Quercus – National Association for Nature Conservation presented, as usual, the list of award of the Gold Quality Award 2020, which once again distinguishes the quality of bathing water of Portuguese beaches.
- According to the criteria defined in 2019, to receive the classification of “Beach with Gold Quality”, bathing water must meet the following criteria:
• Excellent water quality in the last five bathing seasons from 2015 to 2019; - • All analyses carried out in the last bathing season (2019) should have shown better results than the values defined for the 95th percentile of Annex I to the Bathing Water Directive;
- • In the last bathing season (2019), there may have been no occurrence/warning of non-advice of bathing, prohibition of bathing practice and/or temporary ban of the beach.
Of the 381 beaches that met these criteria with distinction, making them distinguished with the Quality of Gold in 2020, 18 belong to the municipality of Albufeira:
PRAIA DOS ALEMÃES
This little bay is sheltered by low, deeply-eroded cliffs where you can see sinkholes, arches and caves. Three huge rocky ledges,… →LEARN MORE
PRAIA DOS ARRIFES
This little bay is sheltered by low, deeply-eroded cliffs where you can see sinkholes, arches and caves. Three huge rocky ledges,… →LEARN MORE
PRAIA DO BARRANCO DAS BELHARUCAS
From this beach on, the deeply-eroded limestone coastline of the western Algarve gives way to gentle cliffs of sand and clay, which stretch eastwards… →LEARN MORE
PRAIA DO CASTELO
At Castelo Beach, the cliffs stand tall, marking the landscape. The beach, nestling between rocky walls, is full of hidden nooks and little bays. At… →LEARN MORE
PRAIA DA COELHA
The footpath to Coelha Beach takes you alongside farmland, where you can see olive and carob trees that look like they must be a hundred years old. As you…→LEARN MORE
PRAIA DO EVARISTO
This is a small rocky beach nestling between low, attractively-eroded cliffs. Huge seaweed-covered rocks are scattered along the tideline and under …→LEARN MORE
PRAIA DA GALÉ (EAST AND WEST)
Praia da Galé stands at the far eastern end of the large sandy bay of Armação de Pera. Here, the rock formations typical of the western Algarve once… →LEARN MORE
PRAIA DO INATEL
The beach is named after the hotel belonging to the Inatel Foundation, which stands on a rocky veranda overlooking the central section of the long…→LEARN MORE
PRAIA DO MANUEL LOURENÇO
This beach in the form of a shell is smaller than the ones to the west and it nestles between curiously-shaped cliffs. To the east, there is an intricate-looking… →LEARN MORE
PRAIA DA MARIA LUÍSA
Pedestrian access to the beach is through the tourist complex that occupies the approach, descending a gully through which a torrential stream runs… →LEARN MORE
PRAIA DA OURA (AND OURA-EAST)
The beach is huge – almost a kilometre in length – and very varied. To the west, tourist infrastructure dominate the skyline and the setting is urban, while to the… →LEARN MORE
PRAIA DO PENECO
This is the first beach to the east of Albufeira Marina and is a city beach, located in the old centre of Albufeira. A huge rocky ledge in warm tones stands…→LEARN MORE
PRAIA DOS PESCADORES
Known in English as “Fishermen’s Beach”, Praia dos Pescadores is the continuation of Peneco Beach. It is framed by the pontoon to the east and, to… →LEARN MORE
PRAIA DE S. RAFAEL
The beach is framed by warmly-coloured, very craggy and fissured limestone cliffs. There is a remarkable variety of rock formations on this beach… →LEARN MORE
PRAIA DOS SALGADOS
This beach follows on from the sands of Praia Grande, to the east of the Salgados Lagoon, a wetland zone that has formed at the final stretch of…→LEARN MORE
PRAIA DE SANTA EULÁLIA
In Santa Eulália, the blue of the sea and the bright tones of the sand combine harmoniously with the cool green atmosphere of the surrounding… →LEARN MORE
In the present situation, Quercus stresses that tehy considers essential, in this bathing season, to comply with the sanitary rules on the beaches, outlined by the Official Health Entities.
The golden beaches of the Algarve are waiting for you!