Visiting the Algarve in low season. Is it worth it?
If you are thinking about visiting the beautiful Algarve but you are on a budget, then this post will definitely help you out. Below are all the pros and cons of a trip to the Algarve during low season.
Pros
Cheaper Flights, Hotels and Rental Car prices
As for every place in the world, of course one of the main reasons for travelling during low season are the cheaper options. A flight from London can cost you around maybe £40.00-50.00 return if you travel light, and you can find very good hotels for like £20.00-25.00 a night that would probably cost you double during high season. Now the Algarve is the perfect place for a car rental. It just gives you so much more freedom and you will be able to see a lot more. I paid £60.00 for a 4 days rental including full insurance through Rentalcars. Prices that are impossible to find during the summer months!
Much less tourists and empty beaches
Of course, lower prices during some months of the year also mean less demand and therefore much less tourists around the region. This is a huge PRO in my opinion. If you are anything like me, you will hate having to see a beautiful place packed with tourists and selfie sticks! All beaches are almost empty, and you can really appreciate the amazing nature the Algarve has to offer.
Not sure if you want to go on a tour? Do not worry you can decide last minute and still find a place.
As there are less tourists around, of course there are fewer people wanting to go on boat tours. A boat or kayaking tour around the area of the Benagil Cave is a must if visiting the Algarve. It just gives you a very different perspective of the cliffs and caves that characterise this region. The boat tour by speed boat will take you even further along the coastline, while if you decide to go by kayak, you will be able to literally enter the caves passing through shallow arches and gorgeous rock formations. That said, do not worry about booking at the last minute as you will always find a free spot for you (of course still book in advance if you are let’s say more than 4-5 people).
Lots of parking everywhere (and they are FREE or have low season prices)
No tourists equal much more parking spaces without going crazy finding a good parking spot for your new rental car, as you do not want any new scratch in it! Moreover, you will definitely be pleased knowing that most parking spaces are free or have very low season parking fees from October to May. In 4 days, I just had to pay for parking once and it cost me €1.50 for about 3 and a half hours, that was in Lagos.
If you are now 80% convinced that you should travel to the Algarve in the low season and are about to book your flight, wait a minute… First the Cons!
Cons
The biggest one first: The weather
Now I personally visited the Algarve mid-November, and I must say I was really lucky with the weather (apart from one day explained below). Low season goes from the beginning of October to the end of May, respectively autumn, winter and spring. Therefore, you might get more cloudy and rainy days compared to the summer months. But that’s something that only mother nature can control. However, I must say that not everything about the weather is negative in low season. To start with, I had short sleeves all the time. It was only getting a little chilly after sunset (and also very foggy I must say) but that’s reasonable. Thus, there is one huge positive thing about the weather, it’s perfect for hiking along the many trails around the coastline. Imagine walking around for hours during summer with 35-40 degrees heat!
I suppose weather is one of the many factors that can always be placed in between pros and cons when considering a trip, as there are good and bad aspects to it no matter which season.
Most shops and kiosks are closed
One of the saddest parts of low season travelling is that everything kind of looks abandoned. Lots of kiosks on the beach were shut down completely for the winter and I sometimes had issues finding a restaurant that stayed open till late. Also, the locals seemed to like a good morning sleep. I’m an early bird when on a trip and I had issues finding a place open for breakfast at around 8:00 in the morning, those few places that were not closed for the season opened at about 9:00 - 10:00 in the morning only. Maybe choosing a hotel or hostel with breakfast could have solved the issue, so if you are not on a low budget as I was then you might want to consider this option.
Cold water in the sea
It is after all the Atlantic Ocean so do not expect high temperatures but of course from October till May you might want to think twice before taking a little dip in the ocean. Swimming in the sea might not be ideal but if you are brave enough to jump in cold water then don’t worry about it. I did see a few people enjoying a good swim in the sea. I mean I went out with a Kayak myself to the Benagil Caves and got off the kayak in deeper water to pull into shore and didn’t really feel that cold at that time. However, I did change my mind the day after while taking a long walk by the beach when I touched the water with my feet.
Wanna do a boat tour to see the caves ‘think twice’
Check the weather and sea conditions beforehand! I trusted the tour company to tell me about the sea and possible weather conditions on the day but according to them it was ok to leave the port with very rough sea and go cave exploring with 2m waves pushing the dinghy inside the caves and people getting seasick. Don’t get me wrong our captain and the other 2 guides on the boat were excellent, but to me these were not the ideal conditions, and they should have just cancelled the tour. It looked like they just wanted to get the money and didn’t really care about us enjoying the tour or not. Just because I want to tell you the rest of my experience… On top of that, it started raining while we were out at sea and we all just got completely wet. Up to like 1 hour before the tour I asked how the boat looked and if there was a chance of getting very wet as if there was, Decathlon was literally 5 min drive away for me to get a good poncho so that I could get to the airport nice and try a few hours later considering that it was the last day of my trip. But they assured me more than once that a waterproof jacket was enough. But was it, NO! Even my underwear got wet. Water was splashing from the high waves of course and on top of that I also started raining.
The sightseeing? Well, it was ok till the actual storm arrived, the return to the port was just all of us completely wet looking down to avoid splashes on our faces. My jacket only saved the top part of my body. I had it all zipped up but due to a very ‘aggressive’ wave, I also got a big front splash that, through my neck area, went right inside my jacket as well!
That said, I hope this post will help you choose the right time to visit the Algarve.
Happy travel everyone!
