Monthly notes

Beach in Algarve

Praia do Burgau

Village beach in a sheltered bay, “calm water most of the year” (CM Vila do Bispo 2026); Blue Flag 2026 (ABAE); lifeguards 1 Jun–30 Sep 2026 (Portaria); stairs and ramp, paved ~40-car park (CM).

Hours
Open access. Praia de banhos 2026 with lifeguards 1 Jun–30 Sep (Portaria 204-A/2026/1; APA profile 2026). Blue Flag period 1 Jul–30 Sep 2026 (ABAE).
Open in Google Maps

OK with kids

Documented conditions only: “calm waters most of the year, sheltered from the prevailing winds”, stairs and ramp, paved car park of about 40 places close to the beach, café-restaurant with WC (CM Vila do Bispo, page updated 26 Mar 2026); praia de banhos with lifeguards 1 Jun–30 Sep 2026 (Portaria 204-A/2026/1). Fishing boats use a stone ramp in the middle of the bay (CM). Research — not first-hand.

The notes

Coordinates (research)

  • Used: OSM way 38502661 “Praia do Burgau” (centroid, Nominatim) — 37.0712712, -8.7763434. [OSM via the Nominatim query listed in sources, 2 Oct 2026]
  • pt-Wikipedia: 37.07166667, -8.77527778 — ≈ 104 m from the used point (haversine, computed here). [pt-Wikipedia]
  • ABAE registered point: 37.0719, -8.7752 — ≈ 123 m from the used point (haversine, computed here). [ABAE registered point]
  • APA classification list: 37.0716, -8.77521 — ≈ 107 m from the used point (haversine, computed here). [APA classification list]
  • APA 2026 sampling point: 37.0716, -8.7752 — ≈ 108 m from the used point (haversine, computed here). [APA 2026 sampling point]
  • OSM way 38502661 bounding-box centre (Overpass): 37.0713022, -8.7755754 — ≈ 68 m from the used point (haversine, computed here). [OSM way 38502661 bounding-box centre]

What the sources say (research)

  • Official profile: Urban beach with intensive use. [APA profile PTCV3K, v1/2026]
  • Official profile: In the PNSACV. [APA profile PTCV3K, v1/2026]
  • Official profile: Golden sand in a small bay that also serves as a fishing harbour, surrounded by marly cliffs. [APA profile PTCV3K, v1/2026]
  • Official profile: Frontage 100 m. [APA profile PTCV3K, v1/2026]
  • Official profile: Tide 3.4–3.5 m. [APA profile PTCV3K, v1/2026]
  • Official profile: Mean wave 1 m. [APA profile PTCV3K, v1/2026]
  • Official profile: Wind N/NW. [APA profile PTCV3K, v1/2026]
  • Official profile: Season 1 Jun–30 Sep 2026. [APA profile PTCV3K, v1/2026]
  • Official profile: 0 restricted days 2025. [APA profile PTCV3K, v1/2026]
  • Water quality Excellent every year 2011–2025. [APA classification 2011–2025]
  • Blue Flag 2026 awardee (Burgau, Vila do Bispo); Blue Flag period 01/07–30/09/2026. [ABAE 2026 list; ABAE Vila do Bispo page]
  • Qualified as “praia de banhos” for 2026 — bathing water Burgau (PTCV3K), praia de banhos “Burgau”, época balnear 1 de junho a 30 de setembro; the annex footnote (*) states that waters without a listed praia de banhos are those where, at publication, surveillance of bathers is not assured (art. 2.º n.º 5 likewise). [Portaria 204-A/2026/1, anexo I (DR 1.ª série n.º 84, supl., 30 Apr 2026)]
  • AMN “Praias Vigiadas” list (linked as “Praias Vigiadas 2025” from AMN’s landing page; no year printed on the list itself): Praia do Burgau — 1 de junho a 30 de setembro. [AMN Praias Vigiadas; AMN Época Balnear landing page]
  • The ABAE municipality page prints the bathing season as “01/06/2026 a 30/01/2026”; the Portaria, APA and CM Vila do Bispo print 1 June–30 September 2026. [ABAE Vila do Bispo page; Portaria 204-A/2026/1; APA profile; CM Vila do Bispo]
  • Municipality (concelho): Vila do Bispo, parish of Budens — village of Burgau, south coast, between Praia da Salema and Praia da Luz (Lagos). [pt-Wikipedia rev. 30 Sep 2022; CM Vila do Bispo]
  • CM Vila do Bispo: the last beach of the concelho’s south coast, at the mouth of the watercourse marking the border with Lagos; medium-length sand along a bay around the fishing village (16th-century tuna-fishery origins); a stone-slab boat ramp in the centre of the bay is still used by traditional fishing boats, with the fishermen at work in the mornings. [CM Vila do Bispo beach page, updated 26 Mar 2026]
  • CM Vila do Bispo: “good accessibility and proximity to car parking”. [CM Vila do Bispo beach page, 2026]
  • CM Vila do Bispo: “calm waters most of the year, sheltered from the prevailing winds”. [CM Vila do Bispo beach page, 2026]
  • CM Vila do Bispo: Road access paved. [CM Vila do Bispo beach page, 2026]
  • CM Vila do Bispo: Pedestrian access stairs and ramp. [CM Vila do Bispo beach page, 2026]
  • CM Vila do Bispo: Parking paved, about 40 ordered places. [CM Vila do Bispo beach page, 2026]
  • CM Vila do Bispo: Café-restaurant with WC. [CM Vila do Bispo beach page, 2026]
  • CM Vila do Bispo: Bathing season 1 Jun–30 Sep with Maritime Authority and lifeguards. [CM Vila do Bispo beach page, 2026]
  • CM Vila do Bispo: White sand. [CM Vila do Bispo beach page, 2026]
  • CM Vila do Bispo: 350 m × 30 m at high tide. [CM Vila do Bispo beach page, 2026]
  • CM Vila do Bispo: Limestone and marl cliffs. [CM Vila do Bispo beach page, 2026]
  • CM Vila do Bispo: Winds NW and SE. [CM Vila do Bispo beach page, 2026]
  • CM Vila do Bispo: Water ~22 °C in summer. [CM Vila do Bispo beach page, 2026]
  • CM Vila do Bispo: Blue Flag. [CM Vila do Bispo beach page, 2026]
  • Length: APA frontage 100 m [APA profile 2026]; CM Vila do Bispo 350 m at high tide [CM, 2026]; guiadepraias 300 m [guiadepraias.pt].

Open questions

Where the places are

From Praia do Burgau: Praia do Amado (15 km), Praia de Alvor (18 km), Praia da Bordeira (18 km), Praia dos Três Irmãos (Alvor) (18 km), Praia da Rocha (22 km), Praia Grande (Ferragudo) (23 km), Praia da Arrifana (26 km), Praia de Carvoeiro (27 km), Praia de Vale Centeanes (29 km), Praia do Carvalho (31 km), Praia de Monte Clérigo (31 km), Praia de Benagil (31 km), Praia da Amoreira (32 km), Praia da Marinha (32 km), Praia da Senhora da Rocha (35 km), Praia de Armação de Pêra (37 km), Praia de Odeceixe (41 km), Praia da Falésia (56 km), Ilha Deserta (Praia da Barreta) (81 km). Straight-line distances from the centre point, not driving times.

Beach

Ilha Deserta (Praia da Barreta)

Uninhabited Ria Formosa barrier island, boat only from Faro (CM Faro); Praia da Barreta: Blue Flag 2026 (ABAE), lifeguards 1 Jun–30 Sep 2026 (Portaria); one restaurant, boardwalk, naturist zone (CM).

  • Seasonal
Researched

last checked

Beach

Praia da Falésia

Long sand under red clay cliffs east of Olhos de Água (>3 km, CM Albufeira, undated); Blue Flag 2026 at Açoteias and Alfamar (ABAE); lifeguards 15 May–15 Oct 2026 (Portaria); stairs or ramp (CM).

  • OK with kids
  • Seasonal
Researched

last checked

Beach

Praia da Marinha

Limestone-cliff cove near Carvoeiro; lifeguards 1 Jun–30 Sep 2026 and “praia de uso limitado” (Portaria; CM Lagoa: rockfall risk strips at high tide); Blue Flag 2026 conflicts between sources.

  • Seasonal
Researched

last checked

Beach

Praia da Rocha

Portimão’s urban resort beach: >1 km of sand, 2.4 km boardwalk, playground, toilets, medical post (CM Portimão 2022); Blue Flag 2026 (ABAE); lifeguards 1 Jun–30 Sep 2026 (Portaria); accessible 2024.

  • OK with kids
  • Seasonal
Researched

last checked