Discovering the Algarve – My rental car highlights
My spring vacation this year took me to the Algarve in Portugal. A long-awaited destination, which should now finally be crossed off my travel list and discovered by me! The Algarve in March is unfortunately not yet a destination where you can count on summer, sun and sunshine. We were well aware of this and were still very excited about the many new impressions that awaited us.
In retrospect I can clearly say that you really have to be prepared for every weather condition when you are on vacation there in March: in the morning in a thick jacket and scarf with 60kmh wind speed and rain, in the afternoon in a bikini on the beach with bright sunshine and 22°C. So you really should be prepared for any climate. Our all-too-familiar sluggish weather didn't deter us, however, and we decided to rent a rental car. The first few days we tried to get by without a rental car, but realized pretty quickly that a car is an absolute must in this region! A bus schedule? Let us tell you where to find the next bus stop? All this unfortunately turned out to be quite difficult.
Good to know: In Portugal, the highways are subject to tolls. It is recommended to book a toll device for this service when you pick up your rental car. (ca. 2€ per day) So you can drive through the toll stations without further problems and all fees are automatically recorded on the device. To avoid the tolls, it is often worthwhile to simply drive on the country roads next to the highways.
My personal highlights, which should not be missing on any rental car tour:
Ferragudo:
In this small cute place we stayed in the hotel "Vitors Village. We had booked a self-catering apartment there and were completely satisfied. The apartments were very clean, spacious and the resort itself was beautifully designed. There was a sufficient amount of free parking around the whole complex.
A short walk downhill brought us to Ferragudo. The place is relatively small, but it really impressed us with its charm. On a small market place life is bustling in many small restaurants. There we spent some nice hours! We also loved the many small alleys with cute houses and stores.
If you walk along the beach for a while, past the fortress, you come to a hiking trail at the end of the beach. (If you see many many stairs, you have found the entrance! 😉 ) We unfortunately only walked this one a short distance, as our feet were quite worn out after a few days… but the view was definitely worth seeing!
Praia da Rocha:
This beach not far from the city of Portimao is an absolute dream! In the summer it is certainly quite crowded here – so we were personally happy to enjoy it in the off-season. Above the beach you have a nice promenade with many stores, restaurants and bars. On the last day of our vacation we could even lie here in bathing suits during the day… really recommendable!
Sagres and surroundings
A particularly picturesque landscape awaited us around the town of Sagres. Unfortunately the weather was not too good on the day of our visit. Nevertheless, we did not miss the opportunity to visit the two beaches of Tonil and Beliche. Especially for surfers a true paradise opens up here. We spent some time watching the daring surfers who plunged into the icy cold waves. Another highlight in this region is certainly the "Cabo de Sao Vicente" – known to be the most southwestern point of Europe. The rocks there are really impressive with their height of up to 60 meters.
Albufeira
I found this city wonderful! You can stroll here relaxed for a few hours through the alleys to grab the one or other souvenir. One of the highlights is certainly the great viewpoint, where you can look over the whole city and the beach. To get from there to the beach, you can funnily ride an escalator. On the other side of the beach there is even an elevator that takes you up the cliffs.
Do you like the Algarve? Then come and see me at the travel agency! You can find me at the Globetrotter travel agency in Hamburg-Harburg. This is located in the Phoenix Center. 🙂