Going west from Alvor, past the wide flat sandy beaches and the attractive Palmares golf course, you will finally reach the city of Lagos. Lagos city is situated on the river estuary and is a humble, easy going town. Just outside, there is a spectacular beach called Dona Ana and, a little further on, there are fantastic rock formations and sea caves in the cliffs below the lighthouse on the headland of Ponta da Piedade.

Praia da Luz is just to the west of Lagos and is a fishing village which attracts visitors who like a relaxed, low-key holiday environment. Here you will find fine beaches and plenty of peaceful, natural beauty along this stretch of coastline. A walk of about an hour and a quarter along the scenic coastal path is one way of reaching the less developed Burgau. Another hour and three quarters on foot takes you on to Salema.

The south-western extremity of Europe is found between the twin headlands of Cape St. Vincent and Sagres. This area has always been steeped in mysticism and legend. Voyagers from successive great powers in the eastern Mediterranean – Phoenicians, Greeks, Carthaginians and Romans – sailed past here in their galleys. To mariners in ancient times this was called “o fim do mundo”, translated as “the end of the world”. Here you can watch the fisherman precariously perched halfway down the cliffs to get their catch of the day.

A completely different Algarve is just around the corner from Cape St Vincent. Stretching 60 kilometres northwards, this area is called the Costa Vicentina. It has no resorts at all, little development of any kind and is so much less known. This area is wildly beautiful. Here you will find tall granite cliffs which are punctuated at intervals by huge, spectacular sandy beaches. You can sit, watch and listen to the crashing waves crawling their way up the beaches. Some beaches are easily accessible by road, other are much harder to find and therefore usually deserted.