Portugal’s Algarve Coast With Kids: Relax and Explore With These Tips

Dorothy Cascerceri Simone

I can say with certainty that I’ve never upon landing in Italy, France or Spain been immediately escorted past the long,…

During our entire week there, whether we were at the airport, waiting for a table at a restaurant or boarding a crowded ferry, Portugal - specifically the warm and friendly Portuguese people - rolled out the red carpet for families like ours with babies and toddlers in tow, making international travel with little ones just a bit easier. (Thank you,

Casa Do Prego in Lagos

for ushering us and our hungry kids to a table despite the 45-minute wait.)

This was my third trip to this magical and highly underrated country - the first was Lisbon, Sintra and Cascais and the second was the dreamy Azores islands - but this time we were headed to the Algarve, a 200 km stretch of coastline along the southern part of the country with more than 25 towns and too many small villages to count. Just off the heels of the hectic end of third grade for my son, I knew I wanted plenty of easy days with ample downtime and zero logistics to coordinate. But I also knew I didn’t want to miss out on all the area had to offer.