Beaches in the Alentejo
The Alentejan coast has its fair share of beaches; they come in all shapes and sizes. You’ll find vast sandy beaches as well as tiny rocky ones. Some of them are really hard to find and give you the feeling you’ve reached the end of the world, while others are smack in the middle of a village. Compared to the beaches of the Algarve, the beaches on the Alentejo coast are very quiet. They only get crowded in July and August, when the Portuguese go on holiday themselves. The sea is colder than in the Algarve and can be very tempestuous. That’s why the whole coast is popular with surfers.
Beaches in the Alentejo
Carvalhal, our favourite, is enclosed by cliffs. It boasts a little stream that empties into the ocean. It’s not a large beach. As a rule it’s very quiet. Really quiet. Its only facility is a large parking lot. It’s about a half-hour’s drive from Monte do Casarão. You can take the coast road towards Zambujeira do Mar.
Zambujeira do Mar can be reached by the main road as well. It has an attractive boulevard and various beaches. Two of them are immediately adjacent to the village. Others are a bit further away. Zambujeira do Mar is a nice village with shops, cafés and restaurants. It’s known for its annual pop festival which takes place in August.
Vila Nova de Milfontes is an attractive tourist town. You can make a bee line for the ocean beach, or choose one of the lovely beaches along the Mira, the river that discharges into the ocean. Here the swell is less strong and the water is warmer, which makes them a children’s paradise.
Malhão boasts a broad sandy beach and marvellous dunes. From the distance, you can spot Sines. You can walk there and pass Porto Covo, an old fishing village.
Last but not least, Cavaleiro and Almograve are worth mentioning, and even then you won´t have seen them all. A map with all Alentejan beaches can be made available to you.
Beaches in the Algarve
Just over the bridge heading south you´ll enter the Algarve. At the Ocean side there are also lots of beautiful and quiet beaches. We mention Odeceixe, Monte do Clérigo, Arrifana, Beliche, Vila do Bispo and Carrapateira. Lovely beaches, every one of them. A map with all Algarvan beaches (also those at the south coast) can be made available to you.