Praia da Falésia

Falésia runs for about six kilometres in a straight line east of Albufeira, and its cliffs are the reason: soft sandstone and clay in bands of rust red, orange and white, up to thirty metres high, eroded into ridges, gullies and pinnacles and topped with umbrella pine. The beach below is wide and flat, with the tide going a long way out and the sand firm enough to walk the whole length. There are several access points along the top - Olhos de Água at the western end, various hotel and car park stairs, Vilamoura at the east - and facilities cluster around them with long empty stretches between. The cliffs are actively eroding and collapse: signs and, in places, fences keep people away from the base, and they exist because of fatal falls elsewhere on this coast. This is developed Algarve, with hotels and golf along the top.

What you actually see

• The cliffs - six kilometres of banded red, orange and white sandstone up to thirty metres.
• The straight beach - wide flat sand, walkable end to end at low tide.
• The access points - stairs and ramps at intervals, with empty stretches between.
• The erosion - actively collapsing cliffs with marked exclusion zones at the base.

When to go

May to October. Half a day. Late afternoon light turns the cliffs deep red, which is when they photograph best.

Honest expectations

Cliff collapse is a genuine hazard - keep out of the marked zones at the base. Steep stairs at most access points. The hinterland is resort development and golf. Busy near the access points in summer, though the middle stretches stay quiet.

Nearby

Olhos de Água is west; Vilamoura and its marina are east.