How to visit the Benagil Cave This Year (Check out the new rules)

Wondering how to visit the spectacular Benagil Cave, in the Algarve, Portugal? You landed in the right place because I just returned from an amazing trip to Portugal in February 2025, and in this post, I will share the most up-to-date information.

I visited this popular Portuguese landmark in winter, both by walking along the Seven Hanging Valleys trail and by boat. In this post, I will tell you about my experience and other ways to explore Benagil Cave.

Located between Spain and the Alentejo region, the Algarve is a European paradise full of history and a spectacular landscape offering something for everyone.

With an average of 300 sunny days per year, the Algarve beaches represent one of the main tourist destinations in summer.

For this reason, I chose to visit in winter to avoid the crowds and enjoy lower prices. I had a blast.

IMPORTANT TIP—You are not allowed to get to the cave on your own, either by kayak, paddling, or swimming. You will need to go on an organized tour. This is for safety reasons, especially in the summer when it gets really crowded.

Benagil Caves at a glance

All along the Algarve coast, there are countless caves created by the constant encounter of the sea with the rocks. One of the most beautiful results of these encounters is certainly the vertical cave of Benagil, or Algar de Benagil (in Portuguese).

It is easy to understand why this is one of the most famous spots in a region that does not spare exuberance. The cave in the middle of the sea, with a hole in the ceiling, is a natural work of art.

Geomorphology that can be seen and felt, and that deserves to be understood and admired from within.

At Benagil, you will be impressed by the arches at the entrance to the cave and the spotlight of natural light that is created on the strip of sand on the small, peaceful beach inside.

The large natural opening at the top allows natural light to enter, and the sun’s rays provide a true spectacle of nature.

The lighting dips into the seawater and reflects magical colors everywhere, highlighting the emerald green of the water and the gold of the rocks.

Besides this beautiful cave, you might be even more delighted to find a “hidden” beach in the Algarve area.

Where is the Benagil Cave?

Benagil Sea Cave is located on the beach of the same name in the village of Carvoeiro, in the town of Lagoa, in the heart of the Algarve.

How to get to Benagil Cave?

With a strategic location only one hour’s drive from Faro and 30 minutes from Lagos, on the Algarve coastline, this is a perfect spot to include in your Algarve itinerary.

To get to Benagil from the N125 road, just take the path towards Armação de Pera, look for the road to Porches, and then look for the arrows to various beaches – among them will be Benagil Beach (or Praia de Benagil).

The easy way is to look for Benagil Cave on Google Maps and ask for directions from wherever you are. It will send you to

It is a beach of easy access, with parking lots and good infrastructure. The Benagil parking lot is on top of the cliff, and you will find it after you go up the hill after passing the beachfront.

Although it is not even a lovely beach, Benagil Beach is where you can access the Benagil sea caves.

How to visit Benagil Cave: 5 ways

Benagil Cave is very close to Benagil Beach, about 600 ft into the sea on the left side of the beach when facing the ocean. However, you cannot walk there, and the cave can only be accessed by water.

There are different ways to get to the cave, some more convenient than others.

1. Visiting Benagil Cave by boat tour

The most popular way to visit the cave is on a small boat ride to the caves of the Carvoeiro coast.

Benagil cave tours are departing from Lagos to Albufeira so you will have plenty of opportunities to visit the cave.

Benagil Beach itself has two companies (Tortuga and Didi) that make boat tours to the several caves in the region, including Benagil Cave.

The routes and prices are the same and you can choose between the express tour (which lasts about 40 minutes and takes you to 8 caves), and the full tour (which lasts 1:30 hours and includes more than 12 caves, as well as a 10-minute dive stop).

The positive side is that the tour includes visits to several caves. The route also passes by Carvalho Beach and Marinha Beach.

There is a fantastic cave called Gruta do Amor (Love Cave) with a heart-shaped crater on the ceiling. It is so perfect that I wonder if it had a little help from an artisan.

The downside of the Benagil cave boat tour is that the boat stops only about 5 minutes at Benagil Beach Sea Cave.

Make sure you ask the tour guide if you can get off the boat, because some boats only pass by, and others stop but do not let you get off.

Always ask what is included before closing the tour if getting off the boat inside Benagil Cave is important to you.

Also, in the high season the tours are sold out in the morning, so make sure you plan ahead and if possible, book your tour in advance.

Be aware that the boats that leave from Benagil Beach are small (maximum 10 people) and therefore sell out early.

Overall, the tour is good for those who want to visit more places, but it is a bit rushed, so I do not recommend it if you prefer to take things slowly.

2. Visiting Benagil Cave by kayak

Another way to visit is via the Benagil Cave kayak tour. Single, double, and triple kayaks are available for rent. Depending on the sea conditions, it takes between 5 and 10 minutes to kayak to Benagil Caves.

Some companies used to offer kayak rentals right at the beach entrance for you to use on your own, but that’s no longer allowed. Therefore, you need to book a tour to kayak into the cave.

The positive side of renting a kayak and going by yourself was that you had enough time to enjoy the cave and take pictures.

The downside is that if you have no kayaking skills, you may have some difficulty getting in and out of the cave because of the waves.

And that is one of the reasons why they

Also, it is very common not to have kayaks for rent during peak season due to high demand. The kayaks sell out even before the boat tours, so you have to arrive around 9 am to guarantee yours.

3. Visiting Benagil Cave by paddleboarding

One of the nicest ways to visit the Benagil Cave is to rent a paddleboard from Benagil Beach. The paddleboards available for rent can be single or double.

Depending on the sea conditions, it takes between 5 and 10 minutes of paddling to get to the cave.

It is important to remember that the paddleboard has no place to store personal belongings, so plan well what you will be taking along with you.

And just like kayaking, when renting a paddleboard, you must sign a liability waiver, and the equipment must be returned to the same place.

For those who like to do things in their own time, paddleboarding and kayaking are the best options. However, I think it is worth going on a boat tour as well.

This way you can see all the sensational caves the boat trip visits and make the most of Benagil Cave by staying a bit longer to enjoy the little cave beach at your own pace with the kayak or paddleboard.

4. Swimming to the Benagil Cave

With low tide and calm sea, it is also possible to swim between Benagil Beach and Benagil Cave. Under these conditions, swimming will take no more than 15 minutes to reach the inside of the cave.

In any case, do not venture to swim to the cave unless you are very comfortable in the water and have experience.

The upside is that you go when you want and stay as long as you want inside the cave!

There is a mini beach there that is a delight to relax at! Another option is to go floating on one of those buoys with a hole in the middle.

This way, if you get tired in the middle of the way, you can still float for a few minutes.

The downside of swimming or floating is that it depends on sea conditions.

Always ask the locals who work at Benagil Beach if the sea is safe to swim in, as this is not advisable unless you have experience and are used to swimming in the sea.

5. Walking to the top of Benagil Cave

An alternative is to see the cave from the top of the cliffs! Yes, it is possible to get this very special angle from the top of the Benagil crater.

The walk there is part of the Seven Hanging Valleys Trail, which goes from Centeanes Valley Beach to Marinha Beach.

You can choose to do the entire trail, or you can do a small section of it that goes through the Benagil crater.

The access from Benagil to the trail is very easy. After leaving the beach, go up the hill to the right and go towards the edge of the cliff, and you will find the beginning of the trail next to the restaurant O Algar.

There is no way to get lost, just take the small entrance to the right of the parking lot and go straight ahead for five minutes on the dirt road, and you will get to the top of the cave.

The crater contour is fenced off because the ground is very unstable, with the risk of collapsing. You cannot be too careful.

Upon arriving at the top of Benagil Cave, a beautiful landscape is revealed, with the emerald green water gently entering the cave and splashing on the small beach.

The Best Benagil Cave Tours

If you have limited time and want to secure your tour to visit this spectacular cave you should book in advance. Below I am sharing the tours with the highest review rating.

When is the best time to visit Benagil Cave?

The Algarve Sea has icy waters all year round, which are welcome in summer due to the region’s high temperatures.

So, to make the best of your Benagil Cave experience, you might think that the best time to visit this fantastic place as well as the rest of the Algarve beaches, is from June to August.

However, given the peak season in Europe, this time of the year is usually the most crowded in touristy places such as the Benagil Cave.

Not to mention, the tours and rentals get more expensive. This makes the months of May and September the best options to escape the crowd and still enjoy the beach with nice weather.

Also, keep in mind that the best time of day when the cave is most beautifully lit is between 11 am and 1 pm when the incidence of sunlight through the opening at the top is greatest.

There are still some tours running in the winter season but it depends on the weather conditions since during winter you would usually find a rough sea, while in the summer months, good weather is a given.

Read more about the best time to visit Portugal

Things to do on Benagil Beach

Benagil Beach is located on one of the most beautiful stretches of the Algarve coast, where the jagged cliffs form caves, craters, and arches.

Next to the village of Benagil, the small Benagil Beach is nestled in a sheltered bay and has a lot more to offer than just Benagil Cave.

Bathed by a calm sea, this area is ideal for boat trips where you can discover deserted beaches, inaccessible by land. The beach itself is a great spot to lay in the sand and go for a swim or simply float on the water.

Of course, you can rent kayaks and paddleboards to go to Benagil Cave, as I mentioned before. But you can also rent those and just have some fun right in front of the beach if you want to avoid the crowd in the cave.

Restaurants near Benagil Beach

Benagil has invested heavily in tourism in recent years, so it is not difficult to find a restaurant to have lunch. Right at the top of Benagil Hill, there are three good examples of good cuisine that can be enjoyed close to Benagil Beach.

With fresh fish, well-prepared meat, and homemade dessert, O Algar offers a great atmosphere for those who want to have their meals while sitting out on the terrace with a view over the bay.

Offering great value for money, O Litoral is the place to go for grilled fish and homemade fresh juice. Meanwhile, O Pescador serves the traditional Portuguese cataplana and octopus, accompanied by a unique wine selection.

Benagil Cave Nearby Beaches

The Algarve region is famous for its spectacular beaches, and you can find many white-sand bays very close to Benagil Cave, where you can relax after your tour to explore the beautiful caves and rock formations.

Praia da Marinha is a sandy beach located just a few minutes’ drive, and Armação de pêra is another spectacular beach surrounded by incredible rock formations as well, at about a 30-minute drive from the Benagil Cave.

However, there are so many spectacular beaches in the Algarve region that we wrote a detailed post that you can use as a guide for your next trip.

Other beautiful sea caves to visit in Portugal

In Portugal, there is a concentration of caves in three distinct places that you can include in your Portugal road trip itinerary: the lava tubes in the Azores region, the limestone caves in the Aire, the Candeeiros mountains, and the sea caves in the Algarve.

So here are a few examples of the most interesting and beautiful Portugal caves.

Gruta das Torres, Pico Island, Azores Archipelago

At 3.2 miles long, it is estimated that the Gruta das Torres was formed about 1500 years ago during an eruption at Cabeço Bravo. This is the largest known lava tube in Portugal, and it’s located on the island of Pico.

The visit to the site currently takes place as an expedition: for an hour, visitors walk 1500 ft through the cave with all the necessary equipment.

The tour offers good infrastructure that guarantees visitors’ safety. Every year, 10 thousand people visit Gruta das Torres.

In the Azores, you can also visit Gruta do Carvão in Ponta Delgada, Sao Miguel. As well as Algar do Carvão, Gruta do Natal, and Furna do Enxofre in Terceira Island.

Grutas de Mira de Aire, Serras de Aire and Candeeiros Nature Park

Home to limestone caves with stalactites, stalagmites, waterfalls, and underground lakes, the region of Porto de Mós is less than one hour from Nazaré.

Considered one of the 7 Wonders of Portugal, the Mira de Aire Caves are 7 miles long, but only 2000 ft of the route can be visited.

Discovered in 1947, the caves were only opened to the public in 1974. The route starts with a 360 ft drop from the entrance – the descent is via stairs, but on the way back up it is possible to take the elevator. Overall, it is a wonderful place and very well structured to receive visitors.

In this same region, you can also visit the Santo Antônio Caves, Alvados Caves, and Algar do Pena in the Serras de Aire and Candeeiros Nature Park.

Algarve Caves

The Algarve coast is very diverse, ranging from extensive sandy beaches to rocky cliff formations. Due to ocean erosion, caves and craters have formed, accessible by boat.

These caves and paradisiacal beaches are of great beauty, where the turquoise blue of the sea stands out. Besides the Benagil Cave, there are numerous lesser-known but no less spectacular caves.

Examples of these caves are Algar Seco, Paradise Cave, Alfanzina Lighthouse Cave, and Love Cave, among others.