Places to visit in the Algarve, Portugal

Figueira Beach

You would be forgiven for not knowing where Figueira is, never mind Figueira beach and, actually, we feel a little guilty about telling you about it.  Driving west from Lagos towards Sagres on the N125, continue past the Praia da Luz and Burgau turnings and opposite the entrance to Parque da Floresta Golf & Leisure Resort, turn left at the traffic lights.  Ignore the left hand fork down the valley to Salema and bear right and follow the road into Figueira.

As you enter the village you will see the small junior school (Escola Primaria) on the right hand side  and a little further on there is a newly surfaced road off to the left which leads over the top to Salema.  Just past that junction, there is a bus shelter and immediately after that, turn left into a very narrow opening between two high walls, signposted "Forte da Figueira".  Follow the track for several hundred metres; you will probably think you are driving where you shouldn't but plough on and you will come to an signposted open space where you can park the car.  This is as far as you can drive and it is a comfortable 20 minute walk to the beach from here along a path which winds down the valley.

So often the countryside looks totally brown during the summer months but if one looks carefully there are verdant patches of land wherever you look.  The valley down to the coast is one such place and as you walk there is a wide variety of crops to be seen.  The path is quite narrow and uneven but the walking is not too difficult.  As you drop down to sea level, the approach widens and there is a bank of sand and pebbles before the sand is reached.  In winter the sea can regularly come this far inland and present a somewhat damp approach!

The cliffs are charcteristically high along this stretch of coastline and the beach is sheltered on both sides.  In July, the sand dune area is covered in white flowers which provides a most pleasing backdrop to the beach. 

This is one of the Algarve's less well known beaches, at least for the moment and there are no facilities of any kind here.  Whatever it is you want, you will have to take with you.  The locals have this down to a fine art with cool boxes, umbrellas and beach games all in evidence - it's definitely a DIY beach.

Algarve Retreats can offer a choice of accommodation either in Figueira or the surrounding area.  In the village itself we have 2 & 3 bedroom linked villas with a shared heated pool at Quinta da Aldeia and Casa dos Montinhos, a 5 bedroom / 3 bathroom villa with pool.  Nearby is Parque da Floresta Leisure Resort where facilities include pool, golf, tennis, bowls and a spa and health club.  Here there is a choice of 2 & 3 bedroom village houses and 3 & 4 bedroom villas with private pools.  In the nearby village of Budens, Quinta do Montinho offers 2 & 3 bedroom village houses with shared pool.

Would you like more suggestions?  Take a look at our Things to do in the Algarve and Places to go in the Algarve sections for loads of ideas of what to do and where to go

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