Yachtcharter Portimão

A yacht charter Portimão will take you to the most southwestern point of Europe. This means vacationing in the sunniest area of the continent. You will sail in the North Atlantic in front of a, with its monumental towering rocks, impressive coastline. Several bays along the portuguese coast offer with fine sandy beaches and small grottos again and again anchor places in front of picturesque scenery. The wind conditions are usually stable in the summer months. The towns along the coast are varied: the beautiful city of Lagos or Sagres, the most southwestern point of Europe, with its large lighthouse at Cabo de São Vicente, the elegant and exclusive Vilamoura with its golf courses and an archäThe city of Faro with its beautiful lagoon landscape and the international airport, from where you can easily reach your yacht charter Portimão. Beginners, families as well as experienced sailors will find the right conditions from here at different parts of the Algarve.

Climate: Mediterranean with temperatures between 20 and 30 degrees
. Winds: Levantine, stable northerly winds, partly strong diurnal thermal winds
Sailing season: all year round, best from March to October

Yacht charter Portimão

Portimão in the western Algarve can be easily reached via the international airport in Faro. Formerly known for shipbuilding and sardine fishing, this Portuguese city has now opened up to tourism. Portimão Marina takes advantage of a natural harbor in the estuary of the Arade River. With shopping facilities, laundry facilities, WiFi, etc., it offers all the services you need for a carefree vacation. On both sides of the estuary, thus easily accessible from the port, one beach follows the other, so that the swimming pleasure can start right away. The city itself offers a beautiful old town. Already in Phoenician times there was a trading port here. The Romans and Moors then shaped the image of the city and in the Middle Ages it received a protective wall, which accelerated the further growth of the city. In 1755, a devastating earthquake followed by a tsunami devastated the area, so there are hardly any traces of buildings from the previous period. The church of Nossa Senhora da Conceição (built in 1476) was rebuilt after the earthquake and includes pieces from the original structure in places. But a stroll through the city still reveals countless picturesque corners, such as house fronts clad in tiles (azulejos). This technique originates from the Moorish region and was brought to the Iberian Peninsula by the Moors.

In the city and along the promenade up the river Arade, there are always cafés and restaurants that invite you to stop for a cup of coffee with the typical Pastéis de Nata. Portuguese cuisine is well known here and the city is especially famous for its fish dishes. From Portimão, you can take a boat trip up the Arade River to Silves. Above the city towers an old Moorish fortress, which shines in old splendor thanks to numerous restoration measures. The castle can be visited and provides some information about the history of the settlement of the Algarve. The area around Silves invites to longer walks and hikes along eucalyptus plantations, citrus groves and between the two rivers Arade and Odelouca.

The rocky Algarve - from Odeceixe to Faro

On your yacht charter Portimão you will sail along the Algarve, known for its rocky coast with numerous caves and bays in the west and long sandy beaches in the south.

You will reach the western part from Portimão by sailing around the Cabo de São Vicente. On your way you will pass Lagos, a lively city with a historic old town, cozy cafes and good restaurants. The evening hustle and bustle is also pronounced here and numerous pubs, bars and clubs invite you to spend a convivial evening here. The headland Ponta die Piedade with its lighthouse offers a great panoramic view of the land and sea of the region, the rocky coast invites to a dinghy tour through the caves. The Cabo de São Vicente juts out into the sea with a rocky cliff up to 70 meters high. The lighthouse is perched on top and marks the southernmost end of Europe. The west coast of the Algarve extends to the beach Praia de Odeceixe Mar and then passes into the Parque Natural do Sudoeste Alentejano e Costa Vicentina, a nature reserve in which birds of prey and sea otters find a protected home. The coastline is sparsely populated, there are always sandy beaches that are not overcrowded, but still offer food and sanitary facilities: Praia de Monte Clérigo, Praia da Amoreira or Praia de Odeceixe Mar, for example. On the Atlantic Ocean, surfers will also find good conditions at these beaches. Anchorages are somewhat sparsely distributed in the Western Algarve, one to be mentioned is in the bay of Arrifana.

The southern Algarve from Portimão offers only one stroke away with the cave of Benagil its first highlight. Located on the beach Praia de Benagil, reachable by swimming or by dinghy, this rock formation is a beautiful natural spectacle. On the way to Faro, long sandy beaches, the popular family resort Albufeira, the golf paradise Vilamoura with its golden beaches and in between many a small bay in the rocky coastline await you.

The Sandalgarve - from Faro to the Spanish border

In front of Faro you will find a lagoon landscape created by the tsunami in 1755. The lagoon can be navigated easily, but you should enter near high or low tide, because turbulences form here when the tide changes. In the lagoon lies the island of Culatra with the fishing settlement of the same name. The island is under nature protection and offers white sand en masse. In the town itself you can relax a bit on land in a few cafes and restaurants.
Faro is also worth a visit and can be reached via the canals in the lagoon. Here you can take a little stroll through the shopping street or a trip to the nearby Ria Formosa Nature Park. In the nature park there are several trails for hiking and you will learn more about the flora and fauna in this area. Heading east from Faro, the Sandalgarve now begins. If you sailed along rocky coasts before, now there are almost 35 nautical miles of golden sandy coast in front of you before you reach the river Guadiana and with it the border to Spain. The river itself is navigable by sailboat and offers a nice contrast to the sailing on the Atlantic Ocean on your yacht charter Portimão.

In summary, the Western Algarve comes across a bit rougher than its sister in the south. The route along the west coast is more demanding, as you are more exposed to the winds and there are stronger swells. The North Atlantic shows its wilder side here. The area is not recommended for beginners. But for passionate sailors there are good conditions and the possibility for blue water sailing on the Atlantic. The not yet so experienced sailors and families, on the other hand, will find in the area of the south coast everything that is needed for a relaxed sailing trip with sufficient swimming stops. Portimão with its location is an excellent base for both.

Yacht charter Portimão - set sail with 1a Yachtcharter!