Beach sights in The Algarve
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Praia de Faro
The town's beach, Praia de Faro, with miles of sweeping sand, windsurfing operators and some cafés, is on the Ilha de Faro, 10km away. It's crammed in July and August. Take bus 14 or 16 from opposite the bus station (half-hourly in summer, via the airport).
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Quatro Águas
You can walk 2km east along the river, past the fascinating, snowlike salt pans to Quatro Águas. The salt pans produce tiptop table salt and in summer attract feeding birds, including flamingos. Besides being the jumping-off point for Ilha de Tavira, the seaside hub of Quatro Águas has a couple of seafood restaurants and a former tuna-canning factory - now a luxury hotel, across the river. There's also a bus that leaves from the Tavira bus station July to mid-September, as well as taxis.
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Lagos Beaches
South of town the beaches - Batata, Pinhão, Dona Ana, Camilo and others - are smaller and more secluded, lapped by calm waters and punctuated with amazing grottoes, coves and towers of coloured sandstone. Avoid swimming at Batata and, to the east, at Ana. There's a ferry to Lagos beach.
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B
Lagos
Lagos oozes life. A vibrant, sunny town, its pretty cobbled streets bristle with cafes, restaurants and bars. It's a magnet for backpackers and surf dudes, who swing between its clubs and nearby sweeping beaches and striking coastal coves. Lagos also has historical clout, having launched many naval excursions during Portugal's Age of Discoveries.
Lagos' little Igreja de Santo António (Rua General Alberto da Silveira; admission €2; 09:30-12:30 & 14:00-17:00 Tue-Sun), bursting with 18th- and 19th-century gilded, carved wood, is a stupendous baroque extravaganza. Beaming cherubs and ripening grapes are much in evidence.
Enter from the adjacent Museu Municipal (tel: 282…
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