Algarve is a region spreading across southern and southwestern banks of Portugal. The biggest city in this area is Faro, which can be easily reached by plane (the Faro International Airport (FAO) hosts cheap airlines). Algarve is best known for its stunning long, wide, sandy beaches and majestic cliffs. The most impressive cliffs can be found nearby St. Vincents Cape - the most extended to the west part of European land. Despite frequent strong winds, it can get really hot in Algarve, especially in the middle of the summer. Great weather attracts a lot of tourists, which can increase the prices, therefore the best months for visiting and relaxing on Portuguese beaches are June and September. Trust me, it is hard to decide which beach is the most beautiful, so I decided to describe below five of the most breathtaking ones. 

• Praia de Falésia - one of the longest beach in Algarve, it is situated west from Faro, five kilometers east from Albufeira. It is surrounded by high, maroon, rocky walls, overgrown by pine groves and tall grass. There are many walking paths in between the greenery, which offer amazing views on the beach.

• Praia de Odeceixe Mar - this beach is situated in the estuary of River Seixe, on the southwestern coast of Portugal. During the outflow, many shallow lagoons appear on the sand and they are perfect to swim for children. Odeceixe beach is enormous and surrounded by cliffs from three sides. The easiest way to get there is by car (free parking is available).

• Praia de Monte Clérigo - this long and wide beach is situated south from Odeceixe, nearby small, charming village, where you can have something to eat, or simply use a toilet.

• Praia de Arrifana - this is one of my favorites. Arrifana is well-known among surfers. It is surrounded by high rocks, on which white summer houses with red roofs have been built. This is where the cool and the hype is and although it's a big beach, it can get crowded easily in the summer. Despite of that fact, it makes a massive impression and the hippie atmosphere in the air makes you wanna stay for longer.

• Praia das Fontainhas - we discovered this beach by accident, while we were walking over the cliffs near the town we were staying in: Armação de Pêra. It took us over na hour to get there, but it was so worth it! The beach is small compared to the ones we've seen before, but it is surrounded by cliffs and secluded, probably because there are no towns or hotels nearby. It is easy to miss the "entrance" to the beach, because you have to go down the path among bushes to the bottom of defile. It is not that difficult though, so don't worry. The easiest way to get here is by car.

Algarve has to offer countless amount of beaches, therefore everyone will find something for him/herself. We only managed to see a few. Most of them look similar, but it doesn't take the magnificance from them! What I liked the most was that they were all clean (even the crowded public beaches) and vast. The behavior of sunbathers was amazing too! They were clean, polite and quiet. I've not seen such beautiful beaches in Europe before, therefore I can honestly recommend them as the best ones. I can only add that all of them have blue flag.

Lastly, I invite you to watch my vlog from holiday in Portugal, where I tried to capture the beauty of the Portuguese beaches.

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