The Algarve in September - where to go and what to see

It's still hot enough to enjoy the best of the Algarve destinations in September!

The Algarve, the southeast region of Portugal, used to be one of your favourite holiday destination during August: amazing white sandy beaches, cheap and delicious food and drink, hot weather during the day and a bit chillier during the night which allows you to sleep well... everything was just perfect, right? Then COVID-19 came and you could no longer visit paradise...

In this article, we will walk you through the best Algarve destinations and even a festival that you can attend (with lots of safety measures!) during the month of September.

So, if you thought September was already too late to enjoy the Portuguese summer... keep reading!

Lagos

Picture of @kobuagency, Unplash

Lagos has the most instagrammable beaches in all of Portugal. You can't miss Camilo beach and Meia beach. "Ponta da Piedade" is where you're going to find the most spectacular rocks: the cliffs are over 20 metres high! If you don't want to simply watch it from the stairs, rent a kayak or take a boat tour - you'll easily find companies providing these services as soon as you arrive in Lagos.

But if you think Lagos is just about beaches, think again! The city retains the traditional Algarve architecture, and the historic centre is the envy of many other towns in the region. From forts, castles, churches and statues of maritime discoverers - save a day to explore the cultural side of the town!

If you are curious about Lagos and now want to find a hostel in the centre, we suggest the Rising Cock Hostel - one of the most fun places in the city!

Picture of Rising Cock Hostel

Picture of Rising Cock Hostel

Portimão

Picture of @etiennegirardet, Unplash

If you think Lagos is just what you were looking for, you should also consider Portimão!

In addition to equally amazing beaches (highlighting the famous Rocha beach!) and the historic heritage to discover (such as the Portimão Museum - an renovated old sardine processing factory), a very lively historic centre or the Church and College of Jesuítas - which is one of the most beautiful buildings in the whole city. If you are a fan of nature, you should also take a look at ​​Ria de Alvor area, where you will find the largest walkway in the Algarve (5km) and which connects the estuary to Três Irmãos beach.

If you think Portimão worth your visit, we suggest Aloha Hostel Portimão for your stay. Besides being very well located in the historic centre, Aloha has dorms, private rooms and outdoor living spaces - where you will even find a mini gym with weights, elastics and yoga mattresses!

Picture of Aloha Hostel Portimão

Albufeira

Picture of @daheedarlingson, Unplash

It's time to leave Portimão and continue to Albufeira, shall we? If you are a fan of bars, parties and hot summer nights (even if currently very limited due to the pandemic!) This town in the Algarve is perfect for you. With several streets full of bars with neon signs, live music and many travellers - it will be impossible not to have fun here! "Rua da Oura" is where all the action takes place, so dress up, take your mask and don't forget that because of Covid-19 unfortunately, bars close at 1am, so make you sure you arrive there soon!

But before arriving in Albufeira, let's just make a quick stop in Benagil.

Picture of @fredrivett, Unplash

Benagil is known for its caves that you can reach by kayak or by a boat tour. Whichever option you choose, don't worry about taking your personal belongings with you - the companies that organize these types of activities provide water proofbags!

Now back to Albufeira: the municipality has about 30 km of coastline with incredible beaches and for all tastes: small or big, popular or deserted, with or without monumental rocks.

Faro

Picture taken from Unplash

And finally, we arrived in the capital of the region! By this time, you have visited caves, you have explored several beautiful beaches and you went out in the craziest spots in the Algarve. Still, we promise that Faro will have the ability to surprise you. How about an excursion to Faro's Desert Island? You can get there by boat, ferry or even kayak. But be aware that the island is REALLY deserted! You will find only an extensive beach, salty water at a very desirable temperature and a small restaurant called Estaminé, where typical dishes from Algarve are served.

Are you done with the beach? How about a little bit of science? On a visit to the Science Center of the Algarve, be sure to check out the Apalpário - an open aquarium where you can touch and interact with typical species of the Ria Formosa.

Picture of the Science Center of the Algarve

When it comes to events, Faro hosts the Noites F festival from the 13th of August to 13th of September, with concerts, comedy and magic shows, all outdoors, in Largo da Sé.

Due to its location being practically in the middle of the Algarve coast, it makes perfect sense to explore Algarve from Faro, and Hostellicious is the perfect hostel for your stay! Whether for its excellent location, the decoration based on urban art and various plants that make the interior spaces very pleasant, or the variety of rooms available: from 4, 5, 6, 8, 10 or 12 people dorms or even rooms private for 1, 2, 3 or 4 people - you will certainly find this hostel "delicious"!

Picture of Hostellicious

Tavira

Picture of Vítor Oliveira, Wikipedia

Almost at the other end of the Algarve, we now arrive in Tavira! A small and much calmer city than the ones we previously explored. Here we advise you visit some beaches... including a river beach! We are talking about the one where Pego do Inferno waterfall is located. This waterfall is the largest and one of the most beautiful in the Algarve, so if you are travelling by car, it is only 10 km away from Tavira.

If Ilha Deserta de Faro is beautiful, Ilha de Tavira, an island which is part of Ria Formosa Natural Park, contains the best beaches in Portugal! With a coast of white sand that can accommodate tourists, families and groups of friends, you can easily walk to completely deserted beach areas and enjoy a beach just for you! And the best part is that you can access this paradise from the center of Tavira, where a ticket to the island for a round trip ferry costs around 2 EUR.

We have reached the end of our journey along the Algarve coast. We hope this article inspires you to explore the wonders of the south of Portugal during the summer of 2020! Now here's the map that shows the towns that we talked about in this article:

If you're a fan of beaches, you might also enjoy reading these articles:

- Four walks along the beaches of northern Spain;

- Buzios - the beach town that delighted Brigitte Bardot;

- The 10 best beaches in Greece in 10 Instagram photos.