Porto Covo, mapped
Every place in this Porto Covo guide is plotted on one map: the thirteen beaches, the restaurants, the Rota Vicentina, the village and the day trips, all positioned around the apartment. Filter by what you are after and tap any marker for the detail.
Orientation
Everything, mapped
Orientation
How Porto Covo is laid out
Porto Covo is small enough to cross on foot in about ten minutes, and almost everything worth walking to sits on one axis. The old village is a grid of whitewashed houses with blue trim around Largo Marquês de Pombal, the square with the church and the cafés. From the square, the sea is two minutes in any westward direction.
- North of the square. The harbour and Praia dos Pescadores, where the boats to Ilha do Pessegueiro leave. Small, sheltered, and where the fishing still happens.
- South of the square. Praia Grande, the main beach, Blue Flag and lifeguarded in summer. About 500 m from the apartment, and the widest sand in the village.
- Further south again. The coastal path towards Praia do Espingardeiro and Ilha do Pessegueiro, where the cliffs start and the crowds stop.
- Inland, east of the village. The Pestana Porto Covo Village complex, the campsites and the road back to the N120.
The thirteen beaches are strung along roughly 5 km of coast, so the far ones are a drive or a long walk rather than a stroll. Which one is worth it on a given day depends on the tide and the wind, which is what the beach-day planner works out for you.
Distances
How far everything is
Measured from the apartment. Porto Covo is small, and most of what people drive to is closer on foot than they expect.
Within walking distance
Under two kilometres, on made paths or the coast road.
| Place | Distance | On foot |
|---|---|---|
| Village Square | 300m | 5 min |
| Praia Pequena | 350m | ~4 min |
| Fishermen's Beach | 350m | ~4 min |
| Gaivotas Beach | 450m | 7 min |
| Coastal Cliffs | 450m | ~6 min |
| Praia Grande | 500m | ~6 min |
| Praia do Banho | 500m | 10 min |
| Fort Pessegueiro | 850m | ~15 min |
| Espingardeiro Beach | 900m | 12 min |
| Buizinhos Cove | 1.1km | ~13 min |
| Pessegueiro Beach | 1.5km | 15 min walk / 5 min drive |
| Cerca Nova Beach | 1.5km | ~18 min walk / 4 min drive |
| Praia do Salto | 1.8km | ~22 min walk / 4 min drive |
| Cerro da Águia Beach | 2km | ~25 min walk / 4 min drive |
Worth taking the car
Still close, but far enough that a cool box and beach chairs change the answer.
| Place | Distance | On foot |
|---|---|---|
| Porto Covinho Beach | 2.2km | ~28 min walk / 5 min drive |
| Samoqueira Beach | 2.4km | ~30 min walk / 5 min drive |
The two-kilometre line is a judgement, not a rule. Carrying a parasol, or walking with small children, moves it a long way closer.
Getting your bearings
Distances worth knowing
- Lisbon. About 1h45 by car, and there is no train. Most people drive.
- Faro. About 1h30, which makes Porto Covo a genuine alternative to the Algarve for a flight into either airport.
- Sines. 15 minutes, and where the full supermarkets are. Continente Bom Dia, Intermarché, Lidl and Pingo Doce are all within a few streets of each other.
- Vila Nova de Milfontes. About 30 minutes by road, or 20 km on foot if you are walking the first stage of the Fishermen's Trail.
What we have learned here
Things worth passing on
Read them allWe live with this village for part of every year, and some of what that teaches you is not written down anywhere. This is the useful half.
Eating cheaply in Porto Covo
Two places, one number that matters, and a Sunday problem. What the price symbols on a listing site will not tell you.
The day to avoid eating out in Porto Covo
Five places shut on a Tuesday, including two of the best-known tables. Both of the cheap options shut on a Sunday. And for nine of them nobody publishes a closing day at all.
Why we built Blue Cove in Porto Covo
A Portuguese family, a long time away, and a village that keeps pulling us home. What we tried to fix, and the one thing we will not take credit for.
Your base in Porto Covo
Stay at Blue Cove
A 3-bedroom apartment with 3 bathrooms and a private heated pool, sleeping 6, 500 m from Praia Grande and 15 minutes from the Rota Vicentina trailhead. Booked directly with Ivy, who confirms every reservation herself.
Keep exploring
More Porto Covo guides
Browse it all
The full filterable catalogue of places and experiences.
Plan your days
A real day, in order, with the numbers to ring and what is shut.
Checked
Eat and buy
Going further