Best Beaches in the Algarve with a Toddler

If you're a beach lover, the coastline in the Algarve is an absolute must-visit with its dramatic golden cliffs, turquoise waters and tucked away beaches that look like they’ve been pulled from a postcard. And with over 150 beaches to choose from, and 300 days of sunshine per year, you can't really go wrong!

Stretching along southern Portugal, this rugged coast is home to some of Europe’s most beautiful beaches. As many of them are sheltered by rocks, the waters are usually calm, perfect for toddlers to have a splash. Other beaches are long and sandy, great for sandcastles and strolls along the beach.

We spent a week in the Algarve with our toddler, and completely fell in love with the sea and the beaches we found. I put together a list of our favourite beaches (although I'm sure there were many more that we didn't see!) - they were all perfectly toddler-friendly, though some involved a bit more trekking than others.

(Make sure to check out my full guide of toddler-friendly places to visit in the Algarve here.)

Marinha Beach

Of course I couldn't write this list without mentioning this beach! It has been listed on the Guide Michelin's list of the 100 most beautiful beaches in the world, and it's not hard to see why. Tucked away amongst the rocks, Marinha Beach is a true little gem with crystal clear water, dramatic rock formations and soft, golden sand.

To access the beach, you park up at the top and then theres a paved trail with steps taking you all the way down. There are some toilets at the beach and a few food stalls up by the car park, but other than that there isn't much in terms of amenities so I would recommend bringing a picnic lunch so you can spend as much time here as possible!

If you are feeling adventurous, you can access another smaller beach by climbing under a rock (I did this by myself but saw others doing this with children - just watch out for the waves!) - from here you can also see the famous Elephant Arch, which you can only get to by boat.

The water was calm so it was perfect for little ones to have a splash, and the rocks also provided a bit of shade. I would recommend getting here quite early as it does get busy and there's limited parking at the top - we got here around 10am and there were quite a few people there already, but when we left around 1pm it was way busier!

Praia Dona Ana

Another picturesque beach, located just outside of the town of Lagos, is Praia Dona Ana. This little cove with soft sand, clear water and high, golden rocks should definitely be on your list, especially if you're planning on visiting Lagos and the surrounding area.

The beach is easy to access with a set of stairs leading down from the car park at the top, and rocks provide shelter from the wind so the water is calm - perfect for a safe and scenic beach day. There are also some trails along the top of the cliffs, so if sitting still on a beach isn't your thing, or you just want to explore a bit more of the coastal landscape from above, then that's an option too (though I would bring a carrier if you're taking your toddler).

As this beach is just outside Lagos, you could easily combine Praia Dona Ana with a stroll around town and a visit to Ponta da Piedade. This is what we did, and we were able to see a lot without feeling rushed.

Olhos de Água

We stumbled upon this beach almost by accident, as it was the closest beach to our accommodation - and I'm so happy we did! It has a very different feel to other beaches we visited. It has a bit of a village feel to it with a few shops and some restaurants down by the water (try the seafood cataplana at La Cigale!), but it's not quite a town beach like Albufeira and Carvoeiro.

The beach is divided into two parts, one next to the little "village" that can get quite busy, and one that's a bit more sheltered in amongst the rocks that was quieter. In between the two parts are lots of rock pools where my daughter loved playing (the green seaweed makes them slippery though so watch out!).

To one side of the beach, a boardwalk takes you up to a viewpoint. The path then continues along the coast next to red ravine-like cliffs lined with big pine trees. I walked here at sunset and the colours were just insane! As we were having dinner, I didn't go too far, but it looked like you could continue further, going from beach to beach. I walked here by myself while my husband ordered food for me at the restaurant, but it would have definitely been easy enough of a walk for a toddler.

Armona Island

Armona Island was one of our highlights of our entire trip - it is basically an island made up of kilometres of fine white sand!

To get here, you first need to get to the town of Olhão, which is a charming fishing town, perfect for a nice lunch before catching the ferry to Armona Island. The ferry only takes about 10-15 minutes, but they only run every other hour so I would make sure to look up the ferry times in advance!

Once docked, there's a path that takes you across the island to the kilometre long beach on the other side (parts of this path was just sand so we decided to ditch the pram on the side of the path with a note on it, but they were paving the path while we were there so it might be paved all the way by now!).

The beach was absolutely stunning, and the water was shallow, which meant it was warmer than other beaches we had been to (we went in April) and easy for our daughter to have a splash too. It's a small island so there isn't much in terms of amenities, but there were a few cafes and restaurants, both in the little village around the dock and on the beach. If we had planned a bit better we would have tried to stay for sunset as that is meant to be magical here, but sadly we had to make a move and head back.

Praia do Canavial

This one might not be for everyone, but it was hands down my favourite beach overall! It's secluded and gorgeously situated in amongst the big, golden rocks. The beach was much quieter than others we had been to and by far the prettiest one (in my opinion at least).

So, why might it not be for everyone? It comes down to 2 reasons:

Firstly, getting to the beach involves a bit of trekking, including climbing down some quite steep, stone-carved steps. You definitely need a carrier for this, unless you have older kids confident enough to climb down by themselves.

Secondly, it is a nudist beach. Now it is a very quiet beach, so it's easy to find a spot all to yourself away from others (and to be honest, most people were dressed, only a handful of people were completely in the nude), but I can see how this wouldn't be everyone's vibe. Personally, we weren't really bothered and had a lovely time playing in the sand and in the waves, soaking up the natural beauty of the beach.

Carvoeiro Beach

The charming seaside town of Carvoeiro is the perfect place if you can't decide between beach and town. The town is small enough that you can walk around it without little ones getting tired, and the beach is literally right in the centre of town (the centre of the town is at sea level so no steps to climb down either).

There are shops, cafes and restaurants all around the town (and lot's of ice cream shops!) with restaurants lining the beach, perfect if you want dinner with a view and have kids that start getting bored before food has even arrived (we took turns eating/drinking wine and playing with my daughter and her cousin in the sand).

Like many of the beaches, you can climb up some steps on either side of the beach for some great views of the coast and if you're visiting in the evening, make sure to come up here at sunset!

Need more inspiration for your Algarve holiday? Check out my guide to the best toddler-friendly places to visit in the Algarve.