Portugal: The Algarve

Heading off from Lisbon, we planned to break up our drive down south with a little lunch stop in Alcácer do Sal.  Why there you ask? Nap math, obviously.  After a busy day in Sintra we wanted to plan for a bit of a slower morning but have the bulk of our drive land over the kids usual nap window.  Alcácer do Sal is about an hour drive from Lisbon, so after a lunch break we would have the remaining two hours over naptime and relative peace.

Once we arrived we walked along the river a bit to get the beans out before stopping in for lunch at Social Vinhos & Petiscos. Sitting outside is often so much easier with the kids, especially when we have two strollers in tow!  The food was fabulous and our first taste of Portuguese wine was even better with the view!  As with almost every place in Portugal, the staff were friendly and accommodating with the kids, which is saying a lot because we had four cranky toddlers in tow.  Essential Parenting Tip - pick up some wine to go at Social for your first night in Lagos!

After lunch we started the two hour drive down to Lagos.  However, the atmosphere at the lunch spot had us staying a littttttle longer than planned so the naps weren’t 10/10 - even the best made plans sometimes go out the window if you stumble into a good thing!  Next time we would allocate 3 hours for a toddler walk (we all know how long those take) and a relaxed Portuguese lunch. We even spotted a playground across the walking bridge. 

The drive was uncomplicated and the parking that our Airbnb host recommended was just outside the Old Town Gate into Lagos, and better yet, it was free!  If you are travelling in a bigger van like we were, we would highly recommend parking and walking in because the streets are narrow and full of one-ways.  Save yourself some sweat and your rental some scratches by carrying the luggage and kids into your accommodations on foot.

Lagos

Old Town

Definitely recommend staying in Old Town, Lagos.  The cobblestone streets are filled with cafes, wine bars and restaurants that give the quintessential European experience of sitting, eating and people watching.  Staying there for almost a week allowed us enough time to establish a favourite coffee place, but also to still have options for good restaurants to go to.  Choosing how much time to spend in Lagos depends on what your style of travelling is.  Even with the kids, we think we hit most of it within our week.  Take a few extra days if you really want to sink into the rhythm of the beach, Old Town strolls, late night gelato trips and cheeky wine stops.  

Coffee for Parents: 

Coffee & Waves - this place is cooler then we’ll ever be so plan to spend some time relaxing there with the younger surfing crowd and picking up a bottle of Portuguese Natural Wine for later.

coffee&waves

Black and White - This was our go-to place and it’ll be easy to see why.  It’s in the most gorgeous building and has both a restaurant with outdoor seating and delicious looking brunch, as well as a take out bar with great coffee, pastries and sandwiches.

Wine Bar: 

Travia - Natural Wines & Food - this spot made the perfect start to our date night with a big selection of wine, outdoor seating and a central location.

Restaurants:

The Garden - This outdoor, South African style braai restaurant had the coolest vibes and the best barbeque smell ever.  The food was delicious and the outdoor seating would make it more relaxed to take your kids too.

Scartuccio - Good spot for casual pizza with the family.  It’s adjacent to one of the prettiest squares in Lagos so it’s the perfect spot to have the kids running around while you wait for dinner to arrive.

Gelicia - Italian Gelato - No European trip is complete without a good gelato spot and this was ours.

Eating In:

With kids in tow it’s nice to be able to do meals at home - especially on a longer trip.  Having a good cooking and dining spot is key when searching for your accommodations.  The amazing AirBnb we stayed at had an indoor dining area as well as a rooftop patio that we put to good use for breakfasts and some dinners. To stock up:

Padaria Central - awesome little bakery. Note: there is a separate line if you’re just there for bread so don’t be put off if there’s a bit of a line!

Avia-te-Mercearia Tradicional - great little grocery store for all your basics and some REALLY great cheese options. 

The Beaches

The pièce de resistance in Lagos, is of course, the beaches.  When you google The Algarve, the beaches in Lagos are the top hits, and for good reason.  The beaches are sandy, relatively accessible (more on that later) and fun for the kids and adults alike.  The unreal cliff backdrops are the best views for the sittervising you can do while the kids play at the beach.

Beach Tips with Kids - Make sure you have some beach toys for the kids to give yourself the best chance to be able to sit and relax while you watch them!  Sometimes we travel with beach toys, order them to our Airbnb, buy them at a tourist trap (least preferable option but it happens in moments of desperation) or use our recycling as buckets (yogurt buckets work the best!).

Praia Dona Ana

The most famous beach in the area did not disappoint.  Walkable from the Old Town, and also with a handful of parking spots at the top, it was fairly easy to get to.  There are two main entrances via staircases. Doable with a stroller if you can take the kids out and carry them down the stairs.  We managed with the Veer Cruiser XL which isn’t a light beast.  The best thing about Portugal is how friendly everyone was and tons of people offered to help us.  Make sure to set up away from the “fall areas” from the cliffs, they are very well marked, and prepare for little to no shade!  There is one restaurant on the beach that serves food and also some take away drinks.  We didn’t eat there but the convenience of walking over after a morning of beach time would win me over next time.

There are boardwalks atop the cliffs that connect many of these amazing beaches and provide such a good view to walk or run along.  We tried to make it to Praia do Camilo but it was closed and we ended up heading back towards Praia Dona Ana on the boardwalk path.  Note that it had some staircases, as did most of the sections on the boardwalk so think carefully if you have any accessible needs.

Praia da Batata

This beach is a great shout because it is steps away from Old Town and makes the perfect landing spot for a beach outing on a quick timeline.  Bonus, its possible to access without stairs if you enter from the side near the kayak rentals. We made it down there twice in one week because of how close and easy it was to stroll over.  On our first night in Lagos we stopped to grab sandwiches for dinner at La Focaccia and brought them down to the beach.

Sagres

We drove out to the town of Sagres from Lagos which took around 35 minutes.  Parking was easy and plentiful in Sagres (something we didn’t experience in many spots in Portugal).  We stopped in for some breakfast at the coolest place - Laundry Lounge.  This place (and its patrons) ooze the surfer lifestyle charm so much it’ll have you considering a longer stay in Portugal.  The breakfast was unique and delicious and there was ample space for strollers.

From there we strolled over to Praia da Mareta which had the most surreal colour of blue lining the golden sandy beach.  Be prepared for no shade again!  They had tons of parking there so plan to park there for your entire Sagres stay.  There was one restaurant on the beach if you need some refreshments but it’s cash-only.  Save your lunch or dinner option for the spot we went to - our favourite meal of the entire trip!

Salema

This stop was inspired by the recommendation for lunch at A BOIA.  While the meal blew us away, so did this little town.  Lots of parking again, and we walked down into the town through some adorable streets.  The beach was perfect for the kids, especially at low tide when the little tide pools kept our gang busy for ages.

A BOIA is the restaurant that you’ll be talking about for years to come when you think of Portugal.  It’s our go-to recommendation for the trip!  This is as fresh as seafood gets - they bring the fish options to the table for you to choose then take it away to do some magic possibly involving a charcoal grill and what they bring back is heaven. We sat on the lowest patio which was steps away from the beach.  We saw lots of families with older kids where the kids were playing on the beach while the parents finished up their meals.  It had us dreaming about our future travels with bigger kids!  Even still, the staff went out of the way to accommodate our four little ones (including highchairs!) and the food was amazing.  Can’t miss this!  Finish off the day by letting the kids go nuts on the beach before driving back 25 min to Lagos.

Silves

Just over 30 minutes from Lagos is the small town of Silves.  With a cloudy day on the horizon we thought we’d go inland and check out a castle. We parked in the lot near the river and walked up to the Castelo de Silves.  Not a bad walk but we won’t sugarcoat - this is a distinctly uphill walk so bring your walking shoes. This castle was relaxed, easy to get into and pretty cheap at €2.80 per adult and €2.20 per child.  There’s tons of space to run around and you can explore the walls of the castle and see views of the city. One thing to note is that the walls have long stretches without guard rails so younger children will need to be closely escorted if you choose to take them up.  We brought lunch for the kids and it was a great spot to have them eat before we continued on with our day.  Definitely recommend this castle, especially if you have bad weather for a day of your trip.

After you leave the castle, meander through the streets in search of a stop of your choice (ice cream for the kids, wine for us).  We also stopped at one of the only playgrounds we saw in the Algarve, right near the parking lot.  They have a cafe if you need to caffeinate while they run around. The riverside park makes for a nice view while you take a breath and relax.

General Tips for the Algarve:

• Tides: Before setting out for your day - check the tides to make sure the beach you’re heading for won’t be under water.  However, visiting just after the tide has gone out is possibly the BEST time to go with toddlers because nothing says safe and enjoyable fun like tidal pools.

• Waves: Our kids are too young to really “swim” or to be in the water past their ankles without holding onto an adult so this wasn’t high on our radar. However, there are many beaches in the Algarve where the waves and undertow are pretty serious, especially on the western coast. This is definitely something to be aware of and check out yourself before letting your older kids loose. 

Prep & then go with the flow: This seems counter intuitive but hear us out. There are so many great beaches to visit but really, you’re looking at variations on the same day for the most part.  To prep, we did some research and saved options in our Google Maps with a few high level notes (mostly “lots of stairs” vs. “not so many stairs”).  After searching, our only “musts” for the trip were Praia Dona Ana and a drive out to Sagres but we had many “would be nices” and a few “good option if it rains.” This let us keep our schedule flexible based on the weather and toddler moods but we were ready to make quick decisions the night before or on the fly based on the legwork we already did. Google Maps really is your best friend here - we always have coffee shops, playgrounds and restaurants saved and ready depending on where the day takes us!

The Algarve is a top choice for European travel with kids! It packs in amazing, sandy beaches, incredible wine (at winning prices), charming old towns and the quintessential euro summer vibes. After all of our travels in Europe, this is coming up as a favourite! Can't recommend more for your next trip!