Golf in Alvor, Portugal
The fishing village where Algarve golf began, home to Sir Henry Cotton's historic Penina championship course
Golf in Alvor, Portugal
The fishing village where Algarve golf began, home to Sir Henry Cotton's historic Penina championship course
Alvor is the western Algarve's heritage golf base, built around the course that started it all. Sir Henry Cotton's Penina, the Algarve's first championship layout, sits minutes east, with Alto Golf just north and the Morgado and Álamos courses completing Alvor's own cluster. It is a small whitewashed fishing village rather than a resort town — golf history and an estuary-side old quarter on one side, a long golden beach and Pestana's resorts on the other.
Why golf in Alvor
Alvor is where Algarve golf tourism began, and the history still shapes the trip. The headline Alvor golf courses centre on Penina, Sir Henry Cotton's 1966 design and the region's first championship course, backed by his shorter Alto Golf just north and the Morgado and Álamos courses that round out Alvor's own line-up. Add the on-resort golf at Pestana's beach properties and you have a compact, varied week from a base most towns can't match: a working fishing village with a golden beach, rather than a purpose-built golf strip.
Where Algarve golf started — Penina, Sir Henry Cotton's 1966 championship course, is the region's original and still a former tour-host test, fifteen minutes east.
Five courses on one base — Penina, Alto Golf and the 36 holes at Morgado and Álamos all belong to Alvor, so you can play a full, varied week without changing hotels.
Range of golf — from Penina's championship length to Alto's clifftop holes and the parkland Morgado and Álamos layouts, the choice spans tests and gentler rounds.
Year-round play — the western Algarve stays mild through winter and peaks in spring and autumn, with Penina's parkland sheltered from the wind.
Village base, resort comfort — stay in the old fishing village or at Pestana's beachfront resorts, with golf, sand and seafood all minutes apart.
Things to do near Alvor
Alvor's biggest draw off the course is its beach — one of the longest, softest stretches of sand on the western Algarve. Behind it sit a whitewashed fishing village, an estuary boardwalk and a marina, so golf near Alvor comes with a relaxed, beach-led base and plenty for non-golfers between rounds.
Praia dos Três Irmãos — Alvor's most iconic beach, where towering sandstone stacks and sea arches rise from the sand at the eastern end of the long Praia de Alvor, the area's biggest non-golf draw.
Alvor Old Village — a maze of whitewashed lanes, a hilltop church and a working fishing harbour make up the walkable heart of the village.
Ria de Alvor boardwalk — a wooden walkway loops the estuary and salt marsh behind the village, rich with birdlife and sunset views.
Alvor marina & boat trips — the small marina launches dolphin-watching and coast cruises along the western shore.
Portimão & Praia da Rocha — the bigger town and its famous cliff-backed beach sit just east, adding shopping and nightlife within ten minutes.
Praia dos Três Irmãos
Praia dos Três Irmãos is the western Algarve at its most photogenic: golden sand at the eastern end of Praia de Alvor, broken by the towering sandstone stacks, arches and tunnels that give the "Three Brothers" beach its name.
The "Three Brothers" stacks — the trio of towering sandstone rocks and sea arches that give the beach its name and its postcard image.
The rock tunnel to Prainha — a hand-cut tunnel through the cliff links the main sand to the sheltered Prainha cove next door.
Snorkelling the arches — clear, calm water around the stacks makes the eastern end a favourite for snorkelling and poking into the caves.
Clifftop steps & viewpoints — stairways down the ochre cliffs open views over the formations and across the wider Alvor bay.
Beach bars & sundowners — relaxed beachfront spots above the sand serve lunch and sunset drinks looking out to the rocks.
How a trip to Alvor could flow
Morning
Land at FAO · Drive ~50 min
Afternoon
Check-in at Tivoli Alvor Algarve - All Inclusive Resort
Evening
Dinner in the Alvor Old Village
Morning
Golf at Penina Championship Golf Course
Afternoon
Beach time on Praia dos Três Irmãos
Evening
Harbour stroll in the Alvor Old Village
Morning
Golf at Alamos Golf Course
Afternoon
Explore Portimão & Praia da Rocha
Evening
Drinks at Alvor marina
Morning
Golf at Morgado Golf Course
Afternoon
Walk the Ria de Alvor boardwalk
Evening
Seafood back in the Alvor Old Village
Morning
Relaxed morning on Praia de Alvor
Afternoon
Check-out
Evening
Drive to FAO · Fly home
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Frequently Asked Questions
Alvor is a rewarding golf base, especially for those drawn to the game's history. Penina, the Algarve's first championship course, sits minutes away, with Alto Golf and the Morgado and Álamos courses close by and Pestana's resort golf on the beach. It pairs that with a genuine fishing-village character the resort towns have lost.
The best golf courses near Alvor are led by Penina, Sir Henry Cotton's 1966 championship course and the Algarve's first. Alto Golf, his shorter clifftop design, sits just north, while Morgado and Álamos — a 36-hole pair just inland — round out the destination's own courses, and Pestana's beach resorts add on-property golf.
Penina is worth playing for its place in Algarve history as much as its golf. Sir Henry Cotton's 1966 design was the region's first championship course and has hosted the Portuguese Open many times, a mature, tree-lined parkland test just minutes from Alvor. It remains the area's headline round.
Alvor is about fifty minutes west of Faro Airport by car on the A22 motorway. The courses are then close together: Penina and Alto Golf are within fifteen minutes, and the Pestana resort courses are on the beach, so most rounds are a short drive from an Alvor base.
Alvor suits non-golfers who want a relaxed, authentic base. The whitewashed old village, a long golden beach, the Ria de Alvor estuary boardwalk and boat trips from the marina fill the non-golf days, with the bigger town of Portimão and Praia da Rocha just ten minutes east.
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