« PORTUGAL • DISCOVER PORTUGAL • The Algarve

Destination Algarve Region

Tourism and related activities are extensive and make up the bulk of The Algarve summer economy. Fish, seafood and fruit production, which includes oranges, carob beans, figs and almonds, are other important activities in the region. The Algarve is among the most popular tourist destinations in Portugal, its population more than doubles in the peak holiday season thanks to a high influx of visitor

• Discover the Algarve at-a-glance

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» Albufeira

Albufeira has two main beaches, Praia dos Pescadores, or the Fisherman's beach, and Praia do Túnel, or the tunnel beach to the West, which is accessed through a tunnel through the cliffs. Access to the beaches is straight from the esplanade, for people coming from the higher areas open-air escalators (eastside) and an open-air elevator (westside) were built. The Old Town is situated right at the seafront and is predominantly a pedestrian area …

» Alvor

Alvor was founded in 436 by the Carthaginian General Aníbal Barca as a commercial port, which he named Portus Hannibalis. The settlement grew around the sea, near the place called Vila Velha, where a Celtic castro dominated the river mouth during the Iron Age. It is likely that it was the Roman colony of Ipses, which was authorized to mint currency, and was absorbed during the Roman era. Taken by the Moors in 716, the settlement began to be referred to as Albur, and gained an impressive castle, of which only vestiges remain …

» Cape St. Vincent

Cape St. Vincent (Portuguese: Cabo de Sao Vicente), next to the Sagres Point, on the so-called Costa Vicentina (Vincentine Coast), is a headland in the municipality of Sagres, in the Algarve. This cape is the southwesternmost point in Portugal. It forms the southwestern end of the E9 European Coastal Path, which runs for 5,000 km to Narva-Joesuu in Estonia. Approximately six kilometers from the village of Sagres, the cape is a landmark for a ship traveling to or from the Mediterranean. …

» Castle of Alcoutim

The Castle of Alcoutim (Portuguese: Castelo de Alcoutim) is a medieval castle in the civil parish of Alcoutim, in the municipality of the same name, in the southeastern Algarve of Portugal. Built in the 13th century, the castle stands in a dominant position on a hill south of the parish seat of Alcoutim on the right bank of the San Marcos River (tributary of the Guadiana River), opposite the territory of Sanlúcar de Guadiana (in Spain) …

» Castle of Paderne

The Castle of Paderne (Portuguese: Castelo de Paderne) is a 12th-century fortification located in the civil parish of Paderne, municipality of Albufeira, in the Portuguese Algarve. Built 7.5 kilometres (4.7 mi) from the coast in the second half of the 12th century by the Berbers, it is just 82 kilometres (51 mi) from the resort town of Albufeira, along a bend in the Quarteira River. It is believed to be one of the original castles that occupy the shield of the Portuguese national flag …

» Estádio Algarve

The Estádio Algarve is an association football stadium located between Faro and Loulé, in Portugal and the home of Louletano Desportos Clube, who play in the Campeonato Nacional de Seniores. The Estádio Algarve is also the temporary home ground of Gibraltar national football team and it also hosts the final match of the Algarve Cup, a major annual international tournament in women's football. Aside from football, it has also hosted music festivals and concerts …

» Faro

Faro is the southernmost city in Continental Portugal. Faro is located next to the Ria Formosa lagoon, a nature reserve of over 170 square kilometres (66 sq mi) and a stopping place for hundreds of different species of birds during the spring and autumn migratory periods. The beach is roughly seven kilometres (4.3 miles) from the city, and consists of a long sandy spit reached through a bridge. Faro airport is not too far away from the city itself …

» Lagos

Lagos is one of the most visited cities in the Algarve and Portugal, due to its variety of tourist-friendly beaches, bars, restaurants, and hotels, renowned for its vibrant summer nightlife and parties. Yet, Lagos is also a historic centre of the Portuguese Age of Discovery, frequent home of Henry the Navigator, historical shipyard and, at one time, centre of the European slave trade. In 2012, TripAdvisor classified Lagos as the number 1 travel destination, on a list of "15 destinations on the rise" …

» Manta Rota

Manta Rota is a small seaside town in the civil parish of Vila Nova de Cacela, municipality of Vila Real de Santo António, in the Algarve. Manta Rota is an important tourist destination due to its sandy beaches by the Atlantic Ocean. Manta Rota beach is located 10 km west of Vila Real de Santo Antonio, 15 km East of Tavira, and about 40km East of the city of Faro. Manta Rota Beach is located at the very edge of Ria Formosa Natural Park, an important wetland where migratory birds can be observed …

» Porches Pottery

Porches Pottery is a producer of hand-painted pottery in the town of Porches, in the Algarve region of Portugal. The pottery was founded in 1968 by artists Patrick Swift and Lima de Freitas, in order to revive a traditional Algarve pottery industry that was rapidly dying out in favour of more modern techniques. Swift and de Freitas chose Porches for its history as a pottery centre, dating back for many centuries, and for its clay pits …

» Portimao

Along with Silves and Alvor, the small fishing centre in Portimão was reconquered in 1249 from the Arabs by Knights of the Order of Santiago and forcibly integrated into the fledgling kingdom, during the reign of Afonso III of Portugal. Its geographic location created strong economic conditions to allow the region to prosper, eventually allowing Portimão to obtain the status of town in 1435. The inhabitants understood the necessity of constructing walls, in order to protect themselves from constant invasions …

» Portuguese Water Dog

Portuguese Water Dogs are originally from the Portuguese region of the Algarve, from where the breed expanded to all around Portugal's coast, where they were taught to herd fish into fishermen's nets, to retrieve lost tackle or broken nets, and to act as couriers from ship to ship, or ship to shore. Portuguese Water Dogs rode in bobbing fishing trawlers as they worked their way from the warm Atlantic waters of Portugal to the frigid fishing waters off the coast of Iceland where the fleets caught cod to bring home …

» Praia da Marinha

Praia da Marinha (in English: Navy Beach) is one of the most emblematic and beautiful beaches of Portugal, located on the Atlantic coast in Caramujeira, Lagoa Municipality, Algarve, and considered by the Michelin Guide as one of the 10 most beautiful beaches in Europe. In 1998, it was also awarded with the distinguished "Golden Beach" award by the Portuguese Ministry of the Environment because of its outstanding natural qualities. Furthermore, many pictures of this beach have often been used in promotional material …

» Praia da Rocha

Praia da Rocha (English: "Rock Beach") is the beach and built up area on the Atlantic Ocean which is the southern section of the municipality/concelho of Portimão, Algarve, southern Portugal. The beach soccer tournament, Mundialito de Futebol de Praia, that hosts some of the worlds best national team, has taken place here every year since 2005 …

» Praia de Burgau

Praia de Burgau, located in the town of Burgau, is a small but popular beach during the summer. Because of the hills surrounding the beach, it is protected from the frequent north wind in this area of Algarve making it very pleasant for most of the people. There is a small Bar-restaurant on the beach, the Beach Bar Burgau. There is another small beach with no land access west to Praia de Burgau which can be accessed by boat or renting a canoe on the beach …

» Praia dos Arrifes

Praia dos Arrifes is a beach on the Atlantic south coast of the Algarve, close to the village resort of Sesmarias which is within the Municipality of Albufeira, Portugal.This beach is located 2.4 miles by road to the west of Albufeira old town centre and is 29.6 miles west of the regions capital of Faro. The beach is also sometimes referred to locally as Praia dos Três Penecos (beach of triple rocks). This because of the location of three large isolated rock formations which dominate the line of the horizon from the beach …

» Roman ruins of Cerro da Vila

The Roman Ruins of Cerro da Vila are the remnants of a historical villa in the Algarve region of southern Portugal. Its vestiges lie in the vicinity of the resort and marina of Vilamoura, in the civil parish of Quarteira, municipality of Loulé Municipality. The area around Vilamoura, in which the remains of this Roman villa can be found, has been occupied with human activity for thousands of years. Graves dating back to the Bronze Age were discovered in the municipality in the Casão vineyard …

» Silves

Silves is situated on a hill above the Arade River. Silves Castle (Castelo dos Mouros, Moorish Castle) is located on the top of the hill. Archaeological excavations have shown that the oldest buildings date back to the 8th century, the stratigraphy is almost 6m deep and contains Iron Age remains as well. The walls are made of red sandstone (grés de Silves) with a pisé-core and have been heavily restored in the 1940s. Protruding towers of albarra-type protect the Northern slope …

» Tavira

Tavira today has many fine 18th-century buildings along with its 37 churches. A 'Roman' (actually Moorish) bridge links the two parts of the town across the River Gilão. The church of Santa Maria do Castelo, built on the site of a Moorish mosque, holds the tombs of Dom Paio Peres Correia and his knights. The church dates from the 13th century and the clock tower has been remodeled from the original Muslim minaret. A bust of Dom Paio Perres Correia who died in 1275 can be seen on the corner of the town hall …

» Vilamoura

At the heart of Vilamoura is the marina which has the capacity to berth over 1,000 vessels. The marina is surrounded by large hotels and luxury holiday homes as well as a large casino and numerous restaurants and vibrant bars. At the far corner of the marina, it is possible to charter boats for big game fishing. There are also facilities for jet skiing and parascending. Close by there are also a number of sports clubs, a shooting range and many night clubs …

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