We’re continuing our series of articles on the Algarve, and this time we’ll linger a bit in the charming little town of Olhão. It’s here that we’ve decided to base ourselves for a few days to explore the surroundings a bit, including a day trip to Tavira and Cacela Velha.
Having arrived via Andalusia, Olhão was our first stop on our road trip, and we absolutely loved this region. Shall we take you along?
Olhão : Quick presentation
Olhão is a small town in the Algarve where tourism blends rather discreetly with local life. Not especially flashy, not ultra-touristy, but lively, colorful, and above all very well situated for visiting the Algarve. Its emblem is its market: two large red buildings by the water, where you can smell fresh fish and fruit at the same time. 😉 You’ll meet locals as well as travelers in search of the best sardine of their lives (with Ben we don’t eat fish, but apparently tasting the sardines here is a real must).
The old town is an immense labyrinth of white alleyways, with cube-shaped houses that recall North Africa a little. It has a unique charm, quite unlike the rest of the region.
Visit the center of Olhão – best things to see
As I mentioned above, Olhão isn’t really a super touristy town. There aren’t necessarily any big “highlights” to discover there, but rather an atmosphere that makes it nice to wander around (and let’s not kid ourselves, getting lost in the labyrinth of alleyways).
But if you come here, there are still a few tips we can recommend to you. 😉
To go to the Olhão market.
As I mentioned earlier, the market is something of a symbol of the city. Located on the waterfront, it’s actually two enormous red-brick buildings: one for fish and seafood, the other for fruits, vegetables, and regional products. The market is open Monday through Saturday (closed Sundays) from 7:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. The best time to visit would be Saturday morning, since that’s when the place is most active!
Strolling along the harbor at sunset.
The port of Olhão is a lively place where it’s nice to stroll at any hour, but we were especially fond of it at sunset.
There are also plenty of restaurants and cafés along the promenade, the perfect place to grab a pre-dinner drink or to enjoy a few tapas while taking in the view. 😉
Visit the Church Igreja Matriz de Nossa Senhora do Rosário
In the heart of Olhão, the Igreja Matriz de Nossa Senhora do Rosário church draws the eye with its white façade, its imposing bell tower, and its history intimately linked to the town’s fishermen — at the time, apparently it was here that the wives of fishermen came to pray for their husbands to return from fishing.
The place is also known for housing many stork nests, so don’t hesitate to look up when you’re in front of it. Entrance to the church is free, but you can pay €1 to climb the bell tower (we unfortunately missed this information before our visit and didn’t go up). But there’s no doubt it’s really nice to go admire the view of the city’s flat roofs from up there.
Eating on the Port of Olhão
This time, we’re not going to give you the most ‘typical’ advice… Well, yes, Olhão is a town that’s really known for its excellent fish and seafood restaurants. And to be honest, there are plenty of them, and I must say the dishes looked magnificent! After that, Benoit and I have been veggie for quite a few years and we don’t eat fish… So the mission was more to find a restaurant where we could eat something else (it wasn’t exactly an easy task).
In the end, we ended up at 7imeio winebar, located along the waterfront promenade. We ate really well (we ordered tons of small plates, tapas-style).
But if, unlike us, you eat fish, Chá Chá Chá as well as Maré Shrimp & Stuff had been recommended to us. Heads up, seafood lovers 😉
Where to stay in Olhão ?
Olhão is an excellent base in the Algarve, in our humble opinion… We had originally planned to stay two nights, and we ended up staying five days, such was how ideal the place was for exploring the area.
As for us, we were travelling with our van and decided to settle at the campground to enjoy the shade of the trees and be able to keep our roof open all day (and ventilate the space). It was extremely hot, and it was very pleasant to be able to spend the hottest hours in the shade. 😉
For the campground, we stayed at Olhão’s main campsite (Mais Camping). It’s a fairly large campground with a pool, a bar, and a small grocery store. So we’re far from the bucolic charm of wild spots, but frankly we had a good stay. The site is ideal (a 30-minute walk to the city center) and above all the price is very reasonable. We were in the shoulder season and paid €16.80 per night (two people in a van with a dog, no electricity).
You may know this, but when we’re not roaming around, we live in the magnificent Val d’Hérens and run Alpiness coliving. During our stay in Portugal, we stopped by to say hello to Claire, who runs the Pomar coliving. She has two locations, one in Estoi and the other in Fuzeta. If you’re looking for a place to telework and enjoy a magnificent setting, we clearly recommend checking out her site. 🙂
For more “traditional” accommodations, Olhão obviously has a very wide range of hotels and vacation apartments. To find what you’re after, you can check Booking or look at the map below by entering your dates and criteria. The Moorish-inspired architecture contributes to Olhão having many houses with rooftop terraces. We didn’t have a rental, so unfortunately we couldn’t test it, but in our opinion it’s a great plan for enjoying the city view at sunset.
Heads up, prices in the region vary VERY strongly depending on the season. In Olhão, for example, you can find this 3-star hotel that’s incredibly well located and costs €57 per night in the low season, but nearly €200 in July–August. #ouch
Take a day trip to the Ria Formosa islands.
It’s not our usual habit to tell you about activities we haven’t done, but believe us, it’s not for lack of having tried. 😉 When we were in Olhão, we really wanted to go explore the islands of the Ria Formosa. From Olhão, the three islands most frequently explored are: Farol, Culatra, and Armona. We did a lot of research (and had planned some walks), so I figured I’d put it here.
How do you get to the islands of the Ria Formosa?
There are roughly three main ways to get there:
- Take an official ferry: By far the cheapest option! Ferries depart from Olhão port (schedules vary depending on the season; you can check them here). Tickets cannot be purchased online—they must be paid for (in cash) directly at the port. Expect to pay between €4.20 and €4.80 per person for a round trip (depending on the island you choose).
- Take an organized tour: There are several excursions on Getyourguide and Civitatis that allow you to discover several islands in one day. Expect to pay around €25 to €40 for the full day. The price includes transportation, a guide with explanations, and sometimes meals/snacks (depending on the tour). This can be a good way to see several islands in one day and also learn about the region and its traditions (the reviews of these tours are all very positive about the guides, especially on this tour).
- Take a taxi boat: It is also possible to hire a private boat and use it as a taxi. This option is the most expensive but it allows for greater flexibility and is much faster (and also allows you to bring your pet). Expect to pay between €70 and €110 for a round trip (up to 5 people—then €5 per additional person per trip).
During this road trip, we were accompanied (as always) by our loyal four-legged friend Winchy. We had planned to do the short hike between Culatra and Farol, and we naively headed to the ferry port. We had noticed that dogs were not admitted on excursions organized by Civitatis or GetYourGuide, but we will admit that it hadn’t crossed our minds that dogs would be banned on ferries… In Switzerland, animals are always admitted on public transport (with a ticket) and it’s true that we’re a bit spoiled. But there you have it… In Portugal, animals are generally less tolerated in public spaces and that includes ferries. Small dogs can, in theory, be taken along but they must be in an official transport crate (not practical to lug around if you want to hike). 😉
We would have had the option of hiring a private taxi to do the hike, but spending €100 to go hiking seemed a bit excessive. If we had planned ahead better, we could have tried to find other people to share the costs, but at the time it was a bit complicated. And leaving Winchy at the campsite wasn’t an option either… It was nearly 104°F during the day, so it was impossible to leave him in the van.
Small hike idea from Culatra to Farol
Well, it’s hard to give you feedback since we didn’t do the walk, but here’s what we had planned to do:
- Take the ferry from Olhão to Culatra (crossing time approximately 40 minutes)
- Walk from Culatra to Farol (I’ve included a map of the walk below). Allow two hours for the walk. Please note that on the map, the walk ends at the bar, but it takes another five minutes to reach the port. 😉
- Return to Olhão from Farol (crossing time approximately 40 minutes)
More ideas for day trips from Olhão.
As mentioned above, Olhão is a pretty little town, but it’s also an excellent base for exploring southern Portugal. Here are a few suggestions for half-day or full-day trips.
Estoi and its palace
Estoi is a small, tranquil village in the Algarve, a few kilometers from Faro and Olhão. From Olhão, it takes about a 20-minute drive to get there. This place is often known for one reason: its superb pastel-pink palace, the Palácio de Estoi. From the outside, it resembles a setting for a romantic film — wide terraces, perfectly symmetrical staircases, blue azulejos, and meticulously maintained gardens. You’d feel as if you were invited to a ball from a bygone century.
Today, the palace is a hotel, but even without staying there, you can stroll through the gardens, sip a coffee on the terrace, and enjoy the view of the surrounding countryside. That was exactly what we had planned to do, by the way… But, unfortunately, the place had been privatized (we think it was for a wedding, but we’re not entirely sure). Anyway, we couldn’t go inside, but even the garden alone was already very pretty.
We took advantage of being there to wander a bit around the rest of the village. So let’s not lie to you—the main charm clearly lies in the palace, even though there are obviously a few pretty lanes and houses to discover (and we were able to have a coffee on a nice terrace anyway). 😉
This is ideal if you want to be independent during the day. In terms of budget, this will vary depending on the time of year, but on Booking (ex-Rentalcars).
For car rental, we recommend traveling to Faro Airport (by bus or Uber), where you will find the cheapest cars in the Algarve (from €7 per day). So depending on your itinerary, it may be more advantageous to rent a car for your entire stay.
Church of são lourenço
Here, it’s not a day trip or even a half-day one, but more of a stop we’d recommend you make! The São Lourenço Church doesn’t look like much from the outside—a white-washed facade typical of rural churches in the Algarve, with no ostentatious exterior decoration. By contrast, the interior is absolutely spectacular!
The walls, the vault, and the dome are entirely covered with azulejos — the traditional Portuguese ceramic tiles — and it’s really splendid. That said, I should warn you: the entrance has a €2 fee. It’s not a lot, even though personally I don’t especially like when we’re asked to pay for a place of worship… but that’s just my opinion. 😉
The Eastern Algarve: Cacela Velha and Tavira
From Olhão, you can head toward the Spanish border and explore pretty corners like Cacela Velha or the small town of Tavira. We’ve even dedicated a full blog post to that day, which you can read here.
Plan on about 35 minutes’ drive between Olhão and Cacela Velha, and 25 minutes to Tavira.
Praia de Falesia
If you decide to head to the western side of Olhão, we recommend this very pretty stroll along Praia de Falesia (also a very beautiful beach to come and enjoy the sun). By car, expect about a 50-minute drive.
For our part, we had done a round trip of about 5.5 km, but the possibilities for walks are almost endless (shortening or lengthening the walk isn’t really a problem). Check out all the details about this region in this article.
Ludo Trail – the salt marshes of the Ria Formosa
Latest proposed stroll near Olhão: go discover the Ludo Trail starting from the Praia de Faro parking lot. Here, we forget the cliffs and the jagged coastline, but focus more on the local fauna and flora. This route highlights both the beach at Faro and the salt marshes. Here, you will have the chance to observe numerous birds that come there to make it their home (and even flamingos). Flamingos are theoretically present year-round, but the population appears to be larger between November and March.
If you want to do a loop hike, you can follow the route below (but beware, the return is along the beach. Very pretty variant, but walking in the sand makes the walk a tad more tiring). It is, of course, possible to simply do an out-and-back on the footbridges.
There you have it—that’s all for today. We hope you enjoyed this little glimpse into Olhão and its surroundings. We’ll be back very soon with more articles about Portugal. And to find all of our Algarve articles, head here.
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