Portugal - Walking holiday along the Algarve Coast - Lagos to Tavira
- To the east along the wild Atlantic coast -
During this holiday you discover the picturesque beaches and marvelous coastal scenery of the Algarve in all its colorful facets: in the West a wild nature scenery awaits with rugged cliff coasts, impressive rock formations and unique limestone faces. In the mediterranean East deserted beaches and endless lagoons stretch all around the Ria Formosa nature reserve, a paradise for all kinds of countless birds and marine creatures. You get to observe the customs and traditions in the pretty fishing villages along the coast everywhere, on the hiking paths you come across numerous flowers and plants of all kinds. A perfect hiking tour for people who love stunning beaches and unspoilt nature.
Throughout you walk on well-maintained paths, on sandy and rocky trails, as well as on steep paths along the cliffs, partly also on gravel roads. For the hiking tours with a walking time of up to 5.5 hours a good basic fitness level and surefootedness for the, in parts, rocky paths along the cliffs are necessary. Along stunning coastal paths, you discover the diversity of the East- and West coast of the Algarve.
Highlights on this tour
- Impressive limestone and sandstone rock formations
- Remote hiking trails along the south coast
- Paradise bays and endless sandy beaches
- Unique plant and animal life in the Ria Formosa National Park
- Romantic alleyways in the historic destination towns
Great things about this tour
Itinerary See all daysClose all days
The small coastal town of Lagos welcomes you with plenty of Mediterranean charm in the narrow streets of its historic centre, and the bustle of the harbour and romantic sandy beach help to get you in the holiday mood.
You will be picked up at the hotel at 9 am and driven to the start of the hike. Today's hike takes place in a very special setting with black, red and yellow rock formations, sparsely vegetated plateaus, long sandy beaches and magnificent promontories. From peaceful Sagres, you'll walk along deserted paths through fragrant maquis in a beautiful undulating landscape along the coast and on along steep cliff paths and past coves of beautiful sparkling water until you finally reach the small village of Figueira. You will be picked up at 5pm in Figueira and driven back to the hotel.
You start the day by taking the bus from Lagos to Burgau. From the small coastal town of Burgau, you'll embark on a wonderful walk by the sea, with high, craggy cliffs, cosy little coves and caves with lapping water testifying to the enormous power of the deep blue waves. The sound of lapping waves and the unmistakable scent of the Atlantic accompany you all the way up to the lighthouse that towers over the spectacular cliffs of Ponta da Piedade. The walk ends back in Lagos.
You'll be picked up at your hotel at 9am and driven to the start of today's route. From Ferragudo, you'll continue along an impressive cliff path over steep cliffs and past carved limestone formations and secluded sandy beaches all the way to Cavoeiro, where you can take a well-earned break in a beach bar. Then the route continues along a lovely coastal path through the 'seven hanging valleys' past countless rock formations to Praia da Marinha. After today's hike, you'll be picked up at Praia da Marinha at 5pm and driven to today's hotel in Albufeira.
You will be picked up at your hotel at 9am and driven to the start of today's route. Today's route follows winding paths through the dunes and lagoons of the coastal nature reserve, and in addition to the stunning views of the mud bank and the sea from the lookout towers, you can also spot countless species of birds. On the famous Ludo hiking trail, cross the bridge to Ilha de Faro, a long stretch of sandy beach where you can take a long break. From Ilha do Faro, take the bus into town. It is also possible to take a longer and more direct route to Faro.
After a short train ride, you will reach the starting point of today's route, the fishing village of Fuzeta. The route passes glistening salt pans and small villages with colourful houses and orchards in full bloom. Once you reach the banks of the calmly flowing Ria Formosa River, continue along the lagoon through the natural park until you reach the island of Tavira. Then the journey continues past the 'anchorage' via the fine sandy beach all the way to the island's north coast, from where you take the ferry to the 'Venice of the Algarve', as the historic little town of Tavira is known.
You will start the day with a pick-up at the hotel at 9am, after which you will be driven to the start of the day's hike. Today's idyllic walk takes you along the coast to the easternmost part of the Algarve, bordering Spain. The route continues over meandering dunes, through fragrant pine forests and on across deserted beaches until you reach the estuary of the Rio Guadiana, which separates Portugal and Spain. Today's destination is the charming little village of Vila Real de Santo António, which has an interesting history and impressive buildings. After the hike, take the train back to Tavira (takes about 30 minutes).
This tour is now over. During the morning you check out from the hotel. It is possible to book extra nights after the tour if you prefer.
Price includes
- 7 nights in double room in 4-star hotels with swimming pool (single room possible)
- Breakfast every day
- Welcome briefing
- Transfers according to program
- Detailed travel information (route maps or overview maps, route description, tourist attractions, important telephone numbers)
- 24-hour local and international service hotline for the duration of the tour
- Access to the route in our GPS-app which works offline while you walk
- This is a packaged holiday and is therefore covered by The Travel Guarantee Fund - See which benefits this means for you - click here
- Transportation to/from Portugal
- Tourist tax (if due)
- Handling fee (EUR 20)
- Fares for public transport, approx. EUR 10 per person
- Boat trip Tavira Island – Tavira, approx. EUR 2 per person
- optional: Transfer to/from Faro Airport
Practical info
The price is based upon two people sharing. It is also possible travel alone in a single room. If you travel alone a single room is necessary.
On this tour you will be on your own supplied with maps, route descriptions and luggage transfers. That means that your time is your own and you have plenty of time to enjoy the stages in your own pace.
Check the price quickly
You can quickly check the price of your desired trip without having to fill in anything. Here's how:
- Choose your desired start date
- Click on the green button "See price and reserve your holiday" and go to the booking form
- Select number of people, add any optional extras and see the price at the bottom of the page (you don't have to fill in anything on the form).
Get a quote
For example, if you want a flight included or changes to the trip, you can order a quote for this using the "Get a quote" button. Remember to describe in detail what, if anything, you want changed.
The process of your booking
When you book, we will start booking hotels and arranging all the practical details of the trip. This process typically takes 2-5 working days, but some bookings may take longer. If you are arranging your own transport, we recommend that you wait until we have confirmed your booking before arranging this.
Dates
If you can select the date in the tour calendar at the top of this page, this is a possible start date. We continually update the tours with sold-out dates, after which those dates will turn red and cannot be selected.
The flights to/from Faro are not included in the price. You can easily find a suitable flight via a flight booking engine such as Momondo or Skyscanner.
Notice: we recommend that you book with us and wait for the confirmation before you book your flights.
It works like this:
- You book your chosen holiday with us
- We confirm your holiday (usually within 48 hours)
- You arrange your transportation
Getting there
Here is a link for the perfect tool which will help you get an overview of how to get to the starting point of the tour: Rome2Rio
Airport transfer
Transfer from/to Faro airport is not included in the price, but can be selected on the booking form. The transfer is available regardless of the time of day you arrive in Faro.
On this trip you will stay in carefully selected 4-star hotels all week in standard rooms. All hotels have a swimming pool.
In the itinerary you can see examples of the hotels we use most often on this trip. If there are no vacancies in the hotels when you book the trip, we will book hotels of equivalent quality.
Breakfast is included every day. It is very easy to find both packed lunches and evening meals in the towns on the tour. The Algarve is full of great places to eat, so food on the road is never a problem.
Luggage transfer is included on this tour. Upon arrival at the first hotel you will be given luggage tags along with the rest of the welcome package. You fill out the luggage tags and put them on your bags where they will remain for the duration of the tour.
Your luggage is picked up from the hotel lobby around 9am every morning and will arrive at your next hotel at 6pm at the latest (often long before that). If there are any special exceptions to the luggage transfer you will be notified upon arrival.
Luggage transfer includes one bag per guest and the bags can weigh 20kg each.
You will recieve the following documentation
Upon booking
You recieve practical information about the tour in a digital format
One month before arrival
You recieve your hotel list and your voucher (hotel list is often supplied upon booking)
Upon arrival
You recieve the welcome package which contains the printed version of the road book, luggage tags, local specific vouchers and if you have rented bikes then they will also be delivered and fitted at the first hotel.
This tour has difficulty grade 2.
Grade 2
Easier walking at reasonable good paths. The walking time will be 4-6 hours usually in hilly terrain. Every one in good health and a normal physical fitness can participate. Luggage is mostly transported and you only go with a lighter backpack. Requires good footwear such as trekking shoes or hiking boots.
Read more about our Grading System
Here you can get an overview of the entire route and the elevation profile for each day. The data shows the data from the GPX-files related to the tour. Notice that the routes are sometimes updated, which means that there might be small variations.
Colors
Blue routes: The route as normal
Red routes: Variations/options (such as shortened or extended routes)
On this trip there is a discount for children and people sharing a room with "two fully paying adults". The discount depends on the child’s age, as follows:
Children under 5.99 years: free of charge
Children between 6 and 11.99 years: 50% discount
Children between 12 - 14.99 years: 25% discount
People from 15 years and up: 10% discount
Example 1
2 adults and 1 child. In this case it’s very easy because you are staying in the same room. The child will receive a discount in relation to the above prices.
Example 2
2 adults and 2 children (age 5 and 13 years old): in this case you have two options. If you want to stay in two double rooms, then we apply the full price for all participants. If you want to sleep in the same room (eg. a family room), both children will receive a discount (respectively free or 25%)
Example 3
2 adults and 3 children (age: 7, 13 and 15 years). Here you will probably need two double rooms, where the youngest child is sleeping with the parents. Therefore, there will only be a discount for the youngest child of 7 years who will receive a 50% discount.
Example 4
3 adults who want to sleep in the same double room. Then extra adult will receive a 10% discount.
Notice
On our booking form you can only choose "adults" because our website cannot calculate children's discount by itself. Therefore, you should simply enter the details of the children's age, date of birth and, if desired, the room distribution in the notification area when you book the trip. Then we arrange and adjust the price later after.
It is important that you understand that it is your own responsibility when you choose to bring your children on the trips. You should check the difficulty levels descriptions and from there, consider whether the specific trip is suitable for your child. In general, we do not recommend that children under the age of 15 participate in trips where the difficulty is over 2.
It can be hard to plan your trip according to the weather, but to give an idea of the local climate, you can see the data below:
The statistics are from yr.no.
We are members of the Travel Guarantee Fund (nr. 2529) and have all available insurances. This covers you regardless of your nationality. Read more about that here.
Call our experts on weekdays between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.
Phone: +44 20 3936 1208
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Phone: +44 20 3936 1208
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