Albufeira is the loud one on the Algarve. It was a small fishing town until tourism came in the twentieth century and filled the slopes above its beach with white blocks of apartments and bars, and a few decades later it is one of the biggest holiday towns on the coast. The name comes from the Arabic for something like the sea castle, a reminder that the Moors ruled this shore for centuries before the Portuguese took it in the thirteenth century.
Look past the late-night strip and you can still find the old town, a tangle of white lanes with blue-trimmed windows and small squares, with a tunnel through the cliff leading to the main beach. Fishermen's boats still sit on the sand in front of the town at one end, and on a quiet morning you can have an espresso before the crowds arrive and watch the cliffs turn pink. The cliffs along this shore are made of soft golden sandstone carved into arches, stacks and coves, and in summer the sea is warm enough for swimming.
For a rider, Albufeira is a practical stop more than a thrilling one. The roads into town are busy, with roundabouts, traffic lights and holiday traffic, and the old centre is mostly pedestrian, so you park on the edge and walk. But as a place to fill the tank, find a proper meal and sit by the sea it is hard to beat; the town has well over fifteen thousand permanent residents and everything a visitor needs, including petrol stations, supermarkets and repair shops. Grilled fish, cataplana stew and a glass of cold vinho verde are the standards, and the sardines in summer are better than the menu photographs suggest.
Mornings are best, from about eight to eleven, when the light is soft and the streets are empty, and the temperature is pleasant even in July. By afternoon the heat and the crowds build, and traffic along the coast slows to a crawl. In winter the town is quieter and many bars close, though the weather is mild and the almond blossom appears in late winter inland.
If you want a quieter experience, ride the small coast roads to Olhos de Água or the inland lanes and return for sunset.