Praia da Rocha

Praia da Rocha was one of the first Algarve beaches to be developed for tourism, from the 1930s onwards, and it shows: a wide, long expanse of sand with ochre sandstone stacks and outcrops standing in it, backed by a clifftop avenue of hotels, apartment blocks and bars that is as much the character of the place as the beach. At its eastern end, where the Arade reaches the sea, stands the Fortaleza de Santa Catarina, built in the seventeenth century to guard the river mouth with Ferragudo's fort opposite, now a viewpoint with a café. The beach is broad enough to absorb large numbers, has full facilities and lifeguards, and shelves gently. Nightlife along the strip is a significant part of what draws people, and a significant part of what puts others off. Boat trips to the Benagil caves leave from Portimão marina alongside.

What you actually see

• The stacks - ochre sandstone outcrops standing in the sand.
• The fort - seventeenth-century Santa Catarina at the eastern end above the river mouth.
• The clifftop strip - hotels, apartments and bars along the avenue above.
• The scale - a beach wide enough to take resort-level numbers.

When to go

May to October. Half a day. July and August are full; June and September give the same weather with far more room.

Honest expectations

This is developed resort Algarve, not a wild beach - the high-rise backdrop is unavoidable. Loud at night along the strip. Very crowded in high summer. Boat trip touts work the promenade.

Nearby

Portimão and the marina are north; Ferragudo is across the river mouth.