Praia de Carvoeiro

Carvoeiro beach is one of the my favorate beaches in Carvoeiro. It's an easy walk from downtown Carvoeiro which was formerly a fisherman village. It now caters to vistors from all over the world who want to enjoy the Sun and surf. Families will enjoy downtown Carvoeiro and Carvoeiro beach, especially those from the UK which seem to represent a large majority of the vistors and residents. There are a few different pubs downtown that offer Guiness and the typical British pub experience.

The beach has two main roads that lead into downtown Carvoeiro and the beach. You will find lots of quaint cafes, restaurants and shops along the main roads that you can have a drink, eat and shop at. There is often live entertainment found in downtown Carvoeiro in the summer.

Praia de Paraiso is a short walk up the hill westward from downtown Carvoeiro and Carvoeiro beach.

Good to know

Where to eat?

Carvoeiro beach has lots of restaurants and bars within walking distance of the beach. There are plenty of restaurants with beautiful scenic views of the beach. The restauruants and bars immediately by the beach tend to be more expensive for meals and drinks. For a more authentic Portuguese dining experience also consider driving into downtown Lagoa. It's highly recommended that you book restaurant reservations in the summer for dinner. There are still good restaurant options even in the winter months when some of the restaurants close.

Parking

Carvoeiro beach has no parking dedicated to the beach. There is some parking along the main two entrance and exit streets to Downtown Carvoeiro. . The street access is through a tightly packed residential area with narrow streets. The streets are bordered by restaurants, cafes and shops which limits street parking. Like most of Downtown Carvoeiro come early to get a parking space in the summer. Best to find parking off the main the road futher back from the coast on the hills in town.

Surf

Good for cooling off and families to enjoy the water. The beach is rather extremely small. Large elevation drop downto the beach. Waves tend to come in multiple directions given the beaches very small width. This makes it difficult to enter and exit the beach with waves comging from multiple directions as they bounce off the cliff walls. Not good for surfing given its narrow width.

The beach is not good for The beach is busy board or body surfing. with people.

How Busy

You can usually find a place to lay your beach blanket even in the summer. You can have it to your self in the fall, winter and spring as it seems very few people either know about the beach or don't have the strength to climb up the hill, step down to and back up from the beach. Finally, to walk back down the hill to Carvoeiro beach.

Activities

There are plenty of activities to do at Carvoeiro beach.

Boat Tours: Excursions of the Algarve Coastline. The boats are pulled right on to the sand when they aren't in use. The tour passengers board the boat from the beach. The tour provides excellent tours of the Benegil cave. Sometimes they even land on the beach to allow visitors to see the cave from sandy beach inside the Benegil cave opening.
Swimming:
Sun Bathing: Listening and watching to surf come into the beach from at the top of the westerly hill that overlooks the beach.
Picnicing: On the beach.
Watching Sunrises and Sunsets: Some amazing views from the tops of the cliffs. Towards the west of Algarve you can see the sun set. Towards the east of Algarve you can see the sun rise.
Walks: A small narrow sidewalk along a one way narrow road west leads you a short distance to Praia de Paraiso. A similar walk is available on the east side cliff that give majestic view of the beach. Stop along the way on the benches to enjoy the views. You will find a playground, school and church at the top of the west side cliff. Visitors flock to the top of the hill at dusk to enjoy the sunsets and views of Lagos and Sagres in the distance. It is a short walk to Paraiso beach from here. Consider going there by foot down the hitll to Carvoeiro beach. Use an Ube to get to the beach if you don't want to deal with the hills. Uber rides for short distances are very inexpensive in Algarve.
Walk into Town: Get some of the best cremey chocolate Gelato you have had.