MusicMay8
SINGING INTO PRESENCE — Voice Retreat 2026
Essencia Nature Retreat
Aljezur
·until 9 May
Events in Aljezur
The wild Vicentina coast, surf beaches and nature trails. The most authentic Algarve.
3 events found
Music
MarketsMay9
Aljezur Markets
Aljezur
Aljezur
·Saturdays weekly
ExhibitionsMay15
Exhibition "Revisited Sculptures" by Aida Sousa Dias
Aljezur
Aljezur
What's on in Aljezur: the Sweet Potato (IGP) Festival at the Espaço Multiusos in late November, surf schools along the Vicentina Coast beaches, and the Moorish castle — the Algarve's last stronghold to fall to the Christians in 1249. Seasonal highlights: the Sweet Potato Festival from 28 to 30 November 2026, with four restaurants, food stalls, street food and sweet-potato pastry; and the surf season from October to May at Bordeira, Amado, Arrifana and Monte Clérigo. Updated daily with what's happening today, this weekend and in the weeks ahead.
- District:
- Faro
- Population:
- ~6,000
- Area:
- 324 km² · 4 parishes
- Royal charter:
- 1280 (King Dinis)
- Sweet potato IGP:
- since 2009 (Lira variety)
Main places
Castelo de Aljezur
Hilltop Islamic fortress that was the last stronghold of the Algarve to fall to the Christians in 1249, taken by D. Paio Peres Correia. Local legend says the breach came from a love affair — a Moorish woman, Maria Aires, betraying the locals' bathing routine and letting the attack happen at dawn on 24 June. Panoramic view over the whitewashed village.
Aljezur Old Town
Whitewashed village built up a hillside, with single-storey houses and the 18th-century Igreja Matriz de Nossa Senhora da Alva. Royal charter granted by King Dinis in 1280. Down by the stream, the Espaço Multiusos hosts the Sweet Potato Festival in November.
Praia da Arrifana + Fortaleza
Horseshoe cove sheltered by ~100 m cliffs, dominated by the ruins of the Arrifana Fortress — built in 1635 to defend the tuna fishery (almadrava), damaged in the 1755 earthquake and abandoned in the 19th century. The Pedra da Agulha, a vertical sea-stack just offshore, is the beach's signature.
Praia de Monte Clérigo
Whitewashed fishing village right on the beach, ~7 km northwest of Aljezur — one of the most authentic on the Vicentina Coast. Small sheltered cove between cliffs, with painted houses fronting the sea. Friendly summer surf for beginners.
Praia da Bordeira (Carrapateira)
3 km of sand between cliffs, with broad dunes and the Carrapateira stream cutting across the beach into the ocean — one of the country's wildest beaches. Accessed via the Carrapateira boardwalk. Strong NW wind in summer; big waves in autumn and winter.
Praia do Amado
The Algarve's quintessential Vicentina Coast surf beach — 1 km of sand, sandy bottom, consistent waves and surf schools running classes year-round. A regular venue for European surf and bodyboard championships. Reached by an unsealed road from Carrapateira.
Museu do Mar e da Terra da Carrapateira
Opened in 2008 on the Carrapateira headland, with the permanent exhibition 'The Ocean, Our Land'. Mesolithic to Islamic period, agriculture, fishing and whaling along the Vicentina Coast. Small but very well staged, with a direct view over Praia da Bordeira.
Odeceixe (village and beach)
In the north of the council, on the Seixe stream (the border with the Alentejo). Hillside whitewashed village with a windmill rebuilt in 1998. The Praia de Odeceixe — half-moon shape, with both ocean and river — was voted one of Portugal's 7 Wonders in the cliff-beach category (2012). Canoeing and SUP on the stream.
Good questions
When is the Aljezur Sweet Potato Festival?
The next edition runs from 28 to 30 November 2026 at the Espaço Multiusos in Aljezur, with free admission and parking. Four participating restaurants, three food stalls, street food and a tapas zone all built around the local Aljezur sweet potato (the Lira variety, with Protected Geographical Indication since 2009). Sweet-potato pastries, ice cream, liqueurs, jams and craft beers.
Which Aljezur beach is best for surfing — and for beginners?
Praia do Amado is the go-to for beginners: sandy bottom, consistent waves, several surf schools running classes year-round. Praia da Arrifana works well at intermediate level when the Atlantic swell is big. Praia da Bordeira has bigger waves and stronger rip currents — only with supervision. Monte Clérigo is the calmest option in summer.
How is the Aljezur coast different from the southern Algarve coast?
The Aljezur coast (Costa Vicentina) faces west, fully open to the Atlantic — schist cliffs, rough seas, big swell, strong winds and water temperature ~14–18°C year-round. The beaches are huge, undeveloped, inside the Sudoeste Alentejano + Vicentina Coast Natural Park. The southern coast (Lagos, Albufeira, Faro) faces south — calmer sea, smaller coves, warmer water, and far more tourism development.