Praia de Albandeira – General information

Praia de Albandeira is Portugal’s Best Kept Secret. This beautiful secluded beach is located in the Algarve in the municipality of Lagoa. It has been ranked the third best beach of Europe by Condé Nast.

Praia de Albandeira is a sandy beach, but the beach is relatively small. The beach is not suitable for long walks along the beach. If you do like a walk, it is possible to walk from the top of the cliffs all the way to the famous Praia da Marinha. From the top of the cliffs you can also enjoy some amazing views over the beach. You will also see a famous rock that looks like an arch, known as Arco de Albandeira. The arch has been formed by many years of erosion. These unusual rock formations make Praia de Albandeira a unique beach.

Praia de Albandeira is divided in several small areas. Some of them can only be accessed by swimming around the rocks (during high tide) or walking in shallow water (during low tide). Make sure you run in between the waves, in order to avoid getting very wet.

Praia de Albandeira is very good for swimming. The sea is very calm, because of the protection of the cliffs on the side. The colour of the sea is almost transparent. This makes the beach also very popular for diving or snorkeling. Moreover, there are several natural pools in the rocks. Children love to play in those natural pools.

Even though Praia de Albandeira is an amazing beach, it is not as crowded as some of the other beaches in the Algarve. The beach is mostly popular with locals, especially families. The beach is highly rated on TripAdvisor.

How to get there

The beach is only accessible by car. Coming from the EN125, leave at the International School at Lagoa. You can then proceed to follow the signs. If you prefer to enter an address in your GPS, you can enter Vale de Engenhos, Lagoa, Portugal.

Praia de Albandeira – Facilities

To access the beach, you have to go down a long staircase. This makes the beach not accessible by wheelchair. Although it is a beautiful beach, there are not a lot of facilities on the beach itself. Praia de Albandeira is thus a good beach to spend a day enjoying the sun, taking a swim or reading a book. Be warned to not sit directly underneath the rocks, since there is the risk of rocks falling. However, there is a hotel very near the beach. This hotel is popular among tourists who like to stay near Praia de Albandeira and Praia da Marinha.

Facilities in Praia de Albandeira:
• Restaurant: yes
• Bar/club: no
• Toilet: yes
• Shower: no
• Water sports: no
• Sunbeds: no
• Parking: yes
• Lifeguards: no
• Blue flag beach: no