Praia das Cabanas Velhas: the #1 guide
Praia das Cabanas Velhas is an isolated beach near Budens in the municipality of Vila do Bispo. It is hard to get to, which is why there are relatively few visitors. However, if you would like to have a beach for yourself, then this beach is definitely worth visiting. Let’s explore this beach.
Watch it in HD
Would you like to see more of this beach? Then check out the short video below.
The beach
Praia das Cabanas Velhas is a medium-sized beach, stretching for about 500 metres in length. It is also known as Praia de Almádena. The beach is backed by eroded cliffs. At high tide, the beach is long and narrow. During low tide, the beach is wider. Furthermore, there are peculiar rock formations on both ends of the beach. Praia das Cabanas Velhas is located west of Praia do Burgau and east of Praia da Boca do Rio.
The sand on this beach is mixed with pebbles, which is not so nice to walk on. There are many small rocks on the beach. The sea is quite cold and gets deep quickly. In addition, there are many rocks in the water as well, which are often not visible. This makes Praia das Cabanas Velhas not a great place for swimming. If you do decide to swim, make sure to wear swimming shoes. On the east side of the beach you can often see fishermen. In fact, fishing is more popular on this beach than swimming.
Praia das Cabanas Velhas is located just east of the Fort of Almádena. Between the beach and the fort there are many small rocks at the base of the cliffs.
There is actually a hiking path on top of the cliffs. You can for example walk to the fort or to Praia da Boca do Rio. During this cliff walk you also have a wonderful view over this part of the coastline.
There are usually only a handful of people on Praia das Cabanas Velhas, even in the peak of summer. It is a good place to find some peace and quiet. Partly this is because the beach is hard to get to. It is quite isolated. Another reason is that it can be quite windy on this beach. Because of these factors, the beach attracts people who love nature. In the area you can see some people camping with their campervan. In addition, you can sometimes see naturists on the beach.
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Fort of Almádena
On the cliffs to the west of the beach you can find the ruins of Fort of Almádena. In Portuguese this fort is also known as Forte de São Luís de Almádena or Forte da Boca do Rio. The fort was built in 1632 and its purpose was to protect the area against attacks from pirates. Nowdays there are only some ruins left.
How to get there
The easiest way to move around in the Algarve is by car. If you don’t have one, make sure to rent a car. Take the EN125 national road in the direction of Sagres. Take the exit near Espiche (after Lagos) and continue on the M537-1 in the direction of Burgau. Continue past Burgau and you will see a sign for the Cabanas Beach Restaurant. The road here is quite rough. You should drive carefully in order not to wreck the undercarriage of your car. Near the beach, there is a medium-sized parking area. Parking is free of course.
Restaurants
There is a restaurant right behind the beach, called Cabanas Beach Restaurant. It is the only restaurant near the beach and is only open during the summer months. The restaurant offers good quality food, mainly focusing on Portuguese dishes. Prices are a bit more expensive than other restaurants in this part of the Algarve. Still, a visit to this restaurant is recommended.
Hotels
Praia das Cabanas Velhas is relatively close to Praia do Burgau. Thus we recommend the same hotels as you can find in the article about Praia do Burgau.
Another option is to quickly check the availability of nearby hotels. Below you can find a map with the location of hotels near the beach. By changing the date of your holiday, the map will show you the current prices.
Excursions
There are many things to see in the Algarve and one holiday is not enough to see it all. The best way to see the highlights is by going on an excursion. For example, you can visit the rock formations of Ponta da Piedade or go dolphin watching near Lagos. Below you can find our favourite excursions in the area.
Facilities
Praia das Cabanas Velhas is a blue flag beach, which means that it adheres to certain quality and environmental standards. There are lifeguards supervising the beach and there is a restaurant on-site. You can also rent sunbeds here, just in front of the restaurant.
Facilities in Praia das Cabanas Velhas:
- Restaurant: yes
- Bar/club: no
- Toilet: yes
- Shower: yes
- Water sports: no
- Sunbeds: yes
- Parking: yes
- Lifeguards: yes
- Blue flag beach: yes
