The Best Sections of the Fishermen's Trail

The Fishermen's Trail isn't evenly paced. Some sections are long but relatively gentle; others pack repeated climbs and descents into a shorter distance; a couple are mostly easy road walking with one dramatic payoff. Most multi-day itineraries also build in a rest day partway through.

These are five of the best sections of the Fishermen’s Trail where the character of the walking really stands out - not for what you can see, which we've covered elsewhere, but for what the walking itself is actually like.

Almograve to Zambujeira

There are no major climbs on this one - around 175m of ascent across the day - but at up to 20km, it's still a long day of steady coastal walking. The path runs along the clifftop for several hours, past Cavalheiro and on to the lighthouse at Cabo Sardão (er-ol.eu), with the wind coming straight off the Atlantic the whole way.

Don't miss: the stop around Cabo Sardão - the café-restaurant is technically in the village of Cavaleiro just inland, but it's a natural, worthwhile pause partway through the day. Worth checking current opening hours before relying on it.

Need to know: if you're feeling it by the time you reach Cavalheiro, this is one of the easier sections to shorten by taxi - cutting roughly 9km off the day. We mention the Cavalheiro shortcut to most walkers before they even ask for it - it's an easy day on paper, but six hours is still six hours, and there's no shame in trimming it.

Aljezur to Arrifana

This section is genuinely varied underfoot. It starts with a proper climb out of Aljezur, then crosses a mix of woodland, farmland and coastal heath before reaching a stretch of soft sand dunes near the Amoreira estuary. From there it continues to Monte Clérigo beach, then follows the clifftop the rest of the way to Arrifana, passing Ponta da Atalaia. There's little shade for most of it, and parts of the coastal stretch can be steep and loose underfoot, so it earns a "moderate" rating rather than coasting through it.

Don't miss: The final clifftop stretch past Ponta da Atalaia, once the sandier, more sheltered middle section is behind you.

Keep your eyes peeled for: The terrain changes themselves - heath and farmland giving way to dune sand, then hard clifftop path - a genuinely different walk in each third of the day.

The Fishermen's Trail in images

The Carrapateira Loop

Most itineraries build in a rest day here, usually after your first full week on the trail. It's not a feature of the Fishermen's Trail itself - it's a scheduling choice - but it's a good one. What you do with the day is up to you: a short circular walk along two beaches, a longer loop out to Pedralva and back, or no walking at all.

That flexibility is worth taking seriously rather than defaulting to the longest option out of guilt. Feet tend to need this day more than people expect.

Insider tip: If your legs are telling you to rest, take the advice. A short beach walk and a proper lunch in the village will serve you better into the second week than pushing through the full 22km loop.

Vila do Bispo to Sagres

Don't go in expecting a full day of dramatic cliff walking - this is actually one of the easier, flatter sections of the whole trail, and a fair stretch of it is on gravel road and asphalt rather than coastal path. The first few kilometres out of Vila do Bispo run inland through fields with no sea view at all.

The payoff comes later: the trail reaches the coast and follows it past Praia do Telheiro to the lighthouse at Cabo de São Vicente (Heritage.iala.int), at the southwestern tip of Europe, before continuing along the cliffs into Sagres. It's the one genuinely dramatic stretch of the day, and it's concentrated rather than spread throughout.

Don't miss: The cliff-path stretch around Cabo de São Vicente itself - there are usually a few food stalls near the lighthouse if you want to stop.

Keep your eyes peeled for: The contrast underfoot as you go - inland field paths, then a stretch of sidewalk out of town, then proper clifftop trail once you're past the lighthouse.

Sagres to Salema

One of the hardest sections on the trail. It's constant up and down on stony footpaths, with no long flat stretches to recover on, which makes the distance feel longer than the number suggests. The payoff is a run of beaches at the end where, conditions permitting, you can swim.

Don't miss: treating this one as a full day rather than a distance to get through - the constant climbing means it takes noticeably longer, hour for hour, than flatter sections of similar length.

Need to know: if 20km feels ambitious, there's a shorter option - finishing at Figueira after around 16km rather than pushing on to Salema. This is the one stage where I'd actively suggest considering the shorter finish - not because the last few kilometres aren't worth it, but because arriving at Salema wrecked tends to undersell just how good the beaches at the end are.

Keep your eyes peeled for: the wind- and water-carved rock formations along this stretch, which the Algarve's whole reputation for dramatic cliffs is really built on.

Difficulty isn't spread evenly across the trail, and that's worth planning around rather than discovering halfway through a long day. For the practical side of that - luggage, tides, and how the taxi-shortening options actually work - see our practical guide.

Written by: María

María Knaapen
Director & Founder

Ever since I first set foot in Spain way back in 1988, I have been fascinated by the different landscapes this country has to offer. My first love was the Picos de Europa mountain range, in northern Spain, where I began doing field work as an anthropologist and ended up designing walking and cycling tours for a Dutch tour operator. Many more tours have followed since and I have explored many many corners of Spain and Portugal, including islands. Wherever I go, I have never been disappointed by the trails, the views, the culture, the food and the hospitality of each area. It’s a pleasure to be able to share my love and professional knowledge of these countries with you. Please, be my guest!