Golf in the Algarve

The Algarve has been the winter-sun capital of European golf for half a century, and it is easy to see why: more than thirty excellent courses, reliable sunshine from October to May, short transfers from Faro, and superb value, all along one beautiful stretch of coast. It is the most convenient golf-holiday region in Europe — you can play world-class courses in the morning and be on a beach or in a fish restaurant by mid-afternoon.

At the top sits Monte Rei, a Jack Nicklaus Signature course regularly rated the best in Portugal, while the resort of Quinta do Lago is a complete golf destination in itself — the famous South and North courses, the beautiful San Lorenzo along the Ria Formosa, and neighbouring Pinheiros Altos. Just along the coast, Vale do Lobo is home to the most famous hole in Portugal — the clifftop par-3 16th.

The lively hub of Vilamoura offers a cluster of courses including the classic Pinhal and the Arnold Palmer Victoria — reborn in 2025 as the private Els Club Vilamoura, host of the Portugal Masters until 2022. West towards Lagos, Penina (where Algarve golf began, under Sir Henry Cotton) and the links-like Palmaresadd variety; inland near Silves, Sir Nick Faldo's Amendoeira brings a bold, desert-style test, and the coastal Salgados near Albufeira is the nearest thing to a links.

Almancil and Quinta do Lago suit the premium courses of the central Algarve; Vilamoura is the liveliest hub, with a marina, nightlife and several courses on the doorstep; and Lagos in the west is the prettiest town, handy for Palmares and Penina. Faro airport is 20–60 minutes from almost everything.

Quinta do Lago & Almancil

The Conrad Algarve and the Hotel Quinta do Lago are the five-star anchors of the central Algarve, with the Dona Filipa at Vale do Lobo a long-established golf-resort classic.

Vilamoura & the west

Pine Cliffs at Albufeira is a clifftop resort with its own short course, the marina hotels of Vilamoura put you beside the nightlife, and Cascade Wellness at Lagos suits the western courses.

Almancil is the Algarve's fine-dining capital, its lanes dotted with high-end restaurants; the Michelin-starred Willie's at Vilamoura and Gusto by Heinz Beckat the Conrad are the coast's benchmarks, and beach restaurants like 2 Passosnear Quinta do Lago are an Algarve institution. Vilamoura's marina is lined with places to eat, and anywhere along the coast the local cataplana (a seafood stew cooked in a copper pot) and fresh grilled fish are the things to order.

The Ria Formosa Natural Park — a maze of lagoons and barrier islands behind the central courses — is wonderful for boat trips and birdwatching. To the east, the riverside town of Tavira and the tiny clifftop hamlet of Cacela Velha are the prettiest spots on the coast; inland, the old Moorish capital of Silves has a red-sandstone castle. In the west, boat trips visit the golden sea-caves at Benagil and the dramatic cliffs of Ponta da Piedade at Lagos.

Pair the Algarve with the Lisbon & Silver Coast, or see the best courses in Portugal.