Algarve Unlocked: My Journey Through the Algarve’s 50 Towns — From Tiny to Teeming
Portimão and the River Arade
If you really want to know a place — not the Insta façade, not the glossy tourism-board brochure, but the bones, the breath, the heartbeat — start small.
Tiny, even.
That’s exactly what I set out to do this year: criss-cross the Algarve and film nearly 50 towns, from the absolute minnows (Benagil, all 50 locals of it) to the big hitters like Portimão, Faro, Lagos and Albufeira. A kind of population-ranked pilgrimage.
Why population?
Honestly… curiosity. And because I’ve always believed that smaller towns hold the biggest surprises. Like the old adage reversed — the fewer the people, the louder the stories ring.
Starting at the Bottom: The Smallest of the Small
When you kick things off in Benagil — yes, the Benagil Cave fame, yet also a place so tiny you could practically meet half the population while ordering a tosta mista — you realise something: the Algarve isn’t one region. It’s 50 micro-worlds stitched together by cliffs, valleys, cork forests, legends, and late-afternoon light.
From there I hopped to Querenca & Ombria (88 souls), where life moves at a pace that makes your smartwatch think you’ve died. Except you haven’t — you’ve just slowed down enough to notice things again. Old fountains, hidden chapels, a breeze that still smells like the past.
Then Salema, all soft golds and fishing-village charm; Quinta do Lago, where the lawns are more manicured than my childhood memories; and Paderne, a place so steeped in history that its castle practically whispers to you if you hike up early enough.
And then there’s Barrão de São João, a bohemian outpost of artists and eccentrics, and Alcoutim, where the Guadiana gallops quietly by and Spain waves at you from the opposite bank. If ever a place could lull you into staying “just one more night,” it’s Alcoutim.
I wandered the cobbled calm of Alte, the rustic honesty of Benafim, the coastal cool of Burgau, and the windswept wildness of Odeceixe — technically Alentejo but spiritually Algarve, with that river curling in like a lazy cat.
And then, oh Salir — a time capsule nestled in the hills. Culatra, the car-free island where life revolves around tides and octopus pots. Vila do Bispo, gateway to headlands that made old navigators whisper prayers. And Porches, pottery kingdom of the Algarve, where clay becomes art in the hands of people who still craft like their grandparents did.
That’s 18 videos so far — 18 windows into a quieter Algarve.
And each time I finish editing one, I think: How have more people not fallen in love with these places?
The Road Ahead: 30+ More Towns, A Whole New Algarve
From Vale da Telha’s surfer enclave to Ferragudo’s picture-postcard harbour; from the eucalyptus-scented mountains of Monchique to the sprawling salt-tinged charm of Tavira; and ultimately on to the pulsing urban anchors — Lagos, Faro, Portimão…
This journey is shaping up to be part documentary, part pilgrimage, part love letter.
And yes — part personal challenge.
Because the Algarve isn’t just the beaches. It’s pockets of life, some as small as 100 people, some buzzing with tens of thousands, all threaded with stories that deserve more than a passing glance.
I’ve started seeing the region as a kind of population-shaped topographical map. Not of geography, but of soul density.
Sometimes the tiniest towns hold the deepest echoes.
Why This Series Matters (to me, and maybe to you)
I meet a lot of people — travellers, would-be expats, YouTube wanderers — who think the Algarve is just Albufeira, Vilamoura, a round of golf, and a sunset at Ponta da Piedade.
But if you drive 20 minutes inland, suddenly:
The houses turn humble and meaningful.
The cafés still serve bica for 70 cents.
You overhear conversations in dialects that go back centuries.
You find churches with tiles older than entire American towns.
You stumble on viewpoints that never had a name until you gave them one.
And the people…
In a 200-person village, when someone asks “Where are you from?”, it’s not small talk.
It’s invitation.
Come Along for the Ride
Every week I’m releasing one of these videos — a new town, a new story, a new excuse to wander, wonder, and occasionally lose myself.
The full list is a fascinating spread: from Benagil (50 people) to Portimão + Praia da Rocha (49,218!), by way of tiny fishing enclaves, surfer hideouts, cork-mountain villages, retirement havens, pottery towns, fortress hamlets, and places you’ve probably driven past a dozen times without realising what’s waiting two streets in.
If you’re Algarve-curious — whether you’re travelling, thinking of moving, or just dreaming from your sofa — this series is a map of possibility.
A reminder that even in Europe’s most-visited coastal region, there are still places untouched, unrushed, and unbelievably worth exploring.
And who knows?
Maybe your next favourite place isn’t the town with the best beach…
but the one with only 341 residents and a castle on a hill, whispering a story you didn’t expect to hear.
