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Via Algarviana

Long-distance trail

Walking the Via Algarviana

Right across the Algarve's interior, from the Guadiana river to the Atlantic cape: serra and cork oak, almond and carob, and old villages far from the beach.

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~300 km14 sectorsBest in spring & autumnHills and serraBags moved24-hour support

The Via Algarviana (GR13) crosses the interior of the Algarve from east to west, about 300 km in 14 sectors, from Alcoutim on the Guadiana river to Cabo de São Vicente on the Atlantic. It is the quiet, inland Algarve: low hills and serra, cork oak and almond groves, and small villages away from the coast.

Walking the Via Algarviana interior

What the walking is like

The Algarve behind the beaches

Inland, the Algarve is a country of low hills and slow villages. You walk through cork oak and strawberry trees, past almond and carob, into villages like Salir and Alte that grew up around their springs. The trail climbs into the Serra de Monchique, the highest ground in the Algarve, before dropping to the cliffs at Cabo de São Vicente.

The route

The Via Algarviana, sector by sector

The Via Algarviana runs in 14 sectors from Alcoutim to Cabo de São Vicente; most walkers do a section. Named stops include Alcoutim (start), Cachopo, Salir, Alte, São Bartolomeu de Messines, Silves and Monchique, before the final stretch to the cape.

  1. Alcoutim

    start

    The eastern trailhead on the Guadiana river, opposite Spain.

  2. Salir

    Cork oak country, the foothills of the Serra do Caldeirão.

  3. Alte

    One of the most preserved interior villages, set around its spring.

  4. Silves

    sectors 9–10

    A Moorish castle town on the Arade river, on the trail.

  5. Monchique

    The Serra de Monchique, the highest ground in the Algarve.

  6. Cabo de São Vicente

    end

    The cliffs at the southwestern tip of Europe.

On the way

Highlights of the trail

Alcoutim

Alcoutim

The eastern trailhead on the Guadiana

Serra de Monchique

Serra de Monchique

The highest ground in the Algarve

Cabo de São Vicente

Cabo de São Vicente

The cliffs at Europe's southwestern tip

When to walk

Best time to walk the Via Algarviana

The best time to walk the Via Algarviana is spring (March to May) and autumn (September to October). The interior is hotter than the coast in summer and cooler in winter, so the shoulder seasons suit the longer inland sectors best.

Spring

Best

13–22°C

Wildflowers, mild days, the interior at its greenest.

Wildflowers • Mild temps

Summer

18–32°C

Hot and dry in the interior. Plan early starts and shorter sectors.

Long days • Quiet trails

Autumn

Best

15–24°C

Cooler days return, the serra at its best.

Cooler • Almond colours

Winter

7–15°C

Crisp and quiet, the serra can be cold. Walkable.

Solitude • Crisp air

Walk the Via Algarviana with us

Ready to walk the Algarve interior?

Tell us your dates and pace, and we'll plan the right sectors around you.

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