Algarve, Portugal | Algarve Hotels | Air Canada Vacations

Meet Portugal’s holiday hotspot, its sparkling sunshine coast: the Algarve. This is where you dive into the Atlantic, from the region’s bevy of beaches. Make your way around rocky sea caves, scenic, sheltered coves, and golden shores. Set off beyond the oceanfront to climb cliffs and hike around lagoons, to play golf and explore enchanting villages, to feast on fish and conquer medieval castles.

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Visit the algarve: get started

Travel to the Algarve from Lisbon or Porto thanks to our Portugal packages! Explore by train or car, discovering the best beaches of southern Portugal along the way. Stop in Lagos for the Praia do Camilo beach or the cliffs of Ponta de Piedade, or in Lagoa for the famous Praia da Marinha. Book Algarve hotels or tours and prepare for perfect Portugal beaches!

ALGARVE TRAVEL GUIDE

DESTINATION FACTS

LANGUAGE

Portugese

WHAT TO EAT

Conquilhas à Algarvia (clams with herbs and garlic), an assortment of fresh seafood like lobster and squid, feijoada (hearty bean stew) and a dessert of egg yolk and sugar called Dom Rodrigo.

WHAT TO BRING BACK

A bottle of Medronho (Portuguese fruit brandy), an assador de Barro (traditional clay dish for cooking chorizo), handmade, intricately painted pottery and local olive oil.

FUN FACT

While nomadic tribes, Phoenicians and Romans all once conquered this slice of Portugal, it’s the Moors that gave the region its name, naming it Gharb Al-Andalus in Arabic (meaning “west of the Iberian Peninsula”) or simply…Al-Gharb (“the west”). For Moorish mementos scattered across the coast, visit the Paderne Castle in Albufeira, the Castle of Silves, or the houses of Olhão.