Praia Fluvial das Azenhas d'El Rei

The municipality of Alandroal has several kilometres of shoreline on the Alqueva lake, the reservoir made by damming the river Guadiana. Its first river beach, Praia Fluvial das Azenhas d’El Rei, opened in June 2022 in a leisure area of the same name, about 3 km from the village of Montejuntos in the parish of Capelins. The council describes it as set in open countryside, in the landscape of the Guadiana valley, and as able to take hundreds of visitors.

The name is worth explaining to children: an azenha is a watermill, and d’El Rei means “of the king”, so this is the place of the king’s watermills.

The beach has both sand and grass, with a sun awning for shade. The water is freshwater with no waves or tides, and the Portuguese Environment Agency (APA) classed it as Excellent, with every check in the 2026 season suitable for bathing.

One detail from the council’s accessibility information is good news for anyone with toddlers: the sand slopes towards the water at a gradient of just 2.7%. That is a very gentle slope, so little ones can walk in slowly and you can see exactly how deep they are. Stay inside the lifeguarded area, since lake beds can deepen further out and the water level changes through the year.

The council says the whole bathing area is watched by lifeguards from 09:00 to 19:00 during the bathing season, from a lifeguard tower, and there is a medical post on site. In 2026 the season ran from 1 June to 13 September, which is longer than at many Alentejo lake beaches. Outside those dates there are no lifeguards.

The council’s beach advice includes staying out of the strongest sun between 11:00 and 16:30, wearing hats and sunglasses and drinking often, which is sound advice for small children on an inland beach in July and August.

Azenhas d’El Rei has been in the Praia Acessível, Praia para Todos! programme since it opened, and is on the 2026 list with amphibious bathing equipment. The council’s page goes into more detail than most:

• three parking spaces for people with reduced mobility and two more for people with limited mobility, next to the bathing area;
• an accessible path from the car park all the way to the water’s edge;
• adapted toilets linked to that path, and a first-aid post;
• a shaded comfort area with a firm floor beside the path, where the bathing-assistance service is based in season.

The same step-free route is a help for anyone pushing a buggy, though the last stretch is sand.

The leisure area has a bar-restaurant with a terrace, toilets, public showers, a picnic park, recycling points and a bike rack. For boats there is a slipway and a mooring point, and in 2023 Alandroal was certified as a nautical station (Estação Náutica), the national network for water-sports destinations. The council does not list boat or paddleboard hire at the beach, so bring your own kit or check before you go.

The beach flew a Blue Flag in 2026. Local radio reported the renewal in June 2026, crediting its water quality, safety, environmental management and facilities.

It’s remote. Montejuntos is a small village and no public transport to the beach is listed, so you need a car. There is no published hire of canoes or pedal boats, and no playground is listed, so older children may want a ball or a snorkel mask. Shade is limited to the awning and whatever you bring, which matters in Alentejo heat.

Elsewhere on the lake, Praia Fluvial de Monsaraz sits below the walled hilltop village of Monsaraz, and Praia Fluvial de Mourão has a floating pool. North of Alandroal, the marble route around Vila Viçosa takes you into giant quarries, a good outing for a cooler day.

Is Azenhas d’El Rei good for toddlers?

Yes. The shore slopes very gently into calm freshwater, there is grass as well as sand and lifeguards watch the whole bathing area from 09:00 to 19:00 in season.

When is there a lifeguard at Azenhas d’El Rei?

In 2026 the bathing season ran from 1 June to 13 September, with lifeguards from 09:00 to 19:00.

Is Azenhas d’El Rei in Serpa?

No. It is in the municipality of Alandroal, in the Évora district, about 3 km from Montejuntos.

Is there food at the beach?

Yes, a bar-restaurant with a terrace, plus a picnic park.

Is the beach accessible for wheelchairs?

Yes. It is on the 2026 Praia Acessível list, with an accessible path to the water, adapted toilets, a shaded comfort area and amphibious bathing equipment.