Algarve

Faro Airport is the Algarve's gateway, 60km east of Lagos. Rent a car at the airport and drive west to Lagos — the most beautiful town in the Algarve, a walled medieval city on a river estuary above extraordinary beaches. The historic center of Lagos has the 15th-century church of Santo António (an explosion of baroque gilt carving) and the slave market museum (Mercado de Escravos, the first purpose-built slave market in Europe, 1441). The Ponta da Piedade headland 2km south of Lagos is the most dramatic geological formation in the Algarve: a series of golden sandstone towers, arches, and grottos accessible by boat or by stairs cut into the cliff face, with turquoise Atlantic water between the formations. The view from the clifftop footpath at sunset is extraordinary. Dinner in Lagos at A Fórcado for excellent grilled fish and cataplana.

The Benagil Sea Cave is the most famous geological feature in the Algarve — an enormous sea cave accessible by kayak or SUP from Benagil Beach, with a round skylight opening in the domed ceiling that illuminates the sandy floor below in an extraordinary column of light. The cave is not accessible on foot and requires a short paddle through the cave entrance. The best light is at 10-11am when the sun is directly above the skylight. Praia da Marinha, 3km east of Benagil, is consistently rated one of the most beautiful beaches in Europe: a small cove surrounded by extraordinary amber sandstone formations, grottos, and natural arches accessible by a short cliff path from the road. The grottos are accessible by kayak for the most intimate experience. The entire coast between Lagos and Portimão can be kayaked in a full day, covering all the major formations at sea level.

Sagres at the southwestern tip of Portugal is one of the most dramatically situated places in Western Europe — the cliffs of Cabo de São Vicente, the westernmost point of continental Europe, drop 75 meters vertically into the Atlantic in a setting that made this the "end of the world" for medieval Portuguese sailors preparing to venture into the unknown ocean. Henry the Navigator's Fortress (Fort of Sagres) sits on the promontory above the cape, from where he is said to have coordinated the Portuguese Age of Exploration in the 15th century. The beaches of Sagres — Praia da Mareta, Praia do Beliche, and Praia da Tonel — are the wildest and most Atlantic-exposed in the Algarve, with surf conditions that attract surfers from across Europe. The light at Cabo de São Vicente at sunset, with nothing but Atlantic Ocean from the cliff edge to the horizon, is one of the defining experiences of Western Europe.

Silves, 14km north of Portimão in the orange and almond groves of the Algarve interior, was the Moorish capital of the Algarve from the 9th to 13th centuries and preserves the most complete Arab castle in Portugal — the red sandstone Castelo de Silves, with its complete circuit of walls, towers, and the original cistern system built by the Almohad rulers. The cathedral (Se) of Silves, built over the Great Mosque after the Portuguese reconquest, is one of the most beautiful Gothic churches in the Algarve. Portimão is the Algarve's second-largest city and has excellent seafood restaurants on the Arade River — the famous sardinhas assadas (grilled sardines) at the riverside restaurants are the definitive Algarve culinary experience: huge, fresh, charcoal-grilled sardines with cru de pan and a glass of Alentejo white wine, eaten at an outdoor table by the river.

The Ria Formosa Natural Park east of Faro is one of Portugal's most important ecological areas — an extraordinary system of lagoons, barrier islands, and saltmarsh that shelters the main breeding population of the rare purple swamp hen and migrating shorebirds from northern Europe. Ferry from Faro Old Town pier to the barrier island of Ilha Deserta — completely undeveloped, with no cars and an excellent seafood restaurant in the only building on the island. Ilhéu do Farol and Armona have more facilities and excellent beaches on both the lagoon and ocean sides. The lagoon side is completely calm; the ocean side has Atlantic surf. Kayaking through the Ria Formosa channels between the saltmarsh islands is the best way to appreciate the park ecology. Return via Tavira — Portugal's most beautiful Algarve town, with its Roman bridge, whitewashed houses, and Islamic-influenced architecture.

Drive north from the Algarve into the Alentejo — Portugal's vast inland plateau of cork oak forests, wheat fields, and one of the country's great wine regions. The Alentejo produces powerful red wines from the Trincadeira and Alicante Bouschet grapes with a richness that rivals Spain's best. Herdade do Espoão (40km north of the Algarve border) is the region's most famous estate winery, with tours, tastings, and an excellent restaurant in a beautifully renovated farm. The Rota dos Dolmens (Megalith Route) around Évora passes extraordinary megalithic monuments including the Almendres Cromlech — a Neolithic stone circle of 95 standing stones that predates Stonehenge, less visited, and in a landscape of cork oaks that makes the approach extraordinary. Return to the Algarve via the Serra de Monchique — the mountain range between the two regions, with spa villages and extraordinary views.

Faro Airport has good connections to London, Amsterdam, Dublin, and other European hubs, with budget carriers making the Algarve accessible year-round. A final morning at the best beach you found during the week — the Algarve has 150km of choices and the one that becomes your favorite is personal. Pick up Algarve almonds (the best in Portugal), carob products, and Medronho (the local fire water distilled from the medronho strawberry tree fruit, powerful and extraordinary) from a market in Lagos or Portimão. The Algarve has the best weather in Western Europe outside the Mediterranean coast of Spain — 300 days of sunshine — and the combination of dramatic geology, warm Atlantic, and excellent food makes it one of Europe's most underrated honeymoon destinations.