Where to stay in Algarve with boyfriend

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mnievera
mnievera

Hello!
I am going to Portugal with my boyfriend next month and need some help with the itinerary! I have been reading up a lot on Portugal and the forums but I am still unsure where in Algarve would be the best place to stay and for how long. Here is our itinerary so far:
Day 1 - 3: Lisbon
Day 3 - 5: Porto
Day 5 - 7/8: Somewhere in Algarve
Day 7/8 - 10: Lisbon (day trip to Sintra included)

Is that a good way to allocate 10 days in Portugal? We will be renting a car the whole time which gives us some flexibility to move around. A little bit about ourselves and what we want out of the trip: we are in our 20s, and want to explore all the country has to offer! We like eating good food and wine, want to see the must see sights (but not go to overly crowded touristy places or too many museums/ churches/etc), we are active and want to go surfing or hiking to see some beautiful views, and also, would like some beach-y romantic relaxing time.

In Algarve- Lagos, Tavira, Albuefeira, and Sagres look like good choices, but I just learned that they are all quite spread apart. Where would be a good base in Algarve? We dont want to go anywhere that is overly crowded or has touristy/ rip off places everywhere. We would like something charming and beautiful with easy beach access, but also has some action. Can anyone help out here? If anyone can help me narrow down the choices that would be great! Or any specific hotel recommendations/ things to do in general would be appreciated. Thanks!

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mneslcl
mneslcl

Is that a good way to allocate 10 days in Portugal? If you want my opinion, no, because you start in the center, then travel to north, and then travel all the way to the south. Why don't you start in the north and then travel to center and then south? (or the other way around...). Seems more logical, for me.

Besides, you can't explore "all" the country in just 10 days.
But if you like good food then you are in the right place, from cod fish to Leitão da Bairrada, from Cozido à Portuguesa to Sardines or Caldeirada, Alentejo's food, the list goes on and on. If you visit the center of the country, don't miss Leitão in Mealhada.

Good base in the Algarve - all places are good bases... understand than more than 1\3 of the total nº of tourists are in Albufeira, and Portimão stands in 2nd place - that means that almost half of tourists in the Algarve are in those two Municipalities, so expect more crowds and parties over there, of course (Loulé is in 3rd position, more than half the tourists are in those 3). Think the Algarve as an Accordion lol : compressed in the center and nearby places and expanded on the edges.

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tempelton
tempelton

We didn't like Albufeira, Lagos was much nicer in our eyes plus it has the longest beach on the Algarve an it did look pretty big from the boat, didn't go since it was still to cold to swimm.

If flights are not booked you could fly to Faro and out of Lisbon, Faro - Lagos? - Lisbon, if you still feel like driving and have time left a trip to Porto, which we missed.

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lisbonadvice
lisbonadvice

Hi mniviera,

If you want to avoid crowds then you pretty much have to skip most of the Algarve during the summer months. Are you arriving in June? If yes, you might still be fine. Anyway, if you want to Surf, then you should stay around Sagres. From there you should just start going up - the best places in Algarve are Carrapateira, Odemira and keep going up until Melides to enjoy great surfing sessions. When I travel I always try to avoid trying to see too much for fear of not seeing enough. 10 days seems like a bit of a stretch to go from North to South and actually enjoy it. You should consider either doing Porto and Lisbon or Algarve and Lisbon. Better beaches/surfing in the second choice. More culture in the first.

Hope you enjoy your trip!
Manuel
http://www.lisbonadvice.com

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masterchiefpt
masterchiefpt

i must agree... 10 days are very few time to see all, but if you want to make quick visits around Portugal go ahead
i just hope that you like Portugal and share that to your friends ;)

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