During our trip to Portugal’s Algarve region this past August, we visited a number of beautiful beaches along the country’s western and southern coasts. We were staying in a tent at an eco retreat near Aljezur, which is about 45 minutes from the more touristy town of Lagos and just a quick drive to many of the Algarve’s most beautiful (and less crowded) beaches along the western coast.
After visiting one of the most beautiful beaches near Aljezur, called Praia da Bordeira (pictured in the feature photo above), we happened upon a series of scenic boardwalks and viewpoints established by the nearby Museu do Mar e Terra, or the Museum of Land and Sea.
Despite its affiliation with the Museu, this attraction isn’t a museum in the ordinary sense and is instead a series viewpoints between two beaches: Praia da Bordeira and Praia do Amado. Each of the stops along the route are marked with giant steel letters and are labeled “A, B, C, …”. The letters mark the start of the boardwalk that leads to the viewing platform.
The path is only about 5 km (roughly 3 miles) from start to finish, making it a reasonable trek on foot. We discovered the path while in our car, so we opted to drive it instead, pulling off along the side of the dirt road at each point to snap some photos and take in the view.
After completing this drive, the western coast of the Algarve gets my vote for Most Beautiful Coastline in the World!
Here are a few photos from our scenic journey along the Museu do Mar e Terra route.
