Portugal City Travel Guide: Carvoeiro
Carvoeiro, Algarve
Carvoeiro in the Algarve is a pretty former fishing village now a major resort, It is roughly midway between the towns of Portimão, Praia da Rocha and Ferragudo to the west and Armação de Pêra and Albufeira to the east.
Set among lovely sea cliffs, this pleasant town of approximately 3,000 people developed from the 1960s onwards with the construction of new hotels, apartment blocks and roads. The modernity jostles for space with more traditional, brightly colored buildings.
Attractions
The history of Carvoeiro as a fishing port stretches back to Roman and Moorish times. In the medieval period the area escaped major pirate attacks and remained a sleepy backwater until the onset of mass tourism in the Algarve from the 1960s.
The town's two beaches are Praia de Carvoeiro and Praia do Paraíso (Paradise Beach). Praia de Carvoeiro is right in the center of town - a golden crescent of sand. Praia do Paraíso is just a few hundred meters away and accessible down steps in the cliffs.
Within easy walking distance of the center are several places of interest. Algar Seco is a well-known rock formation of picturesque caves and grottoes just a few hundred meters along a boardwalk from the main square.
The 17th century Forte de Nossa Senhora da Encarnação was badly damaged in the 1755 Lisbon Earthquake but subsequently rebuilt along with its chapel, the Ermida de Nossa Senhora da Encarnação.
3 km along the coast is the Farol de Alfanzina, an impressive lighthouse from where there are excellent views out to sea.
Visitors with a hire car can easily run out to two nearby amusement parks. Sand City Lagoa bills itself as the biggest sand sculpture park in the world. Slide & Splash is one of the Algarve's several water parks and great fun for the kids. Indeed the water park has been providing aquatic family fun for over 30 years. Zoomarine is another water park within reach.
Beaches
West of Carvoeiro are several other small, though excellent cove beaches.
These include Praia de Vale dos Currais, Praia da Salgadeira and Praia dos Três Castelos. Further west towards Ferragudo are Praia do Mato and Praia dos Caneiros. The latter has lovely rock stacks jutting from the ocean. For excellent, fresh seafood visit the recommended Rei das Praias restaurant here.
Praia da Marinha is another superb Algarve beach, east of town.
Further attractions include boat trips to Benagil Cave (Grutas de Benagil) and hikes along the Percurso dos Sete Vales Suspensos - a walking path that takes in the superb rock formations and caves along the coast.
Accommodation in Carvoeiro
Accommodation in Carvoeiro is abundant and a mix of top end resorts plus rental homes, villas and apartments.
Some recommended places to stay are Quinta do Paraíso, Monte Santo Resort, both firmly at the top end of the scale with large pools and restaurants, ideal for a family holiday.
The Carvoeiro Hotel is 10 minutes from the beach and has a pool, garden, restaurant and bar. Also recommended is Hello Villas with an outdoor pool and a children's pool in a garden setting.
Eat & Drink
There is a fine selection of eateries in Carvoeiro ranging from traditional Portuguese food to delicious Indian and Italian choices. Many places to eat and drink line Estrada do Farol. Some recommendations include Le Cro Portugal, Gurkha Kitchen on Rua das Amoreiras, The Square by Raquel Marques at Urbanizacao Monte Carvoeiro Lote 58 and Fábrica Velha for delicious cakes and coffee.
Getting to Carvoeiro
Air Travel in Portugal
Carvoeiro is 5 km south of Lagoa, 65 km west of Faro and 30 km east of Lagos. There are abundant scheduled, charter, budget and no-frills flights to Faro Airport from all over Europe. Portugalia and TAP Fly from both Porto (via Lisbon) and Lisbon.
Train Travel in the Algarve
There are local trains from Faro Station (tel. 289 801 726) to Albufeira (30 mins), Ferragudo (78 mins), Portimão (81 mins), Lagos (105 mins), Loule (20 mins), Tavira and Vila Real de Santo Antonio. From Portimão change at Tunes (via Silves) for trains to Lisbon. The nearest railway station to Carvoeiro is Estombar-Lagoa 6 km to the north.
Car Travel in the Algarve
From Faro and the west, take Route N125. From Spain, get onto N125 going west.
Bus Travel to Portimão & Carvoeiro
There are local buses from Faro to Albufeira, Lagos, Olhão, Portimão and Vila Real de Santo Antonio (via Tavira). From Carvoeiro there are buses to both Portimão (35 minutes) and Lagoa (15 minutes). Change at Lagoa for the bus to Faro.
Alsa bus company runs a service to Sevilla in Spain via Huelva. The earliest bus leaves Lagos at 6.15 am and arrives in Portimão at 6.45 am. There are also departures from Lagos to Sevilla at 8 am, 9 am, 10.30 am, 3.30 pm and 5 pm. Journey time is 4 hours, 45 minutes.
There are also regular buses from Portimão railway station on the outskirts of town to the town center. Regular buses also make the short journey to Praia da Rocha.
Buses to Lisbon take around 3 hours, 45 minutes from Portimão, which is also connected by bus to Albufeira, Lagos, Salema, Silves and Cabo São Vicente.
Weather
The average high June temperatures for Portugal is between 22 degrees Centigrade and 26 degrees Centigrade.
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Algarve Resorts
Other places to visit in the Algarve region of Portugal include Albufeira, Alcoutim, Aljezur, Alvor, Cabanas, Cacela Velha, Faro, Ferragudo, Fuseta, Lagos, Loulé, Monchique, Olhão, Portimão, Praia da Rocha, Sagres, Silves, Vilamoura and Vila Real de Santo Antonio.
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