Praia da Marinha

Our photos

Praia da Marinha is the beach on half of the Algarve’s postcards. From the top, you look down on a line of limestone stacks and arches, including a famous double arch, with turquoise water over a sandy bottom. Down on the beach, it is smaller and more sheltered than the photos suggest.

Getting there and parking

Praia da Marinha is at the end of a short road between Carvoeiro and Armação de Pêra, in the municipality of Lagoa. There is no public transport to the beach, so you need a car, a taxi or your own two feet on the clifftop trail.

The car park on the cliff top is free. Outside summer, you will usually find a space at any time. In July and August it fills by mid-morning, and police sometimes close the access road about a kilometre before the beach when it is full. Visitors who arrive after half past eight in peak season often have to turn back. Come early in the morning or in the late afternoon, when the light on the cliffs is also at its best.

Getting down to the sand

From the car park, a path leads to the edge of the cliff and then down a series of stairs and sloping sections cut into the rock. It is about 115 steps in total. The way down is easy for most people and takes a few minutes; the way back up, with beach bags and children in the heat, is what people remember. It is not suitable for wheelchairs or pushchairs.

What it is like

The beach is a mix of sand and rock, framed by cliffs on both sides. The water is usually calm and clear, which makes it one of the best spots in the area for snorkelling around the rocks. At low tide, you can explore small caves and the base of the arches at the eastern end.

The viewpoints along the top of the cliff, a few minutes’ walk east and west of the car park, give the famous views. They are worth the short detour even if you do not go down to the beach. Walk to the right along the cliff top from the car park, without taking the way down, and you reach a heart-shaped opening in the rock with the sea below.

Tides

At low tide, Praia da Marinha has a decent stretch of sand and you can reach the rocks and caves at either end. At high tide, especially at spring tides, the sand narrows considerably and the water reaches close to the base of the cliffs. Plan your visit for the hours around low tide; our guide to how tides change Algarve beaches explains how to read a tide table.

Safety

The cliffs here are high and the edges are undercut in places. In November 2025 a 22-year-old visitor fell from the cliffs near the Benagil caves, at Praia da Marinha, and had to be rescued with fractures. Stay behind the fences at the viewpoints, keep well back from unfenced edges, and do not sit directly under the cliff on the beach. Read more in beach flags and cliff safety.

Facilities and awards

Facilities are basic, so bring water and snacks. Praia da Marinha did not receive a Blue Flag in 2026, but it does hold the Gold Quality award from the environmental association Quercus, given for consistently excellent water quality.

The Seven Hanging Valleys Trail

Praia da Marinha is the eastern end of the Seven Hanging Valleys Trail, a clifftop path that runs west past Benagil and Praia do Carvalho to Praia de Vale de Centeanes, about 5.7 km one way. The section from Marinha to the viewpoint over the Benagil cave is the most popular, and it is one of the best ways to see the coast if you are not taking a boat.

Our tips

• In summer, arrive early or late. In the middle of the day, finding a space is a matter of luck.
• Bring water shoes if you want to explore the rocks.
• Combine the beach with a walk along the trail towards Benagil, then come back down for a swim.