Lagoa de Albufeira - Portugal 2024 (from Above)

family-friendly beach with a lagoon opening to the sea.
Not to be confused with the famous resort town in Algarve (“albufeira” simply means “reservoir” in Portuguese), this is a rather unique beach as it has a lagoon connected to the Atlantic.
It’s quite a large beach, with soft sand, offering plenty of space for everyone, with dunes as far as the eye can see. The calm water of the lagoon attracts families, but the waves of the ocean are for surfers and bodyboarders.
The beach is part of the National Eco Reserve, so it’s popular with hikers and birdwatchers. However, it’s not exactly wild and remote, as it has cafés and restaurants by the parking lot, right on the beachfront. It’s about 25 minutes from the center of Sesimbra, but is not easy to get to by public transportation.
As it reaches the Atlantic, the 3.7km/2.3 miles-long lagoon has shallow waters, but it’s 15 meters deep at one point, making it Portugal’s deepest lagoon. It also has strong currents in winter, so swimming is not recommended outside the official bathing season in the summer. It is, however, quite a peaceful place, and was even where the Portuguese king went to meditate in the 19th century.
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