Faro and Albufeira in December
Having spent the December festive period in Portugal, we took a gamble and booked another trip down to the south coast and here’s how the 5 days went (26 to 30 Dec) Our group consisted of 6 adults and 1 child, so the activities had to be chosen accordingly.
Before reading on, a summary of sorts is due — it wasn’t the best weather compared to Porto, which would seem odd. Also, coastal towns often have a lot to offer, and this may be true if visited in the summer months. Albufeira turned out to be the hidden gem, and Faro quite underwhelming. During the 5 days we spent there, it rained non-stop for the most part on 2 days. This left us with only 2 full days to explore the area. It’s also worth noting that many restaurants seemed to be closed over the festive period.
Day1 — arrive in Albufeira
We checked-in to our villa in Albufeira and hit the Old Town to make use of the few hours of sunlight we had left.
Some of the local sites consist of churches and towers, all of which are in close proximity — Igreja de Sant’Ana, 18th-century church in the Old Town, with a nice elevated position and view
Igreja Matriz de Albufeira along Igreja Nova.
Igreja Nossa Senhora da Conceição (Parish Church) from the 18th century built after the 1755 quake also has a small local museum / archaeological museum focused on local finds covering Roman, Moorish and earlier eras.
The medieval clock-tower (Torre do Relógio) and old castle wall remains.
You could stop at Terrazzo for some Italian food, but we just stopped to take pictures of the pretty wall.
End the evening with a stroll along the Praia do Túnel.
Day2 — Albufeira Marina and Vilamoura
The plan to spend a day in one of the local towns had to be ditched due to the rain. We had to find an alternative and decided to head to the Marina. It offers indoor activities but we were secretly hoping it would stop raining — it didn’t!
Arriving to a very sparsely populated Marina, we had lunch at El Barrio Tapas Restaurant before heading to the Electric Karting Albufeira Marina. The wait was over an hour and hoping for clear weather we decided to drive to Vilamoura.
We quite liked the town of Vilamoura. It was obvious on the approach to the town that it is a luxurious resort town. We ended up going there again, as we couldn’t get a good look in the evening.
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The marina is upscale with bars and restaurants and several hotels with sea facing rooms. We made a quick stop at the “Cerro da Vila” — Roman Village but can be totally avoided unless you’d like a quick lesson in history. Tickets are nominal, free for kids. We then drove to the other side to have a closer look at the lighthouse (Farol de Vilamoura). It’s possible to walk right up to them, but the advise is to have proper foot-wear as it’s very rocky and unstable.
Day3 — another wet day, spent shopping
If it’s a dry day, consider driving along Faro District coastline, hike along the various trails or discover further afield towns of Silves or Loulé. The rain dampened our experience considerably but for a good indoor shopping mall, I’d recommend Forum Algarve. The highlight for me was Auchan, the largest superstore I’ve ever seen!
Day4 — Slab Cliffs and Benagil Cave
Finally a dry day, and we had ground to cover. We ventured out to Vilamoura again, taking in the sights and sun that was on offer. From here we drove to Slab Cliffs before heading to the Marina for a boat trip to see the Benagil Caves.
The advice is to book in advance for the Benagil Caves. Tours range from 2.5 to 3.5 hours with the option for a catamaran or small boat. We booked a catamaran, but in hindsight it would be better to get a boat. This is because a boat can get closer to the Benagil Cave, giving you the best chance to see the remote beach with the caves formation above it (this is probably the most famous picture you will see of Benegil Caves) With the catamaran, we got nowhere close to it, because the vessel was too big. It will probably be more choppy and cold on a boat, but if you want to actually see the cave, take the boat. Our trip lasted a little over 3 hours, and it does get cold! Blankets were provided, but definitely dress for the weather.
I really enjoyed the Slab Cliffs; well worth the short detour. You can plan to be there for longer if you’re a beach lover.
Day5 — final day for Faro
We checked-out and headed to spend the day in Faro. There are a few churches and local sites to visit, but that is about it. If you’re planning to take a tour of Parque Natural da Ria Formosa, you will need about 4 hours. We gave this a miss, and didn’t feel like we missed much. Sites to visit: Faro Cathedral, Museum Regional do Algarve, Arco da Vila, Chapel of Bones of Faro, Street to visit for shops, restaurants — R. de Santo Antonio.
Many restaurants seemed to be closed, but we were lucky enough to find Green Buddha Faro, which we absolutely loved — for both veg and non-veg options.
It’s easy enough to cover all the sites in a few hours, then you’re free to wander the streets and do some last minute shopping. Do go to the top of the tower at Faro Cathedral for great views of Faro and Parque Natural da Ria Formosa. Note — the steps are uneven so take care.
Getting around: Best to hire a car. Parking in many places was free, even in the city but always best to check. Driving around the Old Town both in Albufeira and Faro was pleasant, with the roads quite wide compared to the roads of Porto! We were pleasantly surprised at the well-maintained roads, and really nice roundabouts in Albufeira. Our Villa was close to amenities and restaurants so we had ample choices in close vicinity. We were told that Clay Oven Indian kitchen is a very popular restaurant. Unfortunately it was closed for refurbishment. We did however enjoy a decent Indian meal at The Royal Punjab (THE REAL HERITAGE OF NORTH-INDIAN CUISINE)
Shopping and eating: Overall the verdict with shopping is that it’s a great country to find a bargain and there’s no compromise in quality. There are several Chinese shops about, and I can tell you we were regulars seeing that the shop was right next to our Villa, and there was nothing better to do except spend time at shops while it bucketed down.
The verdict — best to visit in the summer months and spend more time in Albufeira, and if time permits visit some other towns in the District.
Check out Porto in December
