In case you’re thinking of hitting up Portugal on your next eurotrip, and Lisbon’s currently your top priority, as you know, it’s the capital and all, hold off on booking those flights right away.
I get it, you may be thinking it’s probably where you should kick things off, considering it’s the country’s self-proclaimed cultural heart and administrative center.
And to be fair, as someone who’s been to Lisbon himself more times than I can count, I’ll never downplay its historic appeal and stellar food scene.
That said, there’s one region in Portugal I just happen to love more, where prices are generally lower, beaches sunnier and wider, and seafood is on another level altogether.
And what are the odds? It’s the top destination in the country right now, with a whopping 20.8 million overnight stays. With an average length of stay of nearly four nights (3.9), and room occupancy averaging a stable 58.4% year-round, it leaves Lisboa in the rear mirror.
Did I mention Americans can fly there nonstop this spring?
Welcome To The Sunnier Side Of Europe
The southernmost region of Portugal, the Algarve, is a coastal stretch of roughly 96 miles along the Atlantic coast, from the Spanish border to the country’s westernmost point at the Cabo de São Vicente lighthouse.
Packed full of golden-sand beaches, whitewashed villages, and dramatic cliffside scenery, it’s a sun-drenched territory that’s given Northern Europeans their much-needed winter escape for decades, yet somehow stayed under the radar in American circles… until fairly recently.
The Algarve goes head to head with Madeira Island as Portugal’s warmest destination year-round, with temperatures hovering between 62 and 68 °F in winter and spring, then climbing into the mid to upper 80s during peak season.
After maybe Mexico, Europe is hands down the top pick for Americans craving a cultural getaway and to soak up a bit of that Old World charm. The catch? Most of Europe is either freezing cold or straight-up rainy in the off-season.
Not in the Algarve, where the sun shines over 300 days a year.
Fly Nonstop To The Algarve From Newark
Well, I have good news for you. If you live Stateside, from May 15, 2026, you’ll no longer need to resort to long layovers getting there.
No touching down in Lisbon or Porto first: you can fly straight to Faro (FAO), the capital of the Algarve, and main gateway to all those postcard-ready beaches:
Fly Nonstop From Newark (EWR) → Faro (FAO)
Top 5 Algarve Destinations To Visit In 2026 (PLUS A QUIZ AT THE END TO FIND YOUR PERFECT MATCH!)
Faro
The unassuming capital of the Algarve, Faro is somewhere most people just briefly pass through on their way to the world-class beaches out west, but it just happens to be one of the most historically rich spots along the coast.
The wall-encircled Old town, with its cobbled streets and Reconquista-era cathedral is an absolute delight to stroll, and if you wanna see something you won’t forget within the next 5 minutes, check out the late-medieval Chapel of Bones: an ossuary in church form bedecked with human skulls.
Carvoeiro
The ‘Portuguese Santorini‘, Carvoeiro is one of the Algarve’s many traditional coastal settlements, with chalk-white, cubic houses perched atop coastal cliffs, and cobbled pathways leading down to a quaint harbor area and beach.
The beach here is, without question, one of the most beautiful I’ve seen anywhere in Europe, personally. Think soft, warm golden sands, of the kind you can actually bury your feet in by a few inches, and bright-blue waters.
A tad too cold for my liking, it’s still the North Atlantic, but beautiful to look at regardless.
Ferragudo
A quaint Portuguese fishing village in the vicinity of a much-more popular Portimão, Ferragudo is like an Iberian storybook town come to life: winding alleys flanked by centuries-old whitewashed houses, picturesque, public praças bordered by orange trees, and a gorgeous hilltop Baroque church to top it off.
It’s also one of the top foodie spots in all of the Algarve: for bacalhau (the Portuguese-style, olive oil-heavy codfish) and cold beer, head to O Praia Grande, a seaside eatery right on Ferragudo’s main beach. You know, the one that leads up to the beautiful reddish-stone São João do Arade Fort.
Loulé
A little further inland from the Atlantic coastline, Loulé is a medieval city in the district of Faro dominated by a well-preserved castle, and home to a maze-like Historic Center crisscrossed by cobbled paths and arch-adorned passageways.
It’s often brushed off by tourists who just hit the Algarve for the beaches, so you get to soak up all this Old World charm—historic sights, family-run padarias, and leafy squares where Portuguese vovôs huddle round a bench to play chess—all to yourself.
Lagos
The trendiest spot in the whole of the Algarves, Lagos packs all of the region’s charm into a single little coastal gem. It’s got the coastal forts, the walled-up Old Town dotted with azulejo-covered buildings and quaint squares, and, of course, endless stretches of sandy beaches to top it all off.
Starting from town, you can stroll about 1.5 miles to the landmark Ponta da Piedade lighthouse, wandering past golden-sand strips marked with their own quirks, like Praia do Estudante, famous for its ‘Roman Bridge’, and Praia do Camilo, which you reach via those scenic wooden steps.
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