The Algarve could be the perfect digital nomad hotspot. A coffee (bica) can be as cheap as €0.50 and a beer often costs €1 or less. There’s miles of beautiful coastline and it’s usually very easy to find a café with wifi as well.
Then there’s the surfing. The Algarve, particularly the West Coast, is a fantastic surf spot and a great place to either learn or practice surfing.
It’s also fairly affordable, particularly if you stay long-term and if you stay away from the most touristy spots.
Unfortunately, even though Lisbon has become a digital nomad hotspot, with a buzzing community and plenty of co-working spaces, the Algarve has yet to take off as the next Chiang Mai or Las Palmas.
It’s getting there, though, and, if you decide to visit, you could really help it achieve its potential.
Tip: Planning to cowork in Portugal? Croissant App offers a 7-day free trial that allows you to work from multiple coworking spaces in Lisbon (and one or two in the Algarve).
Accommodation for digital nomads
- The Algarve Digital Nomads FB group has an ongoing survey and nearly every digital nomad that visits the Algarve ends up booking through Airbnb.com.
- Flatio.com, which is like Airbnb but for medium-term rentals, has rooms and apartments across the Algarve.
- Booking.com is also worth looking at, particularly off-season (around October to April). During this time, you can often find hotel rooms for as little as €15 or €20 per night. You can sometimes find cheap apartments on there as well and even cheaper hostel beds.
- For longer stays see the guide to renting long-term on the Algarve. There’s also a guide to finding winter rentals.
- Co-living spaces like The Stokeworks can be fun places to live and meet other digital nomads.
- Some nomads hire campervans while they’re on the Algarve. This isn’t the cheapest form of accommodation, but it’s definitely one of the most fun.
Where should I go on the Algarve?
Although there are nomads spread out all over the Algarve, particularly in places like Faro, Vilamoura, and Sagres, the majority end up in Lagos, which has fast becoming a digital nomad hotspot.
Lagos is popular for a reason. It’s within easy reach of the West Coast, a paradise for surfers, it has a beach that you can walk to from the town centre, and, with both a train and a bus station, it has good public transport links to other parts of the Algarve.
Even though there are always a few other digital nomads on the Algarve, it’s still a very small scene. During the winter months, the Algarve can be very quiet and many restaurants and bars shut down. Although you will find one or two places that are open, many of the resort towns can have a bit of a ghost town feel to then.
Getting around the Algarve
The best way to get around the Algarve is by car, especially if you want to go to the beaches or into the countryside.
The Algarve does have quite a good train system, but it only connects to some of the towns on the Algarve (Faro, Lagos, and Portimão are all connected).
Otherwise, there is a good bus system that connects the towns on the Algarve. Finding the timetables can sometimes be a bit difficult, but Algarvebus.info has all the info.
Where to meet other digital nomads in the Algarve
There are a few relevant groups on Facebook: Algarve Digital Nomads and Digital Nomads Portugal. If you want to meet other digital nomads in the Algarve, try posting in here and letting people know that you’re in town. A few people do this every month, and it’s probably the best way of meeting other nomads.
Start Algarve, a meetup group for startup owners in the Algarve, is another place to meet fellow entrepreneurs, digital nomads, and startup owners. Meetups are very infrequent, but it’s always worth checking to see if there’s something happening while you’re in the Algarve.
While not about freelancing specifically, the couchsurfing forums can be a good place to meet other people while travelling. As with the Digital Nomads Portugal Facebook group, just post a message saying that you’re in town and see who wants to meet up.
Co-working spaces & recommended cafés on the Algarve
The following spaces have been suggested by members of the Algarve Digital Nomads FB Group. If you’re not already a member, it’s worth joining.
Albufeira
Cafés to work from in Albufeira
Al-Gharb
Speciality coffee shop situated in Albufeira’s new town (near “The Strip” that offers wifi and seats with power outlets as well as a selection of speciality coffees, cakes, snacks, and main meals.
Faro
Co-working spaces in Faro
Alandra Square
- Price: from €70 per month and €8 per day.
- Website: alandrasquare.pt
- Trial day available:
Faro Avenida Business Centre
A coworking space for freelancers, digital nomads, and teleworkers. Other services available include meeting rooms, lockers, and a phone service.
- Price: 1 day = €10, 1 month from €70.
- Website: Faroavenida.com
- Trial day available – just get in touch with them.
Cafés to work from in Faro
Lagos
Co-working spaces in Lagos
CENTRO Lagos (Lagos)
A coworking/shared office space.
- Price: €149 per month.
- Website: centro-lagos.com
Reis & Marreiros, Lda
A coworking/shared office space.
- Price: €100 per month.
- Address: Rua Brito Camacho, Lote 41 – Cave frente, Lagos, Portugal
Cafés to work from in Lagos
London Tiger Coffee
London Tiger Coffee is a small and cozy café with good wifi and a great selection of cakes and desserts.
Abigail’s Café
Abigail’s Cafe offers a menu that consists of smoothies, beach bowls, and brunch options, and several of their seats have power outlets as well.
Coffee Studio is a café that’s run by digital nomads, so you know the wifi is good!
Portimão
Co-working spaces in Portimão
Hub Ativo
A coworking/shared office space.
- Price: €15 per day or €135 per month.
- Address: Rua Joaquim Agostinho Fernandes
Sagres
Co-working spaces in Sagres
Currently, there are no co-working spaces in Sagres. There is a co-living space, however.
Cafés to work from in Sagres
Laundry Lounge
Laundry Lounge is a bar and café that’s popular with surfers and freelancers. You can even do your laundry there as well.
The Hangout
The Hangout is another café that’s popular with surfers and freelancers. As well as pizza, coffee, and beer, there’s often live music as well.
Loulé
Co-working spaces in Loulé
Cowork Mucancas Loulé (Loulé)
A small co-working space located in Loulé, a small town close to Faro. Facilities include showers, coffee and tea, printers, a kitchen, storage area, a conference room, and free parking.
- Price: 1 day = €15, 1 month from €150.
- Website: mucancas.com
The Green Building (Loulé)
- Price: €160 per month or €15 per day
- Website: the-green-building.com
- Trial day available:
Golden Creative (Loulé)
- Price: €120 per month or €10 per day (+ IVA)
- Website: goldencreative.pt
- Trial day available: Get a free week’s trial using the Croissant App.
Cafés to work from in Loulé
Ikea Lounge area
Free tea or coffee Monday – Friday if you have an Ikea card.
Silves
Cafés to work from in Silves
Café DaRosa
If you just want to check e-mails or do something quickly, Café DaRosa is a nice place to work from. Free internet access is available from the nearby Silves council, so you don’t even have to ask the café for a password.
Aljezur
Co-working spaces in Aljezur
Cowork Aljezur
Small, boutique coworking space located around 4 km from Aljezur Town Centre. Free parking is available.
- Price: €12 for a day pass. Fixed desks are also available.
- Website: Aljezur.life
- Trial Day Available: No.
Almancil
Cafés to work from in Almancil
Venepao 93 Padaria e Pastelaria
Good coffee shop, but it doesn’t have power outlets.
Baguette de Paris
Coffee shop with power outlets.
Coworking Retreats in the Algarve
There are now several co-living retreats in Portugal, and this includes one or two in the Algarve. Others happen sporadically, and take place for just a couple of weeks in the year. There is now always at least one of these per year.
Other places to work from on the Algarve
- Tip: If you don’t know the wifi password, it’s often the name of the café. This works about 50% of the time, so it’s always worth trying.
- Tip 2: Most libraries in the Algarve have free wifi, and are very easy places to work from.
- Tip 3: Many supermarkets (especially the larger ones like Pingo Doce and Continente) have free wifi. Normally you can pick it up in the food courts or cafés and work from there. There are big food courts at the main shopping centres in the Algarve: Algarve Shopping (near Guia), MAR Shopping (near Loulé), Forum Algarve (near Faro), and Aqua (near Portimão).
Wow! This is so awesome! I’m planning a trip to southern Spain and Portugal and have anxiety about working remote ( from a recent trip to Italy where the WiFi was spotty and unreliable). Having found this site has made me at ease and I look forward to checking out the coworking offices and coffee shops you’ve suggested! Thank you SOOOO much!!!
Hey Heather,
Yes, I've been all around Europe as a DN and Portugal is actually really good - especially the fact that the local council provide free Wifi in many town centres and in spaces like libraries.
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We are considering moving permanently to Vilamoura but it seems there are no co-working places and not too many digital nomads over there. Algarve is really nice but it is all a bit far from the world. Difficult to find nicely decorated cafes, very few organic shops, long drive to find shopping centres and shops... hopefully it will soon change. If you are near Vilamoura and would like to start a co-working place, let me know
Hello. I thought I'd reach out to you and find out if you managed to find a place in Vilamoura to work from?
I know of any awesome placentre right on the Marina. It is very new. Let me know if you want more info. Email me [email protected]
Thank you for this article! We're planning to visit for a few months this year and will be based in Tavira 🙂 We'll hopefully bump into other digital nomads while we're there.
I'm sure you will 🙂 Most of the conversations are happening in the Facebook group (mentioned in this post) so make sure you're a member of that.
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Really nice guide, thank you for these insights!
I was wondering, what about finding an accommodation on the Algarve for longer rent (1-3 month). Any tipps?
Hi Tim,
1-3 months is still considered short term, although you'll get a better rate than if you came for a week. Airbnb is a good starting point, but not the only place you'll find monthly rentals. Have you read our article on finding long-term accommodation in the Algarve?
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Thanks for the guide! I'm going to try living as a digital nomad on the Algarve in May. I can't wait to check out the surf and the national parks nearby.
Hey Kyle, I wonder how you liked it? Are you still there? You have found what you were looking for?