Praia da Galé
Praia da Galé
4.5
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Maurizio War
Genoa, Italy362 contributions
Aug 2024 • Couples
Beautiful beach in the west of Albufeira. There is plenty of free parking. Well served by bars and restaurants. There is the possibility to rent deck chairs and umbrellas at a good price. Here too, watch out for the afternoon high tide. So if you have the vs umbrella and go to the free beach put yourself back a bit
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Written August 25, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
BrianML
Chichester, UK955 contributions
Nov 2020 • Couples
My wife and I walk the full length of this beach (about 5km) and back at least 4 times a week. We park the car at either Os Salgados or at Gale. At low tide, the sand is fairly flat and you can walk past Gale towards Albufeira, to see the strange beach rock formations. Walking towards Armação de Pera, you eventually come to a stretch of beach which is a permissive nudist beach, where you will see lots of elderly men (and the occasional woman) walking along the shoreline or popping up in the sand dunes. Locally they are referred to as Meerkats! Near the Armação beach you will come to Carlos beach bar, where there are toilets, and good coffee.
If the tide is high, you can walk behind the sand dunes on the board walk, which overlooks the Salgados wetlands, a haven for migratory birds.
If the tide is high, you can walk behind the sand dunes on the board walk, which overlooks the Salgados wetlands, a haven for migratory birds.
Written November 2, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
hugheskevin5
Chepstow, UK448 contributions
May 2022 • Friends
Yes visited in May, but stay to “left” of main beach & you can find cosy alcoves & beautiful rock pool scenery. In high season too busy, but “pre” & “post” high season (May/Jun & Sep/Oct) definitely worth a visit. Lovely set of restaurants also.
Written May 9, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Peggy L
Pera, Portugal220 contributions
Jan 2020
Beautiful and unusual beach dotted with huge 20-30 foot high boulders interspersed with smooth sandy beaches. Large number of intact shells for gathering. Two close café/bars and 2 surf schools. Plenty of parking. One of our favorite beaches.
Written January 15, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
tinkle_24
Northampton, UK1,825 contributions
Feb 2020
Definitely a worthwhile walk from east to west or vice versa. About halfway you pass Salgados Beach/ nature reserve. The strong waves roll in but walking on firm sand is a great pleasure.
Written February 17, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
ADAM1998
GALE201 contributions
GALE BEACH AND AREA.
Just 4 Km west of the old town of Albufeira, is Gale (pronounced Gar-lay) which has developed from l agriculture 25 years ago to a residential area of villas and some low- rise hotels, although there are still lots of greenery with orange groves, olive trees, fig trees and vineyards.
Gale beach is on a small headland, with other beaches to the right (West) and left (east) of it which you can walk to. On Gale beach, there are 3 bar/ restaurants. The beach is made up of soft sand and is safe for children. It has all the usual water sports one could expect in the summer time. From November to March it is very quiet and you can walk west, along the Ocean edge, to Amacao De Pera. This walk is about 5 Km along soft sand dunes with the Nature reserve of Salgados on your right. At the end you will arrive at the fishermen boats and then the town and its shops.
Turning left (east) on Gale beach, the scenery changes entirely, with small cliffs and rock formations where people regularly fish from. The cliffs form a nice intimate cove to give a safe and natural wind break, where children can play in the crashing waves or explore the rock pools. From here it is possible to clamber over the rock and head east to as far aa Sao Rafael beach passing Sao Luurenco –Eveiristo –Castello and Cohelha beaches, each with their own beach restaurants and character. In between these beaches are lots of small sandy coves, where you can sit for hours undisturbed and the cliff walks between these beaches makes you feel you are on some desert island by the natural flower and fauna.
Gale beach is at the end of the Estrada de Gale EN 1282, the coast road from Albufiera town. Leaving the beach, on to this road, you have the hotel villa gale a low rise property. On your right is Vila Joya, a Boutique hotel with a 2** Michelin restaurant. It is in its own grounds behind high walls. I have never been in, because it is very expensive, and you need to book well in advance. But it has a awesome reputation and one day, if I win the lottery. I may take my wife there. Once past these, it is all villas along the road, some new, some not so new. After 50 m you arrive at a roundabout. Turn right here and it brings you to Sao Lauranco beach. Again it has its own restaurant (closed in winter) safe sandy beaches to enjoy, and lots of rock pools to keep the kids entertained. All these beaches are blue flag and beautiful and they change character, looks and style continuously by the tide and the weather but always interesting and always beautiful.
Back from this roundabout, straight in front is to Albufiera , while to the left inland takes you to Guia ( the home of Sir Cliff Richard and his vineyards and the birth place of chicken Piri Piri and Algarve shopping malls) about 6Km away. In between the route is a mixture of rural farms villas and low rise condominiums and restaurants one excellent one is Sao Domingoes a family run business and open all the year around but there are many more.
Back to the Gale roundabout and this time straight on towards Albufiera you now pass villas and small condominiums on both sides and several turnings on your right leading to the beach. It is worth taking all these turnings as they all have interesting sights to see that you would never see from the road and would be a shame to miss.
Next you come to a small cross roads and a bar (Por Do Sol) that has been there years and is used as a point of direction. To the left, is the road to Vale De Para and has supermarkets and restaurants along it. )Jomphra is a particularly good and well recommended one) Just past the Por Do Sol is a turning on your right which leads down to Castillo and Everisto beaches. Again these beaches both have restaurants.
After the cross roads, the area changes its name to Sesmarias and equally has lots of villas and beach turnings all the way to the old town of Albufiera past turnings for Coelha and Sao Rafael beaches and through the Marina.
Back to the general description of Gale ,it is a family area with lots of family run restaurants where children are treated as VIPs and welcomed everywhere. And there are lots of interesting lanes and turnings, for you to explore through the many orange groves.
Just 4 Km west of the old town of Albufeira, is Gale (pronounced Gar-lay) which has developed from l agriculture 25 years ago to a residential area of villas and some low- rise hotels, although there are still lots of greenery with orange groves, olive trees, fig trees and vineyards.
Gale beach is on a small headland, with other beaches to the right (West) and left (east) of it which you can walk to. On Gale beach, there are 3 bar/ restaurants. The beach is made up of soft sand and is safe for children. It has all the usual water sports one could expect in the summer time. From November to March it is very quiet and you can walk west, along the Ocean edge, to Amacao De Pera. This walk is about 5 Km along soft sand dunes with the Nature reserve of Salgados on your right. At the end you will arrive at the fishermen boats and then the town and its shops.
Turning left (east) on Gale beach, the scenery changes entirely, with small cliffs and rock formations where people regularly fish from. The cliffs form a nice intimate cove to give a safe and natural wind break, where children can play in the crashing waves or explore the rock pools. From here it is possible to clamber over the rock and head east to as far aa Sao Rafael beach passing Sao Luurenco –Eveiristo –Castello and Cohelha beaches, each with their own beach restaurants and character. In between these beaches are lots of small sandy coves, where you can sit for hours undisturbed and the cliff walks between these beaches makes you feel you are on some desert island by the natural flower and fauna.
Gale beach is at the end of the Estrada de Gale EN 1282, the coast road from Albufiera town. Leaving the beach, on to this road, you have the hotel villa gale a low rise property. On your right is Vila Joya, a Boutique hotel with a 2** Michelin restaurant. It is in its own grounds behind high walls. I have never been in, because it is very expensive, and you need to book well in advance. But it has a awesome reputation and one day, if I win the lottery. I may take my wife there. Once past these, it is all villas along the road, some new, some not so new. After 50 m you arrive at a roundabout. Turn right here and it brings you to Sao Lauranco beach. Again it has its own restaurant (closed in winter) safe sandy beaches to enjoy, and lots of rock pools to keep the kids entertained. All these beaches are blue flag and beautiful and they change character, looks and style continuously by the tide and the weather but always interesting and always beautiful.
Back from this roundabout, straight in front is to Albufiera , while to the left inland takes you to Guia ( the home of Sir Cliff Richard and his vineyards and the birth place of chicken Piri Piri and Algarve shopping malls) about 6Km away. In between the route is a mixture of rural farms villas and low rise condominiums and restaurants one excellent one is Sao Domingoes a family run business and open all the year around but there are many more.
Back to the Gale roundabout and this time straight on towards Albufiera you now pass villas and small condominiums on both sides and several turnings on your right leading to the beach. It is worth taking all these turnings as they all have interesting sights to see that you would never see from the road and would be a shame to miss.
Next you come to a small cross roads and a bar (Por Do Sol) that has been there years and is used as a point of direction. To the left, is the road to Vale De Para and has supermarkets and restaurants along it. )Jomphra is a particularly good and well recommended one) Just past the Por Do Sol is a turning on your right which leads down to Castillo and Everisto beaches. Again these beaches both have restaurants.
After the cross roads, the area changes its name to Sesmarias and equally has lots of villas and beach turnings all the way to the old town of Albufiera past turnings for Coelha and Sao Rafael beaches and through the Marina.
Back to the general description of Gale ,it is a family area with lots of family run restaurants where children are treated as VIPs and welcomed everywhere. And there are lots of interesting lanes and turnings, for you to explore through the many orange groves.
Written September 7, 2010
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
nanagrampy1
Oxford, UK122 contributions
Aug 2011
We visited here so many times. The beach is absolutely lovely and the best part is the restaurants - which is why I am writing this review.
We ate in one which is along the beach that stretches out for miles which was OK but not excellent. One however, we ate in 3 times and it was superb. It is on the road looking over the same long beach that stretches miles towards the west. Here the sea bass and all the other fish was cooked to perfection and it was really cheap. The waiters were not the most experienced ever but created a really wonderful atmosphere. I would reccomend it to everybody.
We ate in one which is along the beach that stretches out for miles which was OK but not excellent. One however, we ate in 3 times and it was superb. It is on the road looking over the same long beach that stretches miles towards the west. Here the sea bass and all the other fish was cooked to perfection and it was really cheap. The waiters were not the most experienced ever but created a really wonderful atmosphere. I would reccomend it to everybody.
Written August 8, 2011
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Draycott18
Nottinghamshire, UK144 contributions
Apr 2012
One of the nicest beaches I have been on. Lovely soft sand and gentle slope into the sea, although the sea can have a pretty strong pull when going out. There are plenty of shells to collect in the long stretch from Praia Gale to Armacao de Pera. It is clean and pretty, especially in the evening when the sun sets.
At the Gale end, as already mentioned, there are 3 restaurants, each opening early in the morning serving breakfast and open til late in the evening.
As a tip, take the path behind the Restaurant Praia Da Gale, which leads to a boadwalk after about 500m. This boadwalk takes you to several drop off points on the beach as well as to the complex in Salgado. If you take this boadwalk, you get to go one third of the way to Armacao de Pera on wood rather than sand.
At the Gale end, as already mentioned, there are 3 restaurants, each opening early in the morning serving breakfast and open til late in the evening.
As a tip, take the path behind the Restaurant Praia Da Gale, which leads to a boadwalk after about 500m. This boadwalk takes you to several drop off points on the beach as well as to the complex in Salgado. If you take this boadwalk, you get to go one third of the way to Armacao de Pera on wood rather than sand.
Written April 7, 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
segal1
Bristol, UK64 contributions
Gale is a wonderful place for a family holiday if you want a quiet place with a beautiful beach.
There are three restaurants right on the beachfront, all very good value.
There is a huge supermarket- Apolinas which is quite expensive but they do a takeaway menu which is fantastic value and definately worth trying.
We stayed in villa magali- a villaplus accomodation, five minutes from beach and supermarket, 4 en suite bedrooms and pool and used yellowfish transfers for transfer, again good value. All in all a good holiday, not a lot to do but we just wanted to relax with the family.
There are three restaurants right on the beachfront, all very good value.
There is a huge supermarket- Apolinas which is quite expensive but they do a takeaway menu which is fantastic value and definately worth trying.
We stayed in villa magali- a villaplus accomodation, five minutes from beach and supermarket, 4 en suite bedrooms and pool and used yellowfish transfers for transfer, again good value. All in all a good holiday, not a lot to do but we just wanted to relax with the family.
Written July 20, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Kiwifruit86
Wellingborough, UK78 contributions
Jun 2018 • Family
A very lovely beach, suitable for young families. Lovely beach bars along the top. 15 euros for two sun beds and a parasol. Clean beach and warm sea. Beautiful views from the beach bars.
Written July 9, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hey Folks, do you need to pre book a beach sun lounger or is there loads? Or just pay in cash? Heard something about them being pre booked so just wanted to check. Going Mid September. Thanks Justin
Written August 22, 2023
Not sure? As we haven't used them, I think you pay at the bar just before you enter the beach, hope this helps
Written August 23, 2023
We loved that restaurant, what a shame it’s closed. Any recommendations for nearby plse?
Written June 11, 2019
Our favourites:
1.Por do Sol (on Gale road at Estrada do Castelo); moderate prices, good food, friendly staff
On Estrada do Vale Rabelho heading north from Estr. Gale:
2. Pastelaria Colibri 2: another coffee shop/ restaurant with plain decor and large patio serving good coffee, pastries and meals at inexpensive prices. Friendly staff.
3. Mr Singh Tandoori: typical, plain Indian family restaurant with good food at reasonable prices.
4. A Grelho do Ti-Manuel: popular fish restaurant which always seems to be busy, even in the winter; we found it a little overpriced but the locals like it.
5. Sao Domingus: a little more expensive, elegant family restaurant with excellent food; indoors and patio
6.Docaria Almeixer: an extension of Sao Domingos, sharing facilities- friendliest staff in the region, excellent food, perfect for coffee and pastries, indoor/outdoor patio, moderate prices, elegant decor yet still essentially a coffee shop! Our #1 for lunch, coffee breaks, dinner.
Two more we haven't visited but residents have praised lavishly:
7. A Casa do Avo: at the top of the hill north of the Donkey and Cart roundabout. Well known for its traditional buffet lunches and dinners. Popular with local residents. A little expensive but you are paying for the unique food and ambience.
8. O Marinheiro (Gale Road half-way between Gale beach and the Marina); praised for its seafood and decor; moderate to higher prices.
Written June 11, 2019
A circulacao de caes nas praias está limitada,, mas fora das zonas concessionadad, pode andar, nas sempre com trela.
Written March 28, 2019
Bonjour, pouvez vous me donner le prix de la location pour les transats sur les plages de l'Algarve et notamment celle de Galé ?
Merci pour votre réponse
Cyska
Written August 7, 2018
bonsoir aucune idée pas en service fin avril période a laquelle j'y suis allé.désolé
Written August 7, 2018
I would like to know as well. Does the beach accept dogs?
Alguém sabe si esta praia aceita os cães também?
Written July 8, 2019
Hi - Can anyone tell me the location of the Vegetable Market in Albufeira - I'm told it is very good and worth visiting for local produce --Cheers!
Written August 4, 2017
The market is a short walk north of MacDonalds off Avenues dos Descobrimentoes.
Written April 12, 2019
How do you get to Gale by bus from Hotel Boa Vista or the Marina ?
Written June 8, 2017
I believe that there are taxis at the small strip mall about 50 metres from the beach restaurant/cafe. Since it includes a small hotel, there should be no problem getting a taxi there.
Written June 11, 2019
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