There are several islands that you can get to from Faro and Olhao. If you want to visit Armona Island you want to go from Olhao. Armona is both carefree and car free and we can almost guarantee that you will have a great stay here.

Wide beaches that stretch for miles

Have you ever heard of beaches that are wide like crazy and that could fit thousands and thousands of people all at once? Well, Armona Island is offering you all of that. I don’t think that it would be possible to make this beach overcrowded. Even if you would take all of Portugal’s population, I’m pretty sure that there would be more room at the beach.

But let’s hope that this will be more of a “hidden gem” and that each and every one of us can enjoy this place. And since there are several different beaches on the island you are bound to find your piece of paradise!

Armona Island is the perfect place to relax

Combined, you have more than nine kilometers of beaches. The island is part of the Ria Formosa nature reserve and here you are free to enjoy life. If you like you can rent kayaks. Mini and I recommend that you try your luck in the search for clams! Since the Ria Formosa is well known for their farming of clams and Armona Island is no exception.

And believe it or not but on the Island, there is also an inland lake where you can take a swim. The Island is way more exploited compared to Ilha Deserta and you have several restaurants to choose from here.

Our visit to Armona Island

We went to Armona Island in December so it was during the low season. The walk to the beach was incredible. There are so many nice houses there and I would love to get invited to someone’s house to see if the small houses are just as nice on the inside as they are on the outside.

We found an old abandoned restaurant that we inspected. It was left there… to fend for itself and time and nature had taken its toll on the building. Some people had been there and painted some graffiti and it actually was fitting for this place.

Miles of beautiful beaches

We walked to the beach and then we just sat down there. It was just the two of us and one dead dolphin and we just enjoyed life. Since it was the offseason, the ferry did not go that often. We ended up staying at the beach for so long that I fell asleep in the sand. It was like the waves were soothing me and urging me to sleep.

Before heading back we had a pizza at the local restaurant just by the marina. It was ok but it was not made there. It was a frozen pizza that they just heated in the oven. But it was ok! We were super happy with our day that we spent on the Island.

Getting to Armona Island from Olhao

It takes about 30 minutes to go from Olhao to Armona. The boat trip there is also really nice and a part of your relaxing day. Make sure not to miss the last ferry leaving the Island so that you don’t get stuck there.

Timetable Olhao – Armona