Famous for its 3 large rock formations, Praia Dos Arrifes Beach in Algarve Portugal is a stunning little cove to explore. Discover it in Photos and Video.
Information to plan your visit at the end of the article
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Praia dos Arrifes Beach Algarve
The cliffs at Praia Dos Arrifes are quite low so access to the beach and its restaurant is easy. I visited late afternoon as the sun was lowering. There would not be enough interesting light at sunset, but at the hour, some of the rocks were turing golden.
Arrifes Beach is quite small (and really small at low tide). Parasols are available for hire.
It was actually one of the my favorites to photograph as there were smaller rocks everywhere making the water swirl in every directions:
Praia dos Arrifes beach is also called praia dos Tres Penecos (Beach of the triple rocks) because of those 3 isolated large rock formations you can clearly see in the panorama photo below:
According to Wikipedia, the plants at the top of the rock formations are salt resistant and grow there because the sea stacks are tall enough above water.
Praia Dos Arrifes Algarve from the cliffs
You can also admire Arrifes Beach from the surrounding cliffs. Just be careful with stability near the edge.
Arrifes beach has several cove better access accessed at low tide. From some angle the 3 rock formations almost look attached as one.
The Arrifes Sea Stacks
And just for the pleasure, here are a couple more shots of the sea stacks, one has a big hole at the top.
Praia Da Vigia
As you walk on the cliffs west from Arrifes Beach, you can see the smaller neighboring beach called Praia da Vigia. At high tide, it almost disappears.
From the cliffs in the distance (towards the East) you can also spot the colorful Praia da Falesia, my favorite beach in Portugal. As the sun set, the colors stand out even more!
Praia Dos Arrifes Beach Video
Below is a short video with the waves around Arrifes Beach.
Praia dos Arrifes at low tide
I only visited the beach at high tide, but as you can see below is it better to explore at low tide for access to the rocks and all the coves.
Photo embedded from Flickr - Photo by JJO_TEO
INFO & PLANNING TIPS - Praia dos Arrifes algarve
TIPS FOR TRAVEL PLANNING ADDICTS
How to get to Praia dos Arrifes Algarve
- South of Portugal on the Algarve Coast
- Just West of Albufeira and East of the famous Sao Rafael Beach
- Last 200 m to the parking are not paved
This location with its GPS coordinates and planning info is included in the eBooks - Road Trip Guide Portugal and Road Trip Guide: Lisbon/Sintra/Algarve
Visiting Arrifes Beach
- Wooden steps to access the beach but not many as the cliffs are low
- Restaurant A Sardinha
- Parasol and chairs for hire
- Better at low tide
- Small and near Albufeira, so very crowded in summer
- I don't know if it was allowed, but many motorhome had settled on the land near the parking
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Discover more things to do & places to see in my Travel Portugal Destination Guide.
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