What to do in the Algarve when it rains: 12 indoor ideas

It rains on average around fifty days a year in the Algarve, mostly between November and March. If one of those days falls during your holiday, all is not lost: the region has plenty to fill an afternoon, or an entire week, without needing your umbrella for more than a few minutes. Here are our ideas, starting from Albufeira, from the most unusual to the laziest.

The two safe bets

1. Go 230 metres underground in Loulé

It's the activity few holidaymakers imagine in the Algarve. Beneath Loulé, the rock salt mine is still in operation, and part of it can be visited with a guide. A lift takes you 230 metres down, into galleries dug into rock around 230 million years old. Down there, the weather outside no longer matters at all.

Allow 1.5 to 2 hours, from around €25. The visit must be booked in advance, the stated minimum age is 6 and the route is not wheelchair accessible.

2. Go swimming anyway in Quarteira

The Aquashow Indoor Park bills itself as the first indoor water park on the Iberian Peninsula. Heated pools and slides for the children, sauna, Turkish bath and jacuzzi for the parents: it's the ideal solution when the little ones are getting restless. The indoor park is open every day from 1 October to 30 April. Check its website for current opening hours.

Culture

3. Portimão Museum, the story of the sardine

Housed in a former cannery on the banks of the Arade, this museum has kept its machinery and recreates the work of the women who worked there. It shows what the Algarve was like before tourism, when fishing and canning were the region's livelihood. It's our favourite cultural visit in bad weather: allow 1.5 to 2 hours, for around €3. It opens on Tuesday afternoons and from Wednesday to Sunday.

4. A morning in Faro's old town

Faro is easy to explore between showers, as everything is close together. Start with the Igreja do Carmo and its Chapel of Bones, lined with monks' bones: surprising without being morbid, and entry costs around €4. Carry on to the cathedral and its azulejos, then the municipal museum, housed in a former convent.

With children aged 6 to 14, choose the Centro Ciência Viva, a science centre where you can touch everything.

5. Albufeira's archaeology museum

No need to go far: in the old town, the municipal archaeology museum traces local history, on Praça da República. A short visit, perfect for starting the morning before a coffee in the nearby lanes.

6. Silves and its Moorish past

Once a great city of Muslim Algarve, Silves has a very rich archaeological museum. Make it your base, and save the historic centre for the first sunny spell.

Food and drink

7. Loulé covered market

Under its Moorish-inspired domes, you'll find fish, fruit, cheese, honey, almonds and dried figs. Go in the morning, when it's at its liveliest. You'll leave with everything you need for dinner, and a few souvenirs far better than those in the shops.

8. A wine tasting near Albufeira

The Algarve produces wine, something many visitors don't know. Around twelve minutes from Albufeira, Adega do Cantor, the estate associated with the singer Cliff Richard, offers guided tours with tastings, to be arranged in advance. The estate is open on weekdays and closed at weekends.

Another great address, around ten minutes from Albufeira: Quinta do Canhoto, a family estate that produces Esquerdino wines and welcomes visitors all year round. Allow around 2.5 hours for the tour of the property and the winery, followed by a guided tasting with cheese and charcuterie. The estate welcomes visitors from Monday to Friday, 11am to 6pm. Book in advance, and bring a jacket: the tour starts in the vineyards.

9. A cataplana workshop

This fish or seafood dish, slow-cooked in a copper pot, is the region's great classic. Several workshops teach you how to make it, usually for €30 to €50 per person. The hardest part will be not going back for seconds.

In Faro's old town, for example, Tertúlia Algarvia runs cataplana classes at its cooking school, following a monthly schedule published on its website. It is also a traditional restaurant on Praça Afonso III, open Monday to Saturday.

Keeping everyone busy

10. Trampolines, karting or an escape room

In Algoz, Quantum Park Algarve is a large indoor park where children and teenagers can burn off all their energy: trampolines, laser tag and virtual reality. Non-slip socks are compulsory for the trampolines. Check the opening hours and packages on its website before you go.

There's an indoor electric karting track at Albufeira marina, and escape rooms in Albufeira, Faro and Lagos. Allow around an hour of play, booking required.

11. Cinema and shopping in Guia

A stone's throw from Albufeira, AlgarveShopping brings together shops, restaurants and a multiplex cinema. It won't be the memory of the decade, but it saves an afternoon. Check the language version of the films carefully before booking.

12. Do nothing, and own it

Produce from the market, a good bottle of local wine, a book and rain on the windows: there are worse holiday plans.

Which idea to choose?

Three tips before you set off

• Beware of Mondays. Most public museums close that day: save it for the market or Aquashow.
• Check opening hours. They change in the low season, and a phone call saves a wasted journey.
• Check the hour-by-hour forecast. The Portuguese weather institute, IPMA, publishes detailed forecasts, and a sunny spell is often enough for a stroll along the seafront.

Frequently asked questions

Does it rain a lot in the Algarve? Fairly little: around fifty days a year, concentrated between November and March. The summer months are almost always dry.

What can you do with children when it rains? Aquashow Indoor Park in Quarteira and Faro's Centro Ciência Viva are the two best options.

Do you need a car? For most of these ideas, yes. If you don't have one, stick to Albufeira's old town.

To plan a stay in the cooler season, also read our guide Spending the winter in the Algarve.

Staying in the Algarve with Calyferias

Whether you're staying in Albufeira, Quarteira or Guia, our properties can be booked direct, and we welcome you in person on arrival. A question about the region? Write to us using the contact form.