Things To Do in Albufeira

When it comes to shopping in the Algarve, Albufeira leads the pack. Rua do 5 de Outubro is a conveyor belt of boutiques and handicraft shops – called artesanatos – where you can pick up carvings and ceramics. And if you’re around for the Gypsy Market that happens just twice a month, you’ll find an A to Z of terracotta, including hand-painted azulejos tiles, which are an Algarvian speciality.

Albufeira serves up the biggest choice of restaurants in the Algarve. If you want a fish fix, the traditional eating places along Fisherman’s Beach get you local favourites like bacalhau – salted cod – and caldeirada, a fishy stew with peppers and potatoes. For dessert, you might want to tuck into one of the tasty little custard pastries the Portuguese do so well.

Close to Olhos de Agua, this unhurried three-kilometre sweep of pristine white sand still remains something of a local secret. You’ve got a sprinkling of sunloungers – bartering over the price is standard – and a few beach bars mixing up cocktails in high season. Other than that, it’s just you and the blue sea. It’s worth mentioning there aren’t any toilets on the beach, and it’s a steep climb back up to the main road.

Albufeira’s main square, all white buildings and pantiled roofs, has restaurants along its four sides. Find a table on one of the shaded terraces – they’re great people-watching spots. On the menus here you’ll find the likes of swordfish steaks and Portugal’s spicy piri-piri chicken. Afterwards, enjoy an ice-cream while you walk off your meal.

Praia da Oura is the beach closest to the Sao Joao area of town. It’s a Blue Flag number with five kilometres of sand to its name. You’ve got plenty of sunloungers up for hire here and a prom lined with bars and restaurants. As for watersports, there’s everything from pedalos and banana boats to windsurfing and parasailing.

The miniature Sant’Ana is a great example of 18th-century artistry, with an intricate ceiling, a white cupola and a famous wooden crucifix. Nearby is Misericordia, a diminutive parish converted from a mosque, which sits along a row of white houses. And then there’s the bell tower of the Parish Church on Rua da Igreja. A 28-metre stairway takes you right to the top.

On the retail front, Albufeira gives you The Strip and the old town to browse round. Both play to holidaymakers, with a line-up of shops selling clothes, beachwear and sunglasses along with a stack of souvenirs. Stalls open for business around here, too – look out for the local ceramics and Portuguese wines.

Hundreds of our handpicked hotels and villas are just a driver’s distance away from some of the best golf courses in the business. And with our trusted TUI partner, Greenfee365, you can book your tee time at more than a thousand courses across the globe. See golf courses in Albufeira >