The Rankings · The Algarve · October 2026 · 4 min
Algarve Beaches: The 15 We Rated, From a 66-Metre Cove to 3 Kilometres of Sand
Five worth a detour, eight only if you are already there, two overrated. With the steps, the length and the sea for each.
We have rated 15 beaches in the Algarve. Five are worth a detour: Praia da Marinha, Arrifana, Odeceixe, Peneco in Albufeira and Beliche near Sagres. Eight are only worth it if you are already there, and two are overrated. The smallest is Praia do Camilo in Lagos, 66 metres of sand. The longest piece we measured is Meia Praia, 3,082 metres.
| Beach | Town | The way down | Length | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Praia da Marinha | Lagoa | About 200 steps | 224 m | Worth a detour |
| Praia da Arrifana | Aljezur | A road down the cliff, or stairs | 703 m | Worth a detour |
| Praia de Odeceixe | Aljezur | A short flat walk | 454 m | Worth a detour |
| Praia do Peneco | Albufeira | A tunnel, or a 28 m elevator | 356 m | Worth a detour |
| Praia do Beliche | Sagres | About 100 steps | 380 m | Worth a detour |
| Praia da Falésia | Albufeira | 60 or 80 steps, or flat from Olhos de Água | 1,334 m | Only if you're already there |
| Praia do Camilo | Lagos | About 200 steps | 66 m | Only if you're already there |
| Praia do Carvalho | Lagoa | A hand-carved tunnel, about 30 steps | 74 m | Only if you're already there |
| Praia de Dona Ana | Lagos | About 100 steps | 191 m | Only if you're already there |
| Meia Praia | Lagos | Flat, behind the dunes | 3,082 m | Only if you're already there |
| Praia da Luz | Lagos | A flat walk from the promenade | 647 m | Only if you're already there |
| Praia da Rocha | Portimão | Not stated | 1,259 m | Only if you're already there |
| Praia da Galé | Albufeira | About 50 steps | 492 m | Only if you're already there |
| Praia da Cordoama | Vila do Bispo | A steep 5-minute path, or drive down | 401 m | Overrated |
| Praia do Castelo | Albufeira | About 80 steep steps | 183 m | Overrated |
Lengths are the sand OpenStreetMap maps under each name, measured by us; several guides give longer figures for the whole stretch. The way down is from each beach's guide.
The five worth a detour
- 01
Praia da Marinha
The Algarve's postcard: limestone arches and sea stacks, 200-odd steps down, and some of the clearest snorkelling on this coast.
Praia da Marinha → - 02
Praia da Arrifana
The one beach all three of our Portugal lists agree on, below a clifftop village and the ruins of a fort built in 1635.
Arrifana → - 03
Praia de Odeceixe
The northernmost beach in the Algarve, where a calm river lagoon meets the Atlantic surf.
Odeceixe → - 04
Praia do Peneco
Albufeira's town beach, reached by a tunnel cut through the cliff or by an elevator 28 metres tall.
Peneco → - 05
Praia do Beliche
The most westerly of the south-facing beaches, about 100 steps down and rarely crowded.
Beliche →
1.7 °C
warmer in August at Falésia, in the east, than at Cordoama, in the west
Open-Meteo Marine, 2025 monthly averages: 20.1 °C against 18.4 °C.
The sea
In August 2025 the sea along these 15 beaches averaged between 18.4 °C at Cordoama, on the west coast, and 20.1 °C at Falésia, the furthest east. In January it ran from 16.4 °C to 16.9 °C. The west coast is the colder, wilder one.
The two that are overrated
Cordoama is on two of the three lists we read, and its own guide says the water is cold, the currents are strong and the shorebreak can be powerful. Castelo is about 80 steep steps down, and with any swell the waves funnel through the gap and it becomes dangerous.
Almost every beach here comes with a staircase. The beach is what you get for using it.
Asked
- What is the best beach in the Algarve?
- On our ratings, five are worth a detour: Praia da Marinha, Arrifana, Odeceixe, Peneco and Beliche. Arrifana is the only beach that all three of the Portugal lists we read agree on.
- How warm is the sea in the Algarve?
- In August 2025 it averaged 18.4 to 20.1 °C across the 15 beaches we rated, warmer to the east. In January, about 16.4 to 16.9 °C.
- Which Algarve beaches have the most steps?
- Praia da Marinha and Praia do Camilo, each about 200 steps down. Dona Ana and Beliche are about 100.
The beaches in this post
- Praia da MarinhaWORTH A DETOUR
- Praia da ArrifanaWORTH A DETOUR
- Praia de OdeceixeWORTH A DETOUR
- Praia do Peneco, AlbufeiraWORTH A DETOUR
- Praia do BelicheWORTH A DETOUR
- Praia da FalésiaONLY IF YOU'RE ALREADY THERE
- Praia do CamiloONLY IF YOU'RE ALREADY THERE
- Praia do CarvalhoONLY IF YOU'RE ALREADY THERE
- Praia de Dona AnaONLY IF YOU'RE ALREADY THERE
- Meia PraiaONLY IF YOU'RE ALREADY THERE
- Praia da LuzONLY IF YOU'RE ALREADY THERE
- Praia da RochaONLY IF YOU'RE ALREADY THERE
- Praia da GaléONLY IF YOU'RE ALREADY THERE
- Praia da CordoamaOVERRATED
- Praia do CasteloOVERRATED