal walks. The Seven Hanging Valleys trail is best in spring and autumn [8], and the Fishermen’s Trail season runs from September to June [5]. Avoid windy and rainy days on the clifftops.
• Castles and old towns. Silves, Loulé, Faro and Tavira, with their market halls in the mornings and Loulé’s weekly market on Saturdays [13].
• The islands. The Olhão–Armona ferry runs all year, four times a day from October to March [18]; other island boats run reduced winter timetables or stop for the season, so check our Ria Formosa guide.
• Indoor days. The Aquashow indoor park in Quarteira [24], the Centro Ciência Viva science centre in Faro (Tuesday to Sunday, Tuesday to Saturday in January and February) [27] and the one in Lagos; details in the Algarve with kids.
• Monchique. The hills get more winter rain than the coast [11], so pick a dry day for the drive up to Fóia; see the Monchique day trip.

What closes: Slide & Splash after 31 October [23] and Zoomarine after 28 November until its next season [22], and some island boats stop for the winter while others run fewer times a day [17][18][19]. Check before you go.

Planning around it

• Itinerary: five, seven and ten-day plans that combine the west and the east are in our Algarve itinerary.
• Without a car: the trains along the coast, the bus routes, ferries and what you cannot reach are in the Algarve without a car. For Benagil, Monchique and the west coast, see Algarve car hire.
• Beaches: our Algarve beaches overview groups the beaches by coast, with lifeguard and Blue Flag status for 2026.
• Where to stay: pick the base by area: where to stay in the Algarve, or by town for Lagos, Albufeira, Vilamoura and Loulé and Tavira.

Back to the Algarve destination guide.

Sea: NOAA OISST v2.1 offshore surface temperatures, 2001–2020, calculated and checked on 11 October 2026 (Faro 36.875° N, 7.875° W [32]). We average daily values within each month and year, then give each of the 20 annual monthly means equal weight. These 0.25° grid cells are coastal proxies, not measurements at individual beaches or a forecast.