Apartments in Algarve

Table of Contents

• At a glance: What should you know about renting an apartment in the Algarve?
• Apartments in the Algarve: find your perfect retreat
• Exploring the Algarve: our top recommendations
• Activities: What are the top things to do and see in the Algarve?

• Bright coastal apartments: Sunny one and two-bedroom apartments with balconies, terraces and shared pools sit within walking distance of the Algarve's beaches, marinas and old-town squares.
• Where to base yourself: Albufeira and Quarteira suit lively beach holidays, while Tavira, Alvor and Quinta do Lago offer quieter lagoons, golf and slow evenings.
• Guests rate them highly: Our best-reviewed Algarve apartments score up to 9.9+, praised for sea views, spotless kitchens and hosts who share local beach and restaurant tips.
• Best time to travel: May, June and September bring warm sea temperatures and calmer beaches, while winter stays are mild, quiet and noticeably cheaper.
• Things to do nearby: Benagil Cave, the Ria Formosa Natural Park, Tavira's historic centre and the cliff-backed Praia do Canavial are all within an easy drive.

Apartments along this coastline range from compact studios above the old town to spacious family flats in gated complexes with shared gardens and pools. Many sit a short stroll from the sand, and are available for last-minute deals. Most come fully furnished for self-catering. Here is what you can expect to find inside:

• Air conditioning for hot summer afternoons
• Balconies or terraces, often with a sea view
• Shared swimming pools and sun loungers
• Fully fitted kitchens for self-catering
• Free Wi-Fi and private parking

Together these touches make a longer stay on the coast comfortable and genuinely easy.

What are the best areas to stay in the Algarve?

Albufeira is the easiest base for first-time visitors, thanks to its beaches, buses and buzzing old town. The table below details regions for specific interests:

What do our guests say?

Guests staying in Algarve apartments tell us the same things again and again: the balconies, the short walk to the sand and hosts who leave a list of their favourite beaches. Ratings of 9.3+ and above are common along this coast, with cleanliness, air conditioning and honest descriptions singled out most often in reviews from the past year.

Here are our top-rated apartments in the Algarve from the past year:

1. Beach Apt 1 In Burgau - 9.9+: A bright apartment with a balcony and sea view on the Costa Vicentina, minutes from the village beach at Burgau.
2. T2 Vila Bairos A/C Piscina e Garagem Vilamoura - 9.9+: A two-bedroom flat near Quarteira with a shared pool, garage parking and air conditioning, rated highly by families.
3. T1 Apartamentos Vista Alegre - 9.3+: A one-bedroom apartment in Albufeira with a pool and garden, run by a Star Host and close to Olhos de Água.

The Algarve is the southernmost region of mainland Portugal, a 100-mile stretch of golden cliffs, lagoons and old fishing towns between the Spanish border and Cape St Vincent.

🥗Where to eat in the Algarve?

According to Google Maps data and reviews, Vila Joya is the best rated restaurant in the Algarve. Below is a table showing the top 5 highly-rated restaurants hand-picked by our travel experts.

⭐Our guests' recommendation: Our guest traveller Emma Wilson recommends the Casinha do Petisco in the Algarve: a tiny, family-run petiscos spot in Portimão where grilled sardines and clams cost a fraction of the beachfront places, ideal after a day on the sand.

1. Tour the historic centre of Tavira
2. Sail to Praia da Ilha da Armona
3. Explore the Ria Formosa Natural Park
4. Find the hidden Praia do Canavial
5. Venture into the Benagil Cave
6. Escape to Praia da Barreta
7. Stroll through Faro Cathedral

1. Tour the historic centre of Tavira

   Tavira is the Algarve at its most unhurried. Enter the old town through the Porta de Dom Manuel I, built in 1520 when Tavira was granted city status, and wind uphill past the church of Misericórdia, widely considered the region's finest 16th-century monument. A few minutes away sit the Phoenician ruins and the Palácio da Galeria, home to the municipal museum. Finish on the Roman bridge over the Gilão at dusk, when the riverside cafés fill up and the tiled façades glow.

2. Sail to Praia da Ilha da Armona

   A 15-minute ferry from Olhão drops you on Ilha da Armona, a sandbank island where there are no cars and no traffic noise, only waves and seabirds. The water shelves gently, so you can wade a long way out before it deepens, and a short walk across the dunes brings you to a far emptier ocean-facing beach. Bring a picnic: beyond a handful of seasonal cafés, there is very little here, which is precisely the appeal.

3. Explore the Ria Formosa Natural Park

   This maze of channels, salt marshes, islands and sandbanks runs roughly 37 miles of coastline from Faro almost to the Spanish border. It was voted one of the 7 Natural Wonders of Portugal, and birdwatchers come for flamingos, spoonbills and the rare purple swamphen. Boat tours leave from Faro, Olhão and Tavira, while boardwalks near Quinta do Lago let you explore on foot. Low tide is the best time to spot clam beds and wading birds.

4. Find the hidden Praia do Canavial

   Few beaches near Lagos stay as quiet as Praia do Canavial. It hides beneath tall ochre cliffs and is reached by a stepped path that is easy to walk past if you do not know it is there. There are no lifeguards and no facilities, so bring water and shade. Because the sand is narrow, visit around low tide, when the cove opens up and you can walk along the base of the cliffs in near solitude.

5. Venture into the Benagil Cave

   The Algarve's most photographed sea cave was carved by wind and swell, and a great circular opening in its roof floods the sand with light in the middle of the day. You can reach it by kayak, stand-up paddleboard or small boat from Benagil or Carvoeiro; swimming across is strongly discouraged because of boat traffic. Go early morning or late afternoon on a weekday to avoid the queues, and pair it with the clifftop Seven Hanging Valleys trail.

6. Escape to Praia da Barreta

   Also known as Ilha Deserta, Praia da Barreta lies off Faro at the southernmost point of mainland Portugal, and the only way there is a 20-minute boat ride from the Porta Nova pier. Nearly seven miles of sand run along an island with a single restaurant and no roads. It sits inside the Ria Formosa, so the crossing doubles as a birdwatching trip. If you would rather stay ashore under canvas, browse campsites in the Algarve.

7. Stroll through Faro Cathedral

   Begun in 1251 on the site of a mosque, Faro's cathedral survived a raid, a fire in 1596 and the great Lisbon earthquake of 1755, and was rebuilt in a plain style that hides a rich interior of gilded woodwork and 17th and 18th-century azulejos. Admission is around €5 and includes the museum, the bone chapel and the bell tower, whose roof terrace gives the best free-standing view over the Ria Formosa lagoon.