Skip to content 
We embarked on a vacation to Portugal, one of my favourite countries, to fulfill a bucket list trip of mine. I had wanted to travel to the Algarve region of Portugal for years and was finally able to do so in June 2022. A lot of planning and research went into our trip and with just 9 days to work with, we had to strategically split our time in each location. Keep reading to find out how I chose which cities to stop in and how we spent each day.
PLANNING
Nine days is not a lot of time to cover over 270km. Because it was our first time in the Algarve region, I wanted to make sure that we could see some of the major highlights and most famous beaches/rock formations, but also that we had some time to relax. And as always, food is a big part of every vacation for us! For our first time in the Algarve, we decided to spend the most time in Carvoeiro and Lagos to explore the beautiful beaches. Lisbon is one of our favourite cities in the world, so we made sure we had two nights there as well.
Pro tip: Pack runners or super comfortable shoes that you can walk around in all day. These shoes should also have good traction because Portugal is a very hilly country and the cobblestones can be slippery for sandals and even flip flops.
Costs: Portugal is quite affordable compared to other European tourist destinations. Meals usually ranged from 30-50 euros for two people. The most expensive part of our trip was the car rental, which ended up being close to 1,000 Euros for 7 days.
GETTING AROUND
If you’re planning to stop at multiple locations in the Algarve, I absolutely recommend renting a car. There are other ways to get around, including coach buses and taxis, but driving was the most convenient and efficient method for us. We were often beach hopping and with the extreme heat, it made our lives a lot easier and more comfortable having a car. We picked up the rental car from Europcar at the Faro Airport and dropped it off on Day 7 in downtown Lisbon. Driving in Lisbon frightens me to be honest and we enjoy walking around the city. Some of the streets are so small and busy, we decided to play it safe and walk everywhere. Be sure to make a reservation for car rentals in advance!
DAY 1 – FARO
We flew directly to Faro from Munich (about three hours), where we had already spent a week. For us, Faro was more of a stopover location to begin our Algarve road trip. We stayed for one night at a lovely AirBnb in a very convenient location within walking distance of many restaurants. Our host Laura was awesome and I would recommend this to anyone who’s staying in Faro. The town is smaller, but we didn’t have much time to explore.
We walked around the first night we were there and dined at a local restaurant, but we weren’t a huge fan of the food there. The following day we took a slight detour to have brunch at Figo de Pita in Olhao, just a 30 minute drive away. We went there for their healthy vegan and vegetarian options.
DAY 2 & 3 – CARVOERIO
A one-hour drive from Faro, Carvoeiro is a small beach town with very laid-back vibes. Though it is a resort town that in many ways caters to tourists, this was the most relaxing destination of our Algarve road trip. It never felt too overcrowded even though the downtown area is quite small. Carvoeiro is the perfect location to check out the Benagil Caves, as it is just a short boat ride away from Benagil Beach. We opted to paddle board from the beach. We also loved the food in Carvoeiro and there were many small, family-run restaurants that I’d highly recommend
We spent two nights at the Quinta Nova Vale Del Rey bed and breakfast, which was amazing and we’d definitely recommend it. This bed and breakfast is a 10 minute drive from the town center, so having the rental car was absolutely necessary for us in Carvoeiro. . To find out more about the fun things you can do in Carvoeiro, click here. For food recommendations in Carvoeiro, click here.
DAY 4-6 – LAGOS
A much busier and more bustling city than Carvoeiro, Lagos is the ultimate city for beach hopping. Many of the famous beaches that can be seen on postcards of the Algarve or on social media are found in Lagos, including Praia Dona Ana, Praia do Camilo, Praia Estudantes and many others. Many of the beaches we visited are easily accessible from the city centre, just fifteen to twenty minutes walking. The beaches range from small and cozy, to those with hidden caves and walkways, to wide stretching white sand beaches.
Lagos is a big city with the perfect mix of modern and old-town vibes. We’d often spend the entire day walking to explore the many streets with restaurant patios and storefronts. Lagos is very hilly, so pack proper walking shoes! Some of the best food we had during our Algarve road trip was in Lagos – our favourites are listed in a full blog post linked here. To read more about how we spent three days in Lagos, click here.
As we left Lagos and headed to Lisbon, we took a minor detour to visit Sagres, which is the very southern tip of Portugal. It’s a very cool experience being at the edge of the country, and I would recommend stopping here if you have time. We explored “the edge of the world” at Fortaleza de Sagres, which was a fortress from the 15th century.
DAY 7-9 – LISBON
Lisbon is one of our favourite cities in the world. We first visited together in 2016 and fell in love, so we wanted to make sure we spent at least 3 days there. This was the longest portion of our drive, as Lisbon is about three hours from Lagos, and closer to four if you take the more scenic route using the country roads. We opted for the faster highways that included tolls. I wrote a blog post listing things to do in Lisbon here. To read more about the pasteis de nata we ate in Lisbon, click here.
