Children in Algarve, Portugal by Carlos Baquero / License: Creative Commons

Children will also get much more out of any holiday if you involve them in some of the planning stages – sit them down with a map of the region and explain where you’re going and what you’re likely to see and do. You can be sure that will start a debate! Building up excitement prior to the trip is not only all part of the experience, but will also keep them going should you encounter any hitches such as flight delays. Take their interests into account too – if one child loves the outdoors while the other has more fun exploring castles and playing king over ramparts, make sure you’ve built in both options for the trip. Ultimately, whether your child wants to be a pirate or a princess, some fun preparation will help you get more out of your adventure.

The Region in Brief

If you haven’t yet visited the Algarve – and even if you have – you may think that this southernmost stretch of sandy shore is no more than a gaggle of golf courses, villa complexes and cheap and cheerful beach resorts. Up to a point, you’d be right, but Faro airport is the gateway to so much more than just the manicured greens and spotless sands of resorts such as Vilamoura, Albufeira, Quarteira and Portimão.

Head all the way west, and in a surprisingly short space of time (less than a 90-minute drive from Faro) you’re on the wild west coast, a region of endless sands, spectacular coastlines and Atlantic surf.

Praia da Marinha, Algarve, Portugal by Klugschnacker

Take off in the opposite direction, and in only half an hour you’re in Tavira or Vila Real de Santo António, gorgeous historic towns that haven’t turned into booming tourism resorts because they’re not right on the coast – but both of which have splendid sandy beaches just minutes away.

Push on a little further east and you can be across the border into Spain’s ‘sherry triangle’ and the stunning historic cities of Seville, Jerez and Cádiz, and a whole different culture of gypsy violinists, flamenco dancers and prancing stallions – and of cutting edge adrenaline water sports.

Or go inland, across the rolling plains and winding river valleys of the Baixa Alentejo. Spattered with scarlet, purple and yellow wildflowers in spring and early summer, the Alentejo’s prairies bake under endless sun in summer, but the region is dotted with dozens of freshwater reservoirs, including Europe’s newest and largest artificial lake, that are super, uncrowded family picnic spots. If you go a little further to north, you can visit the capital of Portugal, the beautiful Lisbon.

Lisbon, Portugal by Miguel Vieira

This is a region that seems a world away from the busy coast, but that is very easy to get to. And all of the holiday honeypots of the Algarve, the Alentejo and Andalusia’s western corner are packed into a remarkably compact space: none of the attractions and destinations that we have highlighted in this book is more than two hours from Faro airport, at maximum. With buses and trains linking everywhere along the coast and inland, you don’t even need a car to explore.

Further south, Monchique, around an hour’s drive from Sagres and about half an hour from Lagos or Portimão, is a pleasant enough little town for a break to let the family stretch their legs and grab a cold drink if you’re tempted to take a drive through the hills inland from the coast – but from the point of view of parents with children it isn’t really a destination worth making a special trip to.

Yes, go to the Algarve for some of the most spectacular beaches in Europe, for lovely villas and excellent family resorts – but go too to explore wild Atlantic beaches, flamingo haunted wetlands, traffic-free historic town centers, cool river valleys and the big skies of the back country. There is much more to the Algarve than the world of the holiday brochures.

Bispo is a Portuguese young man that lives in Algarve and loves to travel.

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Photo licensed under the Creative Commons, created by Greg Pye

Faro was originally just a fishing village built by the Romans, who called it Ossonoba. In 1249, thanks to Alfonso III. was freed from the power of the Moors and became to prosper as a city. But in 1596 a city suffered a damaging blow, it was burned by the Earl of Essex, who was a great favorite of Queen Elizabeth I. And later, in 1755, it was damaged again during the massive earthquake. Although the remnants of ancient city walls managed to preserve until today, most of the beautiful buildings either did not outlast the destruction or have been largely damaged. So the buildings that you can see today in Faro, come mainly from the late 18th and 19th century.

Faro is now a beautiful coastal city protected by a low sandy islands Ilha de Culatra, Ilha da Barreta and Ilha da Faro. Unfortunately, many tourists pass Faro without stopping here, even though it has the largest number of cultural and historical monuments from all the towns in the Algarve region. Preserved old town center around the cathedral and behind the old city walls, definitely worth a visit.

The historical center of Faro can easily be explored on foot. It lies in a small bay and is partly surrounded by medieval walls. The old harbor area has arched entrance gate with a bell tower called Arco da Vila. This arch was built in the 19th century for Bishop Dom Francisco Gomes do Avelar, who has decided to rebuild the dilapidated city. Street behind it, paved with cobblestones, leads to a beautiful Largo da Sé Square, where you can see the cathedral. From the original Gothic cathedral from the 13th century, which was destroyed in 1596 by English forces led by the Earl of Essex, are preserved only unusual tower, covered porches and two inner chapels. The reconstruction of the cathedral took a long time, so it is now built both in Renaissance, and Baroque style.

Inside the cathedral you can see a huge pipe organ decorated with spectacular Chinese motifs. During festive occasions, there are playing Europe’s leading organists. The cathedral also houses one of the most important Algarve’s collections of sacred art from the 17th and 18th century. And its tower offers a beautiful view of the city.

On the square Largo da Sé is also a Bishop’s Palace Paço Episcopal. If you go through another stone arch in Arco Repouso, walk up to the church of São Francisco, which was built in the 18th century. It is decorated with tiles and scenes from the life of St. Francis. Further north, another church rises in Pé Nossa Senhora da Cruz, who is an exceptional oil paintings depicting episodes from Genesis.

In the monastery Convento de Nossa Senhora da Assunção (Monastery of Our Lady of the Assumption), which is the oldest Renaissance building in the Algarve, is probably the most beautiful cloister in southern Portugal, which was built in 1540 by Afonso Pires. The monastery was founded by Leonor, sister of Manuel I (king of Portugal). The monastery has been carefully restored and since 1973 houses a museum devoted to archeology where you can see the local archaeological finds. The collection includes also Roman, medieval and Manueline stone reliefs and sculptures. The main exhibit is a 2,000 year old Roman mosaic floor measuring 9 x 3 meters, showing a head of the god Neptune.

The most interesting church in Faro is Igreja do Carmo (Carmelite Church). It has an imposing facade with two towers and a beautiful gilded interior, but its biggest attraction is haunted Bone Chapel. Besides the Carmelite church from the 18th century is located another museum – Museo Marítimo exhibiting a small collection of marine exhibits, including model ships. You will see a flagship example of Vasco de Gama, which he used during his voyage to India. Plus you can learn here about the traditional methods of fishing on the coast of the Algarve.

The main artery of Faro is the elegant pedestrian street Rua de Santo António, which is full of shops, bars and restaurants. On the northeast of the city lies the Jewish cemetery, founded for the community, which was brought here by Marquis de Pombal in the 18th century.

About 7 kilometers from the town is a beach. The local coastline is attractive because it includes a number of small sandy islands with a unique nature reserve. In the vicinity of the bay is the Ria Formosa Natural Park, which is a favorite resting place for many species of migratory birds.

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Carvoeiro is a picturesque village and popular resort. Beautiful is the local coast called Algar Seco that is typical for a number of bizarre rocky pillars, bridges and caves in a rocky labyrinth.

Carvoeiro has a clean sea and beaches with fine sand. It is surrounded by beautiful limestone cliffs. One of the favourite beaches is the beach of Carvoeiro, which is due to slow entry into the sea, suitable for families with children. Other great beaches are Carvalho or Alagar Seco.

Carvoeiro has a wide range of accommodation. There are many restaurants, bars and shops. Popular restaurants include O Castelo or Pátio. In the village you can try a range of water sports, but you can also play golf. Golf Course Vale do Milho Golf is located right in Carvoeiro and it is not the only one.

The area of the current village was inhabited already by the Romans. The current name is probably derived from an old medieval name of the fishing village “Caboiere”. However up to 60′s of the 20th century Carvoeiro was a sleepy fishing village, it is now widely popular resort.

Carvoeiro is best accessible by car. The nearest international airport Aeroporto de Faro is located in Alexandria, the port and railway station are in Portimao. For moving around the town you can use the tourist train.

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