Bathing water quality in Alentejo, Portugal
Alentejo has 39 official bathing waters in the EEA dataset for the 2025 season (22 coastal, 13 lake and 4 transitional (lagoon/estuary)). 89.7% were classified Excellent — 7.7 points above the 82% across Portugal — and 0 were Poor. By sub-region, the Excellent share is highest in Alentejo Central (100% of 6) and lowest in Alentejo Litoral (88.9% of 27). 20 sites have been Excellent in every season from 2015 to 2025.
Qualidade das águas balneares em Alentejo
Das 39 zonas balneares oficiais da UE em Alentejo, 89,7 % foram «excelente» em 2025; zonas classificadas como «má»: 0.
official bathing waters
Excellent in 2025
Poor in 2025
Map of official bathing waters in Alentejo
Alentejo by sub-region
Sites are placed in the Eurostat NUTS 3 sub-regions that contain their reported coordinates.
| Sub-region | Sites | Excellent | Good | Sufficient | Poor | Not classified |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alentejo Litoral | 27 | 24 (88.9%) | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Alentejo Central | 6 | 6 (100%) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Baixo Alentejo | 4 | 4 (100%) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Alto Alentejo | 2 | 1 (50%) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Sea, lakes and rivers in Alentejo
| Water type | Sites | Excellent | Good | Sufficient | Poor | Not classified |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coastal | 22 | 20 (90.9%) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Transitional (lagoon/estuary) | 4 | 3 (75%) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Lake | 13 | 12 (92.3%) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Coastal waters are assessed against stricter bacterial limits than lakes and rivers but are diluted far more; see how the classes are calculated.
Most consistent Excellent sites
20 sites were Excellent in all eleven seasons. Ordered by the length of the unbroken Excellent run ending in 2025; the first 24 are shown and every site is in the full list below.
- ABERTA NOVA 11 seasons · Alentejo Litoral
- ALBUFEIRA DA TAPADA GRANDE 11 seasons · Baixo Alentejo
- ALMOGRAVE 11 seasons · Alentejo Litoral
- ALTEIRINHOS 11 seasons · Alentejo Litoral
- ATLÂNTICA 11 seasons · Alentejo Litoral
- CARVALHAL 11 seasons · Alentejo Litoral
- CARVALHAL (ODEMIRA) 11 seasons · Alentejo Litoral
- COMPORTA 11 seasons · Alentejo Litoral
- COSTA DE SANTO ANDRÉ 11 seasons · Alentejo Litoral
- FAROL 11 seasons · Alentejo Litoral
- FONTE DO CORTIÇO 11 seasons · Alentejo Litoral
- FURNAS-MAR 11 seasons · Alentejo Litoral
- GALÉ-FONTAÍNHAS 11 seasons · Alentejo Litoral
- GRANDE DE PORTO COVO 11 seasons · Alentejo Litoral
- ILHA DO PESSEGUEIRO 11 seasons · Alentejo Litoral
- MALHÃO 11 seasons · Alentejo Litoral
- MELIDES 11 seasons · Alentejo Litoral
- PEGO 11 seasons · Alentejo Litoral
- SÃO TORPES 11 seasons · Alentejo Litoral
- VIEIRINHA-VALE DE FIGUEIROS 11 seasons · Alentejo Litoral
- SANTA CLARA 10 seasons · Alentejo Litoral
- CLUBE NÁUTICO DE AVIS 9 seasons · Alto Alentejo
- MOURÃO 9 seasons · Alentejo Central
- PRAIA FLUVIAL DE MONSARAZ 9 seasons · Alentejo Central
Rated Poor in 2025
None of the 39 official bathing waters in Alentejo was classified Poor in 2025.
Changes from 2024 to 2025
Improved (1)
- ZAMBUJEIRA DO MAR Good → Excellent
Declined (1)
- FRANQUIA Excellent → Good
How Alentejo rated since 2015
Counts for the sites in today’s 2025 inventory; the Excellent share is calculated over classified sites only.
| Season | Classified | Excellent | Excellent share | Poor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 38 | 35 | 92.1% | 0 |
| 2024 | 36 | 33 | 91.7% | 0 |
| 2023 | 35 | 32 | 91.4% | 0 |
| 2022 | 34 | 33 | 97.1% | 0 |
| 2021 | 34 | 34 | 100% | 0 |
| 2020 | 32 | 31 | 96.9% | 0 |
| 2019 | 31 | 31 | 100% | 0 |
| 2018 | 28 | 28 | 100% | 0 |
| 2017 | 28 | 28 | 100% | 0 |
| 2016 | 25 | 25 | 100% | 0 |
| 2015 | 24 | 24 | 100% | 0 |
Places with the most bathing waters in Alentejo
Each site is matched to its nearest named place (GeoNames, within 8 km in a straight line), so beaches of one resort or lake shore can be compared together. Select a place to show only its sites in the full list.
| Place | Sub-region | Sites | Excellent | Poor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vila Nova de Milfontes | Alentejo Litoral | 5 | 4 (80%) | 0 |
| Santo André | Alentejo Litoral | 4 | 4 (100%) | 0 |
| Porto Covo | Alentejo Litoral | 4 | 3 (75%) | 0 |
| Zambujeira do Mar | Alentejo Litoral | 3 | 3 (100%) | 0 |
| Mourão | Alentejo Central | 2 | 2 (100%) | 0 |
| Sines | Alentejo Litoral | 2 | 1 (50%) | 0 |
All 39 official bathing waters in Alentejo
Grouped by sub-region, alphabetical within each group. Open a site for its 2015–2025 history, nearby alternatives, weather forecast and the national profile link.
Download all 39 sites as CSV (classes 2015–2025, coordinates, nearest place; EEA data, CC BY 4.0)
Alentejo Litoral 27 sites · 88.9% Excellent
- ABERTA NOVA Excellent Excellent 11 seasons in a row
- ALMOGRAVE Excellent Excellent 11 seasons in a row
- ALTEIRINHOS · Zambujeira do Mar Excellent Excellent 11 seasons in a row
- ATLÂNTICA Excellent Excellent 11 seasons in a row
- CAMARINHAS · Setúbal Excellent Excellent 7 seasons in a row
- CARVALHAL Excellent Excellent 11 seasons in a row
- CARVALHAL (ODEMIRA) · Zambujeira do Mar Excellent Excellent 11 seasons in a row
- COMPORTA Excellent Excellent 11 seasons in a row
- COSTA DE SANTO ANDRÉ Excellent Excellent 11 seasons in a row
- FAROL · Vila Nova de Milfontes Excellent Excellent 11 seasons in a row
- FONTE DO CORTIÇO · Santo André Excellent Excellent 11 seasons in a row
- FRANQUIA · Vila Nova de Milfontes Good Excellent → Good since 2024
- FURNAS RIO · Vila Nova de Milfontes Excellent Excellent 7 seasons in a row
- FURNAS-MAR · Vila Nova de Milfontes Excellent Excellent 11 seasons in a row
- GALÉ-FONTAÍNHAS Excellent Excellent 11 seasons in a row
- GRANDE DE PORTO COVO Excellent Excellent 11 seasons in a row
- ILHA DO PESSEGUEIRO · Porto Covo Excellent Excellent 11 seasons in a row
- MALHÃO · Vila Nova de Milfontes Excellent Excellent 11 seasons in a row
- MELIDES · Santo André Excellent Excellent 11 seasons in a row
- MONTE VELHO/PORTO DAS CARRETAS · Santo André Excellent
- MORGAVEL · Porto Covo Good
- PEGO Excellent Excellent 11 seasons in a row
- SANTA CLARA Excellent Excellent 10 seasons in a row
- SÃO TORPES · Sines Excellent Excellent 11 seasons in a row
- VASCO DA GAMA · Sines Good
- VIEIRINHA-VALE DE FIGUEIROS · Porto Covo Excellent Excellent 11 seasons in a row
- ZAMBUJEIRA DO MAR Excellent Good → Excellent since 2024
Alentejo Central 6 sites · 100% Excellent
- AMIEIRA Excellent Excellent 7 seasons in a row
- ÁREA RECREATIVA E DE LAZER DAS AZENHAS D'EL REI Excellent Excellent 5 seasons in a row
- MOURÃO Excellent Excellent 9 seasons in a row
- PRAIA DE ORIOLA Excellent
- PRAIA FLUVIAL DE ALQUEVA Excellent Excellent 5 seasons in a row
- PRAIA FLUVIAL DE MONSARAZ · Mourão Excellent Excellent 9 seasons in a row
Baixo Alentejo 4 sites · 100% Excellent
- ALBERGARIA DOS FUSOS · Alvito Excellent Excellent 3 seasons in a row
- ALBUFEIRA DA TAPADA GRANDE · Minas de São Domingos Excellent Excellent 11 seasons in a row
- CINCO REIS · Penedo Gordo Excellent Excellent 6 seasons in a row
- PRAIA DO LAGO · Moura Excellent Excellent 2 seasons in a row
Alto Alentejo 2 sites · 50% Excellent
- CLUBE NÁUTICO DE AVIS Excellent Excellent 9 seasons in a row
- MONTALVO/TESOS · Montargil Not classified
Compared with other regions in Portugal
| # | Region | Sites | Excellent | Poor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Setúbal Peninsula | 31 | 96.8% | 0 |
| 2 | Azores | 88 | 96.6% | 0 |
| 3 | Oeste e Vale do Tejo | 59 | 93.2% | 0 |
| 4 | Algarve | 109 | 92.7% | 0 |
| 5 | Alentejo | 39 | 89.7% | 0 |
| 6 | Madeira | 61 | 83.6% | 2 |
| 7 | North (Norte) | 120 | 80% | 3 |
| 8 | Greater Lisbon | 33 | 66.7% | 0 |
| 9 | Centre (Centro) | 142 | 59.2% | 7 |
Regions with at least 15 official bathing waters. Size, water type and how densely sites are designated differ, so the table is context rather than a verdict.
Quick answers
- How many bathing waters in Alentejo were rated Excellent in 2025?
- 35 of 39 (89.7%) in the official EEA 2025 classification; 3 were Good, 0 Sufficient and 0 Poor, and 1 had no class. That ranks Alentejo 5 of 9 Portugal regions by Excellent share.
- Which sub-region of Alentejo has the highest share of Excellent sites?
- Alentejo Central: 100% of its 6 sites were Excellent in 2025. Only sub-regions with at least five sites are compared; see the full table.
- Which beaches in Alentejo have the best long-term record?
- 20 sites were Excellent in every season from 2015 to 2025, for example ABERTA NOVA, ALBUFEIRA DA TAPADA GRANDE, ALMOGRAVE. See the ranking.
- Which places in Alentejo have the most official bathing waters?
- Vila Nova de Milfontes (5, 80% Excellent), Santo André (4, 100% Excellent), Porto Covo (4, 75% Excellent). See the place table; places are the nearest named settlement to each site.
- Were any bathing waters in Alentejo rated Poor?
- No. None was classified Poor in 2025.
- Where do I check whether swimming is allowed today?
- On InfoÁgua (APA) (Portuguese Environment Agency (APA)). Temporary bans, pollution alerts and closures are published there and on signs at the water, not in the annual EEA class.
Portugal overview · All regions of Portugal · Bathing waters near Lisbon · Bathing season dates
Sources and method
Bathing-water records: European Environment Agency (EEA), data and coordinates reported by Portugal, licensed CC BY 4.0. Region and sub-region boundaries: Eurostat NUTS 2024 (© EuroGeographics for the administrative boundaries). Place names: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). A site belongs to the area that contains its reported coordinates; a site up to 10 km off the generalised coastline is placed in the nearest area of Portugal. Counts, shares and rankings are calculated by BathingWaterFinder from the official records.