Algarve property hotspots

Property in The Algarve is one of the
most popular destinations in Europe for overseas investors, thanks to hundreds
of days of sunshine every year and stunning beach-strewn coastlines.

But where are the best places to buy a holiday home?

Here are MoveWorldWide.net’s Algarve property hotspots:

Lagos

Lagos has a population of approximately 20,000 residents.
Typically, these numbers increase during the summer months with the influx of
visiting tourists and seasonal residents.

 
Lagos is one of the most visited cities in the Algarve and
Portugal. Due to its variety of tourist-friendly beaches, bars, restaurants,
and hotels, it is renowned for its vibrant summer nightlife and parties.

 
Yet, Lagos is also a historic centre of the Portuguese Age
of Discovery, frequent home of Henry the Navigator, historical shipyard and, at
one time, centre of the European slave trade.

 
In 2012, travel website TripAdvisor, classified Lagos as the
number one travel destination on a list of “15 destinations on the rise”
worldwide.

 
View Lagos
real estate

 

 

Albufeira

Albufeira is a main tourist destination in Portugal due to
its coastal location.

 
The city has a population of 13,646 and is located 30km from
Lagos, 45km from Faro and close to Paderne Castle. Albufeira is one of the
leading tourist resorts of the Algarve region.

 
Facilities include a marina, golf courses, plus innumerable
hotels, apartment blocks, restaurants and bars for the annual flood of
visitors.

 
View Albufeira
real estate

Loulé

Loulé  is a city and a
municipality in Portugal.

 
The council has an 
area of 764.2 km² and houses a total population of 62,295 inhabitants.
 

Local attractions include the Castle of Loulé, an annual
carnival, the local market and several churches.

 
View Loule
property

 

Tavira

Tavira is a city and municipality in the Algarve, with
approximately 25,000 inhabitants. The city has many 18th century buildings. A
Roman bridge links the two parts of the town across the River Gilão.

 
The church of Santa Maria do Castelo, built on the site of a
Moorish mosque, holds the tomb of Dom Paio Peres Correia. The church dates from
the 13th century and the tower has been remodeled from the original Muslim
minaret.

 
The surrounding area is still fairly rural – but this is now
changing due to the demands of the tourist industry and golf courses opening in
the vicinity.

 
View Tavira
property

 

 
 
Vilamoura

 
Vilamoura is a purpose built resort and marina which was
started from scratch by a wealthy banker from Porto, Cupertino de Miranda.

 
The resort was started in 1974 and is still expanding
outwards from the marine center. The resort is 14.3 miles west from Faro, its
nearest airport.

 
Tourism in Vilamoura is extensive and well-developed, with
resorts rating from 3 star to 5 star. This is a substantially higher average
than the surrounding areas, which have ratings varying from 2 star to 4 star.

 

Browse our listings of Vilamoura
property
 

Portimão

The two most populous towns in the Algarve are Portimão and
Faro. Portimão has 41,000 inhabitants and is known for its sporting events and
the Portimão Air Show.

 
In the summer, a beach soccer tournament called the
Mundialito de Futebol de Praia (‘Little World Cup’) is held.

 
The Lisbon to Dakar Rally also passes through, and there are
watersports, such as surfing and kitesurfing.

 
Browse our listings of Portimao
property

 

 

Carvoeiro

Carvoeiro is about 5 km south of Lagoa and has around 2,784
inhabitants. The picturesque fishing village, with a long history of
settlement, has grown over recent decades into the main tourist area of the
concelho.

 
It has a number of fine beaches protected by cliffs.

 
The name of the village derives from ‘Caboiere’, an old name
for a hamlet of fishermen from the Islamic-medieval period.

 
For most of its history, fishing was the mainstay of the
village’s local economy. However, from the 1960s onward, tourism gradually
became the economic base of the area, with many new hotels, apartment
complexes, shops, roads, and a significant improvement in the infrastructure.

 
Browse our listings of Carvoeiro
property

 

Praia da Luz

Praia da Luz is a village and resort located about 6 km from
Lagos. Also known as Luz de Lagos or Vila da Luz, Praia da Luz, which means
‘Beach of the Light’, is used to refer to both the village and the beach.

 
It had its origins as a small fishing village (the industry
is now only found in isolated enclaves to the west), but has been transformed
by several holiday-villa complexes into a tourist/vacation centre.

 
Luz is dominated by its beach, which extends as far as the
cliffs of the southern coast and is part of the Algarve’s Gold Coast.

 
Browse our listings of Praia
de Luz property

 

 

Faro

Faro is the southernmost city in Portugal and has 58,305
residents. It is the capital of the Algarve region and has a public university
(the University of the Algarve), an international airport (Faro airport), a
seaport, a marina, a railway station and complete inter-regional bus services.

 
Its 30,000-seater stadium Estádio Algarve, shared by
neighboring Loulé, was one of the venues of Euro 2004.  It is also used to host concerts and
festivals.

 
In recent years, the numbers of visitors traveling through
Faro airport has increased as more low-cost airlines compete to offer flights
to the Algarve. The transport facilities to and from the airport include taxis
and buses.

 
Browse our listings of Faro
property

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