Cruisin’ the Rio Formoso

There really isn’t a “best” part of the Algarve – it’s varied but beautiful everywhere – so we decided to get out of town and do some touristing.

Lagos

This busy port overlooked by a seemingly endless stretch of cobblestoned, kiosk-lined walkways is known for its booming industry in kayak tours of the nearby cliffs and caves. It was a long drive from Tavira, so after kayaking we stayed and…shopped.

Faro

Faro is a walled town with a beautiful cathedral, winding streets with restaurants, and a fascinating museum about Algarve history and traditions, including the famous Fado singing. We overheard a Fado concert when we visited, which gave us a short exposure to this hauntingly lovely vocal tradition.

Olhão

We visited this pretty port town by accident. We turned off the main road looking for a place to buy milk, and discovered a bustling town swarming with market day provision seekers. There are two huge market halls, one for fish and the other for…everything else.

Barril Beach and Santa Luzia

Barril beach is the quintessential Algarve beach, on a barrier island across the river from the fishing town. You clamber up on a little red train, cross a bridge and an expanse of marsh, and disembark in what once was a rudimentary hamlet for extremely poor fishermen. Today the pretty whitewashed buildings include a small terrace snackbar and a bath house. The star attraction is the anchor graveyard – rows and rows of hulking mighty relics rusting in dignified splendor.

Onshore, the pleasant village of Santa Luzia boasts a colorful history as one of the world’s largest exporters of dried octopus. The advent of freezers killed the trade but not the town, which still honors the native son who spearheaded the industry that put them on the map (sort of).