The Praia da Falésia stretches for over 8km along the central Algarve coast, from Olhos de Água in the west to Vilamoura in the east. It is one of the finest beaches in the region: a vast sweep of golden sand backed by distinctive orange and white clay cliffs that rise up to 42m above the shore.

Despite its location in the most developed part of the Algarve, the beach retains a surprisingly wild character. The fragile cliffs and a nature reserve along their tops have prevented any building directly behind the beach, leaving long stretches that feel almost deserted even in high summer.

The Praia da Falésia is a beautiful sandy beach

Most visitors concentrate around the three main access points at Olhos de Água, Açoteias, and Vilamoura. Walk five minutes in either direction from any of these and you will find space to yourself. This makes Falésia an excellent choice when other Algarve beaches are overwhelmed by summer crowds.

The combination of scale, scenery, and accessibility is hard to match anywhere on the Algarve coast. If you want a full day on the sand without fighting for space, this is the beach.
Related articles: The best beaches of the Algarve

The Praia da Falésia close to the town of Olhos de Água is the most picturesque section of the beach

For your beach trip, the Praia da Falésia near Açoteias is probably the best section of beach to head to

The eastern side of Praia da Falésia has a much wider beach and is surrounded by sand dunes

The Praia da Falésia at Olhos de Água
The cliffs are at their highest around the Olhos de Água, and this is the most scenic section of the beach.

This is a fantastic beach if you are based in Olhos de Água, but the limited car parking means it is not a great choice if you driving. Falésia beach is often the better beach than the Praia dos Olhos de Água (the other main beach in Olhos de Água), which can get very crowded in the summer.

This section of the Praia da Falésia is supervised by lifeguards, while the headland provides shelter from the powerful waves and sea breezes. Situated on the beach are the “O Golfinho” (www.restaurantegolfinho1.pt/) and the “Maré” restaurants.

At the base of the cliffs is a small car park (43 spaces), which is reached via a narrow road (starts at GPS:37.09547, -8.18154). At the top of the cliffs is the “Miradouro da Falésia” viewpoint, which provides stunning views of the coastline.

The golden sands of the western side of the Praia da Falesia

The Praia da Falésia at Vilamoura
To the eastern side of the Praia da Falesia, the cliffs lessen, and the beach is backed by sand dunes and beach vegetation.

At the very eastern end of Falesia beach is the resort town of Vilamoura, a popular destination for golfing holidays that is centred around an exclusive marina complex. The section of Falésia beach closest to Vilamoura is known as the Praia Rocha Baixinha Nascente, and where the cliffs begin is called the Praia dos Tomates.

The Praia dos Tomates is one of the quietest parts of the Praia da Falesia

The Praia Rocha Baixinha Nascente is an outstanding beach and can be easily walked to from Vilamoura

At Vilamoura, there is ample car parking for Falésia beach (GPS: 37.07707, -8.12898), but it is very expensive at €2.8 per hour. The dirt car park close to the beach has now been blocked off, but there is free car parking within the town of Vilamoura.

On the Praia Rocha Baixinha Nascente beach are many trendy beach restaurants, in keeping with the sophisticated nature of Vilamoura. These include “My Al Mar”, “Thai Beach Club”, and “NoSoloÁgua”, which is also a trendy night-time venue.

At the Praia dos Tomates is a water sports centre (Nautic Drive), which offers jet-skiing, wakeboarding and parasailing; nauticdrive-algarve.com

The Praia da Falésia is only a short walk from Vilamoura, but most visitors based in Vilamoura head to the overly crowded Praia de Vilamoura. From central Vilamoura, it is only a 1.3km walk to the Praia da Falésia, and it is a pleasant route around the marina complex.

Stylish beach restaurants line the beach near Vilamoura

The Praia da Falésia at Açoteias
Açoteias is the central section of the Praia da Falésia, and is probably the best section of the beach for your beach day trip. The beach here is stunning, boasting golden sands, towering orange cliffs and kilometres of beach extending in both directions.

The Praia da Falésia at Açoteias is supervised by lifeguards and is safe for families and children. The beach is reached via a staircase, and most visitors tend to crowd around this area, but 100m from this point, the beach is near deserted.

There are no restaurants or cafes directly on the beach, with only a simple snack bar at the top of the stairs. On the beach, parasols and sun chairs can be hired for €12 per day. The waves at Falésia are suitable for surfing, and at Açoteias there is a surf school, the Albufeira Adventure (www.albufeiraadventure.pt).
As with all beaches in the Algarve, the water temperature of the Praia da Falésia is surprisingly chilly, only reaching a maximum of 22C in the summer.

At the top of the cliffs is a large free car park (GPS: 37.08832, -8.17053), and there is a secondary dirt-overflow car park.

The highly weathered clay cliffs of the Praia da Falésia near Açoteias

Heading down to the Praia da Falésia from the car park (Note: there is no car parking on this road)

Between Açoteias and the Praia dos Tomates sections of the Praia da Falésia is an incredibly scenic cliff top walk. This route follows the rugged cliffs for 3.5km and can be extended to Vilamoura or Olhos de Água by walking along the beach.
Note: It is not possible to follow the cliff tops around the Pine Cliffs golf course.

The cliffs of the Praia da Falésia are at their tallest to the west and rise 42m above the beach. These are very fragile cliffs comprising of red clays, and layers of sand and brilliant white sand. The constant erosion of the cliffs replenishes the beach with new sands but means that they are very unsteady, especially after heavy rains.