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"In Portugal we are very free" , a Portuguese friend answered me when I asked her about the ** nudist beaches of the Algarve **. Also the director of a hotel located right there, on the chin of the Iberian Peninsula, played down the issue and urged me to convey that in almost any portuguese beach it would be enough to stand at one of its ends so as not to disturb the rest of the bathers with nudism.
But no, gentlemen, that we are neighbors and guests does not mean that we should lightly skip the rules, especially when there may be a monetary fine involved.
Maybe in Portugal still staying naked on a beach that is not naturist is not too supervised, but we also believed that the same thing happened with the Portuguese highways (with electronic tolls, without barriers and only with cameras that record the license plate), until one day, suddenly, sanctions began to arrive for the (savvy) Spanish drivers who believed have evaded payment.
A kilometer and a half west of this footbridge in Praia do Barril is its nudist area.
Once the official sources have been consulted, the answer is clear, there is only two official nudist beaches in the Algarve: Praia do Barril, in Tavira Island (declared naturist in 2004), and Praia da Barreta, in Ilha Deserta (declared naturist in 2011). But go two beaches! Do not suffer for lack of space or beauty, the enclaves are idyllic and gigantic (you can consult the rest of the Portuguese nudist beaches at this link).
PRAIA DO BARRIL, ON THE ISLAND OF TAVIRA
Tavira Island is one of the five barrier islands – the other four are Desert Island (or Barreta), Culatra Island, Armona Island and Cabanas Island – that protect the Ria Formosa Natural Park, which covers about 18,000 hectares and has been chosen as one of the 7 Natural Wonders of Portugal.
Classified as coastal arrows, these gigantic accumulations of sand run parallel to the continent, as if they were the ham of a sandwich in which the Ria Formosa would be the slice of bread on top and the Atlantic Ocean the bottom. That is why access to any of these Algarve beaches from the nearest towns It implies having to cross the estuary, dotted with lagoons, marshes, canals, salt flats and clam and oyster beds.
In the specific case of Praia do Barril (unless you go directly by boat from Tavira), the route could not be more picturesque. Once you leave the car parked in the tiny 'tourist village' Pedras D'El Rei (a group of private houses and apartments for rent), you will have to cross the estuary on a white metal pedestrian bridge, from where a large number of bird species can be seen (if you are very lucky even the hen-sultana, symbol of the park) .
Beautiful mini-train station that leads to Praia do Barril, with views of the estuary and the continent.
On the other side of Ria Formosa, once you have crossed the bridge, a surprise awaits you in the form of a little red train: comboio, the locals call it (€1.30 one way). It is true that in summer it is very touristy, so it is preferable to walk for about 15 minutes along the path that runs parallel to the tracks, among the native flora and fauna, and reading the explanatory posters about them that are on the sides. However, in low season you will share a seat with the local fishermen, who are loaded with their rods and hooks on their way to Armação da Praia do Barril, which is located at the end of the railway and gives access to the beach.
Armações were fixed fishing structures that formed a labyrinth of nets to catch tuna and sardines. The one at Praia do Barril, also known as the Três Irmãos, dates back to 1841. Then came the rooms, warehouses, barber shop, laundry room, school, canteen... It was home to a fishing community made up of 80 families until its activity ceased in 1967.
Today, these welcoming buildings in Praia do Barril have been converted into bars and restaurants: Peixe & Petiscos , Museu Do Atum and Barril Beach Café, which offer a wide variety of dishes and avoid having to return to the mainland to eat something. . There is also a children's play area and, right next to it is the rusty and overwhelming cemetery of anchors, that nostalgically recalls the seafaring past of the area.
Remember, the nudist area of Praia do Barril does not have surveillance or services.
With fine golden sand and crystal clear water, the Praia do Barril has a blue flag and is located more or less in the middle of the Island of Tavira (11 kilometers long), so it is much less crowded than the more eastern beaches, near the town of Tavira, from where the boats that cross the estuary depart and bring travelers closer to the sand (less than €2 the journey depending on the company; the fishermen do it for €1).
Getting to the nudist area from its main entrance, in Armação da Praia do Barril, requires walking a kilometer and a half to the west across the sand. there in a wilder and desert environment, you can finally take off your clothes and not worry about warning calls and fines.
If you move in nudist circles, perhaps your fellow practitioners have already told you about this little piece of beach in the Algarve only that they have surely referred to it as Praia do Homem Nu (Naked Man Beach), its colloquial name. Remember that there are no services or surveillance here, so try to go stocked with food and drink and be careful with the force of the waves, as the Atlantic is very treacherous.
Cemetery of anchors, in Praia do Barril, next to the restaurant area, in which it is still necessary to remain poured.
PRAIA DA BARRETA, DESERT ISLAND
In another of the coastal barriers of the Ria Formosa Natural Park, in this case on Desert Island, is the second nudist beach (we insist, official) in the Algarve. to get to her you must take a boat at the Faro pier, near the wall of Cidade Velha, its historic center.
A short journey separates you from this wild seven kilometer long beach also known as Isla Barreta. The Animaris company offers different ways to explore it: by shuttle boat shared with other travelers (€10), by private boat (in both cases it takes 15 minutes) or by a ferry called Praia das Conchas (€5) and it takes 45 minutes. minutes.
Animaris is also in charge of managing the only restaurant on the island. Called Estaminé, it is located where the ships arrive, just at the eastern end of the arrow-shaped sand tongue that is Desert Island. Delicacies such as octopus salad, oysters from the estuary, prawns, clams Bulhão Pato style (with oil, garlic, lemon and a lot of cilantro), grilled fish of the day, rice with seafood or just with clams...
Estaminé is the only restaurant on Desert Island.
To reach the piece of beach where nudists are allowed, you will have to walk west for just over a kilometer on sand made up of tiny fragments of seashells. You will locate it in a simple way, since it coincides more or less at the height of the Cape of Santa Maria (original name of the island), the southernmost point of mainland Portugal.
In this specific place there is a structure made with wooden sticks and decorated with all kinds of materials and waste found on the beach; also with signs indicating the distance between the cape and different cities of all the world.
It is very enlightening and inspiring! know the kilometers that separate you from that other type of life in which you are forced to be dressed. 530 in the case of Madrid, 1,730 if you live in London or the unfathomable 5,616 that there are even in the Big Apple itself. Because being a naturist is an attitude that is carried within, but that needs places like Portugal, to be able to be practiced in a much, much freer way.
Signs that indicate the distance from Cabo de Santa María, on Desert Island, to various cities in the world.
The incredible and wild Praia da Barreta, on Desert Island, has a nudist area.