Albufeira Two Nights

Your weekend, day by day

1. 1

   Day 1

   

   Add-on

   Guided bar crawl

   From about 20:30 · 4 hours

   Arrival day. The transfer brings the group from Faro to the accommodation. The evening starts at the reserved table. Groups that want the night run for them can add a guided bar crawl through a run of bars, finishing at a club. Dress is casual; bring photo ID.

   More about this+

   Albufeira's crawls run along the Strip in the New Town, where the bars are close together. Expect a 9pm or 9.30pm start, five or six bars over four to five hours with a shot at each, and guestlist entry to a club at the end, led by an English-speaking guide. Shorter two-hour versions start at 8pm or 10pm. Dress is casual. Some crawls run every night of the week and others only on Fridays and Saturdays, so check before fixing the night. ID for 18+ is checked.

   You meet the guide at a fixed point and move through a run of bars across the evening, usually four or five, finishing at a club. The guide knows the doors, so you skip the queue and the group is not turned away for being too large.

   Most crawls include a welcome drink or a shot at each stop, and entry to the final venue. The rest is on you. Groups from several bookings are often merged, which some stags like and some do not, so ask whether yours is private.

   Dress code is the club's, not the guide's. No trainers and no sportswear at the last venue, and matching shirts get refused at some doors.

2. 2

   Day 2

   

   Bubble football & human table football

   From about 12:00 · 1 hour

   The daytime activity, if the group picks bubble football: five-a-side inside inflatable zorbs, refereed in short matches with breaks. Sportswear and trainers, no studs, and empty pockets. It is tiring, so it sits before the evening.

   More about this+

   Bubble football in Albufeira is played on a hired pitch near the main Strip, sometimes indoors. Games last an hour (90 minutes for groups of 20 or more), with ten suits rotating five against five and start times between 10am and 5pm. It is 18+ and weather dependent. The midday heat in the suits is the real opponent, so book a morning slot in summer and bring plenty of water. Some bookings leave transport to you, so check whether a transfer is included.

   In bubble football you climb into an inflatable zorb that covers you from the knees up, then play five-a-side. Most of the game is flattening each other, and the ball is close to an afterthought. Referees run short matches with breaks, because it is hot inside the bubble.

   Human table football straps the teams to horizontal bars in an inflatable pitch, so you can only move sideways. It is less physical and better for a mixed-fitness group.

   Sportswear and trainers, no boots with studs. Empty your pockets and leave watches and glasses with the kit bag.

3. 3

   Day 3

   

   Add-on

   Treasure hunt & city quest

   From about 11:00 · 2 hours

   Departure day. If the group picks the treasure hunt instead, teams work round the centre with clues and photo challenges, finishing at a pub. Allow time for the transfer back to Faro when setting the start.

   More about this+

   Treasure hunts in Albufeira are app-based and self-run, so the group starts whenever suits on the day. Teams use their phones to reach GPS points around town, unlocking clues, puzzles and photo challenges, with a live scoreboard and a team tracker, and a round takes about two hours. The pub version is the better fit for a stag, sending teams to bars for trivia rounds. Do it late afternoon rather than at midday in summer, and keep phones charged.

   Each team gets a route, a set of clues and a list of photo or video challenges, either on paper or through an app. You work your way round the city centre, collecting points, and everyone meets at a pub at the end where the scores are read out.

   It runs two to three hours on foot and it covers a fair distance, though at your own pace. Most of the scoring comes from the challenges rather than the clues, so the daft teams tend to win.

   Comfortable shoes, a charged phone and a jacket. It goes ahead in the rain.