The central Algarve town of Albufeira springs to life over summer months, becoming a tourist hot-spot. Ky and his friend Tim visited the beachside town for a few nights at the end of July, using it as an opportunity to relax by after a week filled with hiking (Madeira) and a busy city break (Lisbon). We had read good reviews online about Albufeira, and were excited to see what the town was about. However, online we did read about the ‘party reputation’ of the town. So.. is Albufeira a ‘tourist trap’ or should it be visited as one of the beachside gems along the Algarve?
Let’s set the scene. Long strip of wide sandy beach, clear warm water, and a whitewashed town enveloping the limestone cliffs that flank the beach. Albufeira is definitely picturesque. The views are postcard worthy. The beach is the perfect place to relax the day away.
Enter the Albufeira town.. things change. Step a few metres into the old town and you will see the place is designed for one market only.. western tourists. More specifically, it’s heavily geared towards western tourists who want to party. The streets are lined with large, loud, large-menu, low quality eateries which appear very ‘tourist trap’ orientated. There are a few streets which pump at night with live music, bars, and clubs. And for those wanting to drink it up.. prices are cheap on the alcohol front.
The stark contrast between the picturesque beach and the tourist centred old town is evident. Now, don’t get us wrong, we don’t mind a party town. However, like much of our audience, we love a town with substance. Albufeira unfortunately lacks a little substance. There’s minimal authentic bakeries, a smattering of decent restaurants (see below.. these were hard to find), and no dedicated specialty coffee shops (you know we didn’t like this). After spending a few days here, we come to the conclusion that it’s more style than substance.. and even the style is ‘party centric’ for a certain target market. If you’re looking for a budget friendly, party heavy town, beach nearby, and a lot of western tourists.. then this might be for you.
If you want a similar experience, with a little more authenticity, we’d possibly urge you to consider nearby towns like Lagos (still busy but a little more substance), Gale (small surf town), Carvoeiro, Burgau (picturesque town with local feel), Sagres or even closer to Faro/Tavira. If you do want to visit Albufeira, don’t stress, there’s lots to do, and you can see a few of our tips below to help you beat some of the tourist traps. See a few shots below of alternative towns to consider.
A few Albufeira recommendations
Best restaurants in Albufeira: We recommend avoiding the ‘tourist trap’ restaurants in the main square and streets as these will likely leave you disappointed and the prices are similar to the below.
- Prazeres: A local feel restaurant one street from main town. Great service and excellent food, and they have a rotating local specials on a chalk board (you know by know we love this). An Albufeira must.
- Restaurant os arcos: Ironically, this is located next door to Prazeres. This also has excellent food and good service.
- Taberna Vicentina: A local feel tapas and small plates restaurant that should also be on your list in Albufeira.
Best coffee in Albufeira: This was very hard to find in Albufeira. Don’t expect the best coffee here, however Mane, located on the fringe of the old town had decent coffee and good brunch options.
Where to stay in Albufeira:
Pro tip.. stay on the fringe of the old town if you want to sleep at night. The partying on the main streets will go until early hours. We thankfully stayed 5minutes walk from the town in an excellent guesthouse/hotel.
- Golden Stay B&B – An excellent Albufeira stay in the perfect location with a wonderful host and incredible rooftop terrace.
- See more great stay in Albufeira here!
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