A one-week loop from Faro: the lagoon and white villages in the east, the golden cliffs of Benagil and Lagos, Cape St Vincent, then the wild west coast and the Serra de Monchique. Short stages and an A22 motorway that has been toll-free since 2025; in summer, the hard part is parking near the beaches.
Road route calculated from the stops (OpenStreetMap). Driving times assume no stops and no traffic: add time for photo breaks.
May to June and September to October: highs of 24 to 28°C on the coast, against 31 to 32°C in July and August. Winter stays mild (16 to 17°C), but the rain returns from October to March; from 1 June to 30 September, all fires are banned in the forests.
🚗 38 km · 40 min of driving from Faro
N125 via Olhão or the toll-free A22. Car picked up at Faro airport, with Faro visited the same day.
🚗 84 km · 1h05 of driving from Tavira
A22, the Via do Infante, toll-free since 2025. In summer, the car parks at Benagil and Marinha fill up early.
🚗 38 km · 40 min of driving from Benagil
Toll-free A22, or the N125: known for its accidents, it runs through Lagoa and the centre of Lagos.
🚗 33 km · 35 min of driving from Lagos
N125 to Vila do Bispo, where it ends, then the N268 to the tip of the peninsula.
🚗 45 km · 50 min of driving from Sagres
N268 north via Vila do Bispo and Carrapateira: a two-lane road through the natural park.
🚗 33 km · 35 min of driving from Aljezur
N267 via Marmelete: a winding mountain road through the Serra de Monchique.
🚗 85 km · 1h10 of driving from Monchique
In 5 days, keep to the west: Benagil, then Lagos for two nights with Sagres and Cape St Vincent as a return trip. Tavira, the Vicentine Coast and Monchique need the full week.
| Car hire only, July | ≈ €24 a day |
|---|---|
| Car hire only, January | ≈ €8 a day |
| Year-round average | ≈ €15 a day (Kayak Faro, Sept. 2026) |
| SUV, average | ≈ €40 a day |
| Via Verde transponder, extra | €2.21 a day, €22.14 maximum |
| Vehicle | City car or compact: everything is paved, and the lanes of Tavira and Lagos are narrow. |
|---|---|
| Where to pick it up | At Faro airport, on the day you arrive. It is a loop, so no one-way fee. |
| Via Verde | Electronic toll transponder compulsory on hire cars since January 2023. At Hertz, the fee is refunded if no toll is used. |
| Deposit | €200 to €1,000 held on a credit card in the driver's name; debit cards are often refused. |
| Age | Usually 21, 19 at Sixt with one year of licence; young driver surcharge under 25. |
| Insurance | The rental company's cover costs three to four times more than a broker's; some premium credit cards (Visa Gold, for example) sometimes cover the excess. |
⚠️ Turn down the prepaid fuel package: it costs more than refilling what you used yourself.
Any European Union licence is valid. On board: ID, licence, insurance and registration document. Other licences: check whether an International Driving Permit is required.
Give way to the right at unmarked junctions; give way when entering a roundabout.
120 on motorways, 100 on expressways reserved for motor vehicles, 90 on other roads, 50 in town. Minimum 50 on motorways.
0.2 g/l for probationary drivers (first 3 years of licence). Fines of €250 to €1,250 above 0.5.
From Lagos to the Spanish border: no tolls at all since 1 January 2025.
Runs parallel to the A22, with frequent accidents; it goes through Olhão, Lagoa and Lagos, with local traffic.
Benagil and Marinha in July and August: arrive early in the morning or come on foot along the trail.
Compulsory, but the loop crosses no tolls. At Hertz, the fee is refunded in that case.
No fires in the forests, including the Serra de Monchique. Follow the alerts.
For all occupants. Phone at the wheel only with a hands-free kit.
≈ €2.12 per litre of unleaded 95, €2.22 for diesel
Price recorded in September 2026: it changes every week, sometimes by 10 to 20 cents in a month. Today's price: DGEG (Portuguese government) →
⛽ 356 km at 7 l per 100 km: about €50 at September 2026 prices, to share between passengers.
DGEG averages announced for the week of 21 September 2026. Fill up in Lagos before the Vicentine Coast and the serra.
| Suggested route | No tolls: the A22, N125, N268 and N267 are free |
|---|---|
| A22 (Via do Infante) | Toll-free since 1 January 2025, from Lagos to Spain |
| Rental company's Via Verde transponder | €2.21 a day, €22.14 maximum; refunded at Hertz if unused |
| A2 to Lisbon, if you head north | €23.80 (2026) |
| Sagres Fortress | €10; €5 for ages 13 to 24 and 65 and over; free under 12 |
| Lagos car parks | More than 2,600 spaces, open 24 hours a day |
| Benagil Cave beach | Landing banned since 2023; 2 minutes per boat since August 2024 |
|---|---|
| Sagres Fortress | 1 and 22 January, Easter Sunday, 1 May, 25 December |
| Sagres Fortress, opening hours | 17:30 out of season; 20:00 in summer, sometimes shorter hours |
| Barril little train | Beach season only; otherwise 1.5 km on foot |
| Forests, wildfire season | From 1 June to 30 September: no fires, follow the alerts |
A week is enough for this loop of 7 stages and 6 nights from Faro: Tavira, Benagil, Lagos, Sagres, the Vicentine Coast and Monchique. The stages are short, rarely more than an hour's drive. In 5 days, keep Benagil, Lagos and Sagres; with 10 days, double the nights in Lagos and on the Vicentine Coast.
Car only: about €170 for 7 days in July (€24 a day, Kayak average at Faro), €56 in January. No tolls on the loop. Allow about €50 for petrol at September 2026 prices for about 350 km, and €10 for Sagres Fortress.
No, not since 1 January 2025: the A22, the Via do Infante, crosses the Algarve from Lagos to the Spanish border with no tolls. The A2, which heads north to Lisbon, keeps its toll barriers: €23.80 in 2026. The rental company's Via Verde transponder is still compulsory; at Hertz, its fee is refunded if no toll was used.
No: you can only enter from the sea, on an authorised boat or kayak trip, and landing on its beach has been banned since 2023. Since August 2024, each boat may stay 2 minutes at most. On land, the Seven Hanging Valleys Trail (5.7 km, from Vale Centeanes to Marinha) follows the Benagil cliffs.
The car parks at Benagil and Marinha beach are small and fill up early in July and August. Arrive in the morning, stay overnight nearby, or park at one end of the Seven Hanging Valleys Trail and walk. In Lagos, the public car parks offer more than 2,600 spaces, open day and night.
Not with an EU licence: any European Union licence is valid; also keep your ID card with you. Other licences: check whether an International Driving Permit is required. Rental companies usually require drivers to be 21 (19 at Sixt with one year of licence) and a credit card in the driver's name for a deposit of €200 to €1,000, and charge a young driver surcharge.
Driving rules, prices and closures checked in September 2026; hotels checked on OpenStreetMap and then on Booking. Rules change: read the official source before you leave, and check your own government's travel advice for the country. Stop photos: Wikimedia Commons, authors and licences under each image.
Off We Gooo road trip guide · offwegooo.com/en/road-trips/algarve · by Pierrick, updated 1 October 2026
