Berlit:

Algarvepocket guide

AlgarveFront cover: Praia do Carvalho, near Portimão

Below: rock formations at Praia da Rocha

TOP I 0 ATTRACTIONS

CONTENTS

| Introduction i

A Brief H isto ry 13

W h ere to Go 25

A >■ in the text denotes a highly recommended sight

W estern A lgarve................................................ 25

The Sagres Peninsula 25, Lagos 2 9, The CoastAround Lagos 33, Northwest o f Lagos 34, Portimão34, Praia da Rocha 38, Serra de Monchique 40,Silves 42, East o f Portimão 45

Albufeira and Central A lgarve......................48

Albufeira 48, Hill Villages ofAlte and Salir 50,East from Albufeira 5 1, São Lourenço dos M atos 54, Loulé 55, Towards Faro 57

Faro and Environs................. .........................58

Old Town 60, Town Centre 6 1, Praia de Faro 63

Eastern A lgarve ..................................................64

Olhão 64,Tavira 67 ,Around Tavira 69,Castro Marim 70, Vila Real de Santo António 7 1

Excursion to L isb o n ........................................ 72

W h at to Do 79

S p o r ts .....................................................................79

Shopping................................................................86

Entertainm ent.....................................................89

Children’s A lgarve............................................. 91

Eating O ut 94

Handy Travel T ips 103

H otels and R estaurants 128

H Index ........................................................... 143

Features

School o f Navigation

Historical Landm arks

Fishy Business .........The M anueline Style.

Filigreed F lu e s ...........A zu le jos ......................Bullfighting.................Folklore S h o w s ........Calendar o f Events .

Bacalhau ...................

INTRODUCTION

For m uch o f the w o rld , the A lgarv e is sy n o n y m o u s w ith P o rtu g a l, yet the P o rtu gu ese w ill tell you the e x ac t o p ­

p osite : the reg io n h as little in co m m o n w ith the rest o f the country. T h e sou th ern stretch o f co a st is m ore rem iniscent o f a N o rth A frican lan dscape than a E u rop ean one. It h as no co sm op olitan cities, such a s L isb on an d P orto , w hich are fur­th er n o rth . M o s t o f P o rtu g a l is k n o w n fo r q u a in t to w n s, m ed iev a l c a s t le s an d g ra n d p a la c e s . T h e A lgarv e is m ore recogn isab le fo r to u rist apartm en ts , hotels an d g o lf co urses.

A n d beach es. T h in k A lgarve an d the m ind p ictures long, g lo r io u s stre tch es o f go ld en sa n d s , sec lu d ed co v es fram ed by o d d ochre-colou red rock fo rm a tio n s, an d deep green w aters . W ith a b o u t 1 6 0 k m (100 m iles) o f coastline, P or­tu g a l’s sou th ern prov in ce is one o f E u ro p e ’s prem ier beach d estin a tio n s. T h e o c ­casio n a lly chilly ocean is the A tlantic, bu t the A lgarve h as a su ltry M e d iterran e an feel.

Sun, Sand and SportsT h e A lgarv e ’s co n sisten t cli­m ate is the best in P o rtu g a l, an d one o f the k in d est in the w orld : m ore th an 2 5 0 d ays o f sunsh in e a year - m ore than a lm o st an y oth er in tern ation al re so rt a rea . T h e m od eratin g effect o f the G u lf S tream p ro d u ces a fresh sprin gtim e breeze th rou gh ou t w inter, an d in late Ja n u a ry an d February , w hite

A sec lu d ed cove in the W este rn A lgarve

A p a rtm e n ts in Q u arte ira

Introduction

alm o n d b lo sso m s b lan k et the fie ld s. In su m m er the h eat is in ten se b u t rare ly u n b e a ra b le , an d re g a rd le ss , b e au tifu l beaches an d in num erable p o o ls are alw ay s ju st a drive away.

M ag n ificen t y ear-rou n d w eath er h as m ad e the A lgarv e a huge d est in a tio n fo r sp o rtin g h o lid ay s . S u p erb g o lf fa c ili­ties ab o u n d - several w ith tees d ram atica lly clinging to cliffs an d fa irw ay s ju st sk irtin g the edge o f the ocean - an d horse riding, tennis, b ig-gam e fish in g, sa ilin g an d w in d su rfin g are im m ensely po p u lar .

Spo rts, beach es an d h o sp itab le w eath er - n ot to m ention the in creasin g n um ber o f lo w -co st ca rr ie rs - are surely the reason s th at the A lgarve receives a s m an y v isito rs a s the rest o f P o rtu g a l in its entirety. B u t it ’s n o t ju st in te rn a tio n a l tourists th at descend o n the A lgarve; m an y P ortu gu ese from L isb o n an d elsew here in the north have h o lid ay h om es an d spend their sum m er h o lid ays here.

A Coastal ProvinceThe co ast is neatly divided into the rugged B arlaven to to the w est an d the fla t b e au ty o f S o tav e n to to the ea st. W est is

inland areas.Thanks to the anc ̂ t l̂e facilities decidedly gentle climate,Algarve also low-key. T h e ocean can also

For centuries, almond, fig, olive and carob trees have represented a m ajor part o f Algarve's agriculture, as they are suited to dry

w here y o u ’ll find the fam o us orange cliffs and surreal erod­ed rock stacks. N ear C ab o de S ã o V icente an d S ag re s, the ex trem e w estern p o in t, the terrain is su rprisin gly barren

produces pears, apples, quinces, loquats, dam ask plums, pom egranates, tom atoes, melons,

be forb iddin gly cold.

straw berries, avocados and grapes.

T o u rist re so rts clu tter the en tire m id d le o f the c o a st , fro m L a g o s to F a ro , w ith a sp e c tru m o f h o m es aw ay fro m h om e - m on ster high-

Young b e ach g o ers a t Praia d e D o n a A na

r ise s to sp a c io u s , sin g le -sto rey v illa s - sp illin g a c ro ss the rolling hills an d lining the beaches. R esorts such as Portim ão, A lb u feira an d V ilam o u ra w o u ld ap p e ar to have little ro o m left to grow , yet tourist facilities seem to m ate with each other an d rep ro d u ce overn ight. M u ch o f the u n sto p p ab le grow th is c r a s s an d frigh ten in g ly co m m e rc ia l, a n d the c ro w d s in sum m er u n bearab le .

T h e eastern third o f the A lgarve is a m ore sedate m arriage o f co a st an d ocean , w ith w arm w aters and h ot san d s stretch­ing p a st the w etlan d s o f R ia F o rm o sa to the Sp an ish border. T h e A lg arv e ’s m o st p ic tu resq u e tow n , T av ira , is a lo n g th is section o f the co ast.

A w ay fro m the co ast, the terrain slopes through p ines, m i­m o sa , eu caly p tu s an d heather to an altitu de o f nearly 9 1 5 m (3 ,0 0 0 ft). H o lid ay m ak e rs w ish ing to escap e the m adden in g beach cro w d s can run fo r the h ills, especially the tan ta lisin g Serra de M on ch iqu e.

t_________________________ ._______________________________________

Introduction

People of the SeaT h e reg io n ’s ex o tic n am e is derived from the A rab ic , Al- Gharb, m eanin g ‘country o f the w est ’ . T h e w estern m ost territory o f E urope w as high­ly prized by N o rth A frican M o o r s , w h o o ccu p ied it from the 8th to the 13th cen­tury. T h eir h a lf m illennium here le ft in d e lib le tra ce s , seen to d a y in w h itew ash ed h o u ses, h ill-top castles and co lourfu l ceram ic tiles.

Follow ing the recapture o f Iberia by C h ristian s, the A l­

garve led P ortu gal to glory. Prince H en ry the N a v ig a to r established his N av iga tio n Sch ool alo n g P o rtu g a l’s southern coast, and intrepid explorers set out in caravels from L ago s and Sagres. In the 15th an d 16th centuries, they ushered in an Age o f Discovery, rounding A frica ’s C ap e o f G o o d H ope and even­tually reaching India and the Pacific. O thers foun d their w ay to the A m ericas an d Brazil. O pening w orld trade routes across the globe, they established Portugal as a m aritim e superpow er.

Portugal soon lapsed into decline, though , tattered by w ars and co n stitu tion al crises, an d for tw o centuries or m ore the A lgarve rem ain ed iso la te d fro m the rest o f E u ro p e . Even th ou gh the c o a s t rece ived m an y illu str io u s v is ito rs fro m R o m an tim es th ro u gh the M id d le A ges an d up to the E d ­w ard ian p e r io d (w hen trav e lle rs cam e to lu x u ria te in M on ch iq u e ’s sp a w aters), the A lgarve ’s elite h oliday statu s is a relatively recent phenom enon. Th e first resort on the co ast, P raia da R o ch a , w as only ‘d isco vered ’ in the 1 9 3 0 s, an d the real build-up d id n ’t k ick into overdrive until the early 1 9 80s.

M ending th e n ets

P e o p le o f th e S e a

S p a in ’s C o sta del So l developed earlier an d m ore rapidly, yet the le sso n s o f ra m p a n t, ill-ad v ised d eve lop m en t a cro ss the b o rd er w ere n o t heeded. O nly recently h as env ironm en­tal an d aesthetic co n sciou sn ess a t least m an d ated th at new er developm en ts are lim ited in height.

Yet - despite the tou rism on slaugh t - p arts o f the A lgarve retain their o ld -fash io n ed ch arm . T h e m ain ro a d alo n g the co ast, the N 1 2 5 , is lined w ith ceram ic sh o p s an d stifled with sum m er traffic , but the countryside to the north is a different w orld . O rch ard s an d g ra in fields rep lace hotels, apartm en ts an d sn ack bars. A slow , rural lifestyle perseveres aga in st the rush o f m odern life.

F o r cen turies, fish in g h as W h itew ash ed h o u se s recall the been the A lgarv e ’s lifeb lood . reg ion ’s M oorish h eritageSm all fishing villages preserve their sim ple an d un affected w ays, seem ingly ob liv ious to the to u rist h ordes. Scrap p y crew s o f sm all h and-painted boats troll the w aters ju st o ff­shore, and traw lers fish deep in the A tlantic fo r bacalhau (co d ), w hich is be loved by the Portuguese.

A v isit to the lo c a l fish m ark et is a rev ea lin g w in ­d o w in to A lg a rv ia n life .N eg o tia tio n s are se riou s but friendly. T h e sam e scen ario is p la y e d o u t a th o u sa n d tim es a d ay at m ark e ts all a c ro ss the re g io n ; every to w n h as a m ark et d ay at least once a m onth . F arm ers

Vestiges of the PastT h e A lg arv e ’s m a jo r a t tr a c ­t io n s , b e sid es b e ach es , are to w n s th a t h ave lived through centuries o f trium ph an d d isaster. F a ro , T av ira

Tiled h o u se s in Tavira an d L a g o s h ave a stro n gM o o rish in fluen ce , an d the

qu iet m ountain tow n s o f Silves, A lte an d Salir are rem inders o f the d ays before g o lf co u rses an d hotel ch ain s.

D espite the region ’s ancient ro o ts, few historic m onum ents survive from before 1 7 5 5 , w hen the A lgarve w a s ro ck ed by a m onum ental earth q u ak e . Still, y o u ’ ll fin d vestiges o f a v i­brant past, including evocative castle ruins and churches with ex trao rd in ary d isp lay s o f P ortu gu ese g lazed tiles. Even the h um blest v illage h as a c la ss ic w hite church , a sleepy p laza sh ad ed by vivid purp le ja c a ra n d a , an d , if you tim e it right, the d ram a o f the lo ca l m arket.

The P ortuguese are fam o u sly h o sp itab le , if reserved . And they rem ain to le ra n t an d h e lp fu l, even th o u gh th ey k n ow th at their lovely c o a st is n o lon ger ju st theirs.

bring their livestock to trade, an d artisan s an d ven dors sell their w ares.

N o t a la rge a re a , the A lgarv e is re latively easy to get aroun d , w hether by train or car (an effort that is m uch m ore re lax in g ou tsid e o f the m ain su m m er se a so n ) . Th e d is ta n ce s betw een m e g a ­re so r ts an d u n sp o ile d v il­lages are su rp risin gly sm all.

.

A BRIEF HISTORY

Under Moorish Rule Tn A D 711, the M oors brought pow erful arm ies from N orth A frica and launched a devas­tatin g a ttac k on the Iberian pen in su la , con querin g m uch o f w hat w ould becom e Spain an d P ortu gal. They im posed Islam and left an indelible in­

Little is k n o w n o f the e ar lie st S ton e A ge in h a b ita n ts o f E u ro p e ’s so u th w estern ex trem ity . T h e an c ien t G reek s

called them the Cynetes (or C unetes). W hatever their origins, their culture evolved under the p ressure an d influence o f fo r­eign fo rces . A m o n g the m an y in v ad in g arm ie s th a t settled h ere an d co n tr ib u te d to n asce n t P o rtu g u e se cu ltu re w ere P h o en ic ian s, w h o se ttled in the a re a a ro u n d 1 0 0 0 B C , fo l­low ed by the C elts, Ib erian s, G reeks an d C arth ag in ian s.

But it w as the R om an s, w ho arrived late in the 3rd century B C , w h o m o st greatly influenced Iberia . T hey bu ilt tow n s, ro ad s an d bridges, developed industries an d agriculture, and bequeathed the L atin lan guage , o f w hich P ortuguese is a de­scendant. The R om an s nam ed the southwestern province o f the peninsula Lusitan ia, after one o f the Celtiberian tribes they had defeated, and by the 3rd century A D had introduced Christian­ity. By the early 4th century the A lgarve had a bishop in place, based in Faro. But R om e had fallen into decay, and soon hordes o f north ern tribesm en to o kover the em pire. The A lgarve W aterw h eel and w ells a re a fell to the V isigo th s in the legacy o f th e M oorsm id-5th century.

History

fluence on the countryside and p opu lation o f the A lgarve. The M oo rish legacy can still be seen in the form o f w ells and w a- terwheels, squat white houses, the dark com plexions o f the peo­ple and in the very nam e o f the region - taken from Al-Gharb, which m eans ‘country o f the w est’ (when the M o o rs conquered the territory, it w as the m ost w esterly in the know n w orld).

The M o o rs govern ed their Iberian k in gd o m s fro m acro ss the border in Seville, but the A lgarve h ad its ow n regional cap ­ital and huge, invulnerable fortress. The cap ital w as Chelb (or X e lb ), an d it w as b igger an d better defen ded th an L isb o n . T oday the tow n, know n as Silves (see page 42), is a provincial ou tpost w hose only besiegers are b u sload s o f tourists.

The struggle by C hristian sTh e fo r tre s s a t C a stro Marim to expel the M o o rs (a ca m ­

p a ig n kn o w n a s the Recon­quista, or R econquest) began in the late 8th century A D . By the 11th century, Portu- cale consisted o f a sm all sec­tion o f territory prev iou sly held by C astile an d L eón (which becam e today ’s north­ern P o rtu ga l). Yet it w a sn ’t until the 12th century th at s ig n ifican t g a in s w ere m ade to take back southern Iberia. T h e begin n in g o f the end cam e in the Battle o f O urique in 1 1 3 9 . A fter the victory, C o u n t A fo n so H en riqu es p ro c la im ed h im self the first k in g o f P o rtu ga l, m ak in g it one o f the first n ation -states in E urope.

U n d e r M o o r ish R ule 15

T h e R eco n q u e st o f Silves, n ot ach ieved for an other 50 y e ars , w a s a g risly a ffa ir . A m ix ed b a g o f C ru sa d e rs fro m northern E u ro p e w ere recru ited en ro u te to their b a ttle s e a s t in the H o ly L an d . T h ey sa iled u p o n the river p o r t o f S ilves an d , ig n o rin g c o n d itio n a l o ffe rs o f surrender, slew all the in­h abitants (at no sm all lo ss to them selves) an d p illaged the g reat treasu res o f the city.

T w o years later M u slim forces rallied again , retaking Silves, an d the Reconquista stum bled on for another h alf century. So m any inter-religious alliances reigned, and so pervasive w as the interm ingling o f M o o rs an d C hristians, that it w as hard to tell w ho w as on w hich side and for w hich piece o f land they were fighting. The situation w as further clouded by a feud between Portugal and Spain, each o f them claim ing sovereignty over the Algarve. However, by 1249 F aro and the western Algarve were retaken under K in g A fo n so III, com pleting the Reconquista. T h e possib ility o f w ar w ith Sp ain w as averted by an ex p ed i­tiou s royal m arriage , an d at the century ’s close a treaty with Spain drew up the boun daries o f Portugal that stand today.

The Algarve w as a region regarded separately within the new Portugal, as is evidenced by the royal title ‘K in gdom o f Portu­gal and the A lgarve’ . In those days, the notion o f the A lgarve as a distinct entity d id m ake som e sense: like an island, it w as cut o ff to the south and w est by the Atlantic, to the east by the G u ad ian a River, and to the north by the Serra de M on chique m ou n tain ran ge . T h e reg io n ’s titu lar au ton om y w as upheld until 1 910 , w hen the m onarchy itself w as overthrow n.

U ltim ately, th e Christian influence prevailed in Silves

16 History

Henry the NavigatorIn 1 4 1 5 , lon g afte r the Reconquista w a s co m p leted , a P or­tuguese fleet a ssem bled on the R iver T agu s in L isb o n , ready for an a ssa u lt on the M o o rs in their h om elan d . C ro ssin g the S tra its o f G ib ra lta r , the a rm a d a a tta c k e d an d se ized the N o rth A frican city o f C eu ta . A n illu str io u s m em ber o f the fam o u s ra id w a s the youn g Prince H en ry - h a lf P ortuguese an d h alf English - an d the so n o f K in g J o ã o I an d his w ife, Philippa o f Lan caster. C eu ta w o u ld be H en ry ’s one an d only m ilitary victory, though he w as destined to estab lish P o rtu ­gal as a m a jo r w orld pow er, h elp in g to dev e lo p im p o rtan t w orld trad e rou tes by the tim e o f h is death in 1 4 6 0 .

T h e w aters a t the w estern ex trem e o f the A lgarve w ere all th at w as kn ow n to sa ilo rs. O n ce they w ere beyon d C a b o de S ã o V icen te , they fa c e d the u n k n o w n , w ith n o co m m u n i­cation s an d no p o ssib ility o f rescue if the voyage turned ou t badly. Yet ou t into the u nknow n they w ent; fo r the g lo ry o f G o d an d country , an d in search o f p e rso n a l fam e an d fo r ­tune. T h e ir m issio n w a s m ad e ea s ie r by the c ra ft A lgarv e

School of Navigation

At the age o f 2 1, Henry assembled a School of Navigation. It was cer­tainly not a formal institution o f lectures and classes, but probably re­sembled an informal modern-day ‘think-tank’. Prince Henry - made governor o f the Algarve in 14 18 - had the money, influence, enthusiasm

and vision to lead and cajole the best astronomers, cartographers, boat- designers and seamen of the day to expand Portugal's maritime horizons.

According to tradition, the site of Prince Henry's base was the Sagres

peninsula (see page 25), though there is little there today to persuade you

of this.The actual headquarters of the Navigation School may have been 40km (25 miles) east, in Lagos (see page 29).This location had a port ship­yards and was home to the prince in his role as governor of the Algarve.

F o re ig n In tr ig u e s

sh ip w righ ts h ad dev e lo p ed , a su ccessor to the lum bering sh ips o f the day : the caravel.It w a s ligh t, fa s t an d very m anoeuvrable. With the sub­sequent developm ent o f new n a v ig a tio n a l tech n iq u es, it w a s n o lo n g e r n ecessa ry to stay w ith in sigh t o f lan d .N o w the only lim its to m ar­itime exploration were m an ’s ingenuity an d co urage .

D u rin g H en ry ’s life tim e,P ortu gal’s caravels sailed be­yond the m ost w esterly point o f A frica. They co lonised the A tlantic islan d s o f M ad e ira an d the A zores, lay ing the fo u n ­d atio n s fo r the future P ortuguese Em pire . B efore the cen tu­ry w as over, H en ry ’s co m patrio ts B arto lom eu D ias and V asco d a G a m a co m p le te d ep ic v o y a g e s , ro u n d in g the C a p e o f G o o d H o p e and reaching India, respectively, an d Pedro Alves C ab ra l claim ed Brazil. Betw een 1 5 1 9 an d 152 2 another P or­tu guese exp lorer, F erd in an d M ag e llan , led the first ex p e d i­tio n to c ircu m n av ig a te the w o rld . M e rc an tilist P ortu gal becam e a rich m aritim e superpow er.

Foreign IntriguesT o p ro tec t its se ago in g in terests an d trad e rou tes, P ortu gal e stab lish ed strategic g a rr iso n s in G o a (India), M a la c c a (E ast Indies) an d H o rm u z in the P ersian G ulf. P ortuguese e x p lo r­ers then em b ark e d u pon M a c a u (now M a c a o ) , the C o n g o an d v ario u s oth er p arts o f A frica , including the Su dan . The P ortu gu ese po licy w as to av o id arm ed strife an d to develop a trad e em pire, rath er th an to co n qu er n ation s. To this end

A tr ib u te to H enry in Lagos

History

it su cceed ed w ith relatively few b lo o d -so a k e d e p iso d e s in its co lo n ia l history.

A dven tures a b ro a d , h ow ­ever, p ro v ed d isa stro u s d u r­ing the se co n d h a lf o f the 16 th century . In 1 5 5 7 the 14-year-o ld boy-king S e b a s­tiã o a sc e n d e d the th ro n e , the b egin n in g o f a c a la m i­tou s reign th at w as to end at the battle o f A lcacer-Q uiber

(M orocco) in p u rsu it o f a vain cru sad e . S e b a st ia o ’s un tim e­ly dem ise, a lon gsid e so m e 1 8 ,0 0 0 ill-prepared , bad ly led fo l­low ers, set the stage fo r a crisis o f su ccessio n .

T h e on ly righ tfu l c la im a n t to the cro w n w a s an elderly prince, Henry. But after tw o years o f a lternatin g betw een the throne an d his sick bed , he d ied , h eirless. Sp ain , sen sin g an op p o rtu n ity , o ccu p ied the p o w e r v a c u u m , an d P o r tu g a l ’s neigh bour an d long-tim e an tag o n ist becam e its m aster.

Span ish rule d ictated P o rtu g a l’s in adverten t involvem ent in Sp ain ’s on goin g w ars. In 1 5 8 7 a sq u ad ro n o f English sh ips co m m an ded by Fran cis D rak e a ttack ed the A lgarve (now a ‘ leg itim ate ta rg e t’ a s S p an ish territory ) an d sac k e d S ag re s, thus depriving the w orld o f the relics o f H en ry the N a v ig a ­tor. N in e y ears later F a ro w as to rch ed by co m m an d o f the E arl o f E sse x . T h e 1 3 8 6 T reaty o f W indsor, by w hich E n g­lan d an d P ortu gal h ad p led ged etern al frien dsh ip , seem ed a d istan t m em ory.

P o rtu g a l’s em pire w as g rad u a lly e ro d ed , an d m an y o f its trading p o sts (with the exception o f Brazil) w ere picked o ff by the English an d D utch . Finally, after 6 0 years o f Span ish rule, Portuguese noblem en (aided by the French, then at w ar with Spain) organ ised a p alace co up an d restored independence.

Beyond the graveFor many years after his death, legends and rum ours bizarrely insisted that King Sebastião w as still alive, and im posters turned up from time to tim e claiming the throne; th ose who w ere plausible enough to be deem ed a threat w ere summarily executed.

T h e G r e a t D i s a s t e r 19

The Great DisasterP ortugal’s greatest m isfortune struck on All Saints’ Day, 1 N o ­v em b er 1 7 5 5 . W ith can d le lit ch u rch es c ro w d ed w ith w o r­sh ip p ers, an earth q u ak e stru ck , fo llo w ed by fa st-sp read in g fires and a devastating tidal w ave that sw ept over the Algarve a s fa r a s 6 .5 k m (4 m iles) in lan d . T h e ex a c t ca su a lty figure w ill never be k n o w n , b u t it is e s tim ate d th a t 5 ,0 0 0 died im m ediately an d betw een 4 0 ,0 0 0 an d 6 0 ,0 0 0 perish ed a s a result o f secondary injuries and the ensuing fam ine and pesti­lence. T h e ep icen tre o f the e a r th q u a k e is th o u g h t to have been o ff the A lgarve co ast, possib ly betw een Tavira and Faro, bu t it d ev asta ted p laces a s fa r aw ay a s the cap ita l, L isb o n .

T h ro u gh o u t the A lgarve an d m uch o f the rest o f southern P o rtu g a l, v irtu a lly every im p o rta n t m o n u m en t, ca th ed ra l, castle an d m an sio n w as destroyed , o r a t least critically d am ­aged in the e a rth q u ak e . A m o n g the h ardest-h it to w n s w as

T h e effects o f the earth q u ak e w e re felt as far away as Lisbon

History

L ag o s (see page 29) w hich lo st its castle , its churches an d the palace in w hich H enry the N a v ig a to r h ad once lived.

Political UpheavalT h e begin n in g o f the 19th cen tury b ro u g h t furth er a la rm . T h is tim e the epicentre w as P aris, an d the cau se o f the p ro b ­lem s, N ap o leo n . Ju st a s P o rtu ga l’s fo rced alliance w ith Spain had m ade the country a target for D rak e ’s 16th-century raids, now her friendly allian ce w ith B ritain ran k led N ap o leo n .

In 1 8 0 7 the French in vaded L isb o n , cau sin g the royal fam ­ily to flee to B razil. S p a in , fo llo w ed by P o rtu g a l, ro se up again st the French occu pation , in w h at cam e to be kn ow n as

the P en in su lar W ar. A m on gC a p e St V incent the early blow s struck for in­

dependence w as a rebellion in the to w n o f O lh ã o (see page 64). O n 16 Ju n e 1 8 0 8 , the tow n sfo lk - a rm ed w ith little m o re th an an cien t sw o rd s, sp e ars an d sto n es - a tta c k e d an d ca p tu re d the lo ca l F ren ch g a rr iso n . T h e real b a ttle , how ever, w as w ag ed under the lead ersh ip o f the D u k e o f W ellin gton , w h o se c o a lit io n fo rces e x ­pelled the F ren ch afte r tw o years o f bitter fighting.

T h e w ar left P ortu gal fu r­ther w eaken ed , an d in 182 2 its m a jo r em pire o u tp o st, Brazil, declared independence. A t the sam e tim e, a d ispute over the crow n con tin ually

K in g d o m ’s End 21

raged betw een Pedro IV, the absentee m onarch w ho preferred to reign as E m peror o f Brazil rather th an return to P ortugal, an d h is b ro th e r M ig u e l. T h e p o w er stru gg le , w ith stro n g overton es o f ab so lu tism versus liberalism , excited the inter­est and intervention o f other pow ers. W ith British help, Pedro defeated M igu el o f f C ap e St V incent in 1 8 3 3 , an d his ex p e­d itio n ary force m arch ed to L isb o n . P edro to o k the throne, th ou gh arm ed struggle con tin ued for m onths.

By 1 8 9 2 P o rtu g a l, rack ed by w ars an d the co n tin u in g expen se o f m ain tain in g its A frican co lon ies (including those o f M o zam b iq u e an d A n go la ), declared itse lf ban k ru p t. The seeds o f d isco n ten t w ith ab so lu tist rule w ere sow n .

Kingdom's EndO n 1 F eb ru ary 1 9 0 8 , the ro ya l fam ily w as riding in an open carr iage alo n g the L isb o n riverfront p laza , Terreiro do P aço, w hen an a ssa ss in open ed fire an d killed K in g C arlo s an d the heir to the th ron e, Prince L u is F ilipe. T h e prin ce ’s youn ger brother, P rince M an u e l, w a s a lso h it, b u t he su rv iv ed and w a s th u s p ro p e lle d to the th ro n e a t the ten d er ag e o f 19. A m id re p u b lic a n a g ita t io n , a su rp rise u p ris in g led by e le­m ents w ithin the arm ed forces d ep o sed M an u e l in 1910 .

T h e sudden end o f m ore th an seven centuries o f m onarchy brou gh t co n fu sio n an d crisis to the country. P residents and prim e m inisters w ere ushered into an d out o f office an unbe­lievab le 4 5 tim es betw een 1 9 1 0 an d 1 9 2 6 , until a m ilitary revolution suspended P ortugal’s problem atic dem ocracy. After s ix years o f pow er, G eneral O scar C arm o n a appo in ted his fi­nance m inister, A ntónio de O liveira Salazar, to be prim e m in­ister, a position he w as to hold until 196 8 . Sa lazar ’s repressive rule an d au sterity m easu res rid the P ortu gu ese econ om y o f d eb t, th ough p overty in creased . P o rtu ga l rem ain ed neutral during W orld W ar II, an d Salazar dem on strated his fin ancial acum en by selling m ateria ls an d supp lies to both sides.

22 History

In 1 9 6 8 the e ld erly S a la z a r w a s fo rc e d in to re tirem en t after a stro k e . H is su ccessor, D r M a rce lo C a e ta n o , feeling the sp ir it o f the age , began ten tative re la x a tio n s o f the old regim e. T h e arm ed fo rces finally overth rew him in a p o p u ­lar b lo o d le ss co u p , k n o w n a s the ‘ C a rn a t io n R e v o lu tio n ’ , on 2 5 A pril 1 9 7 4 .

P o rtu g a l fin a lly b e gan to p u ll itse lf o u t o f the lo n g an d fru itle ss stru gg le a g a in s t re v o lu tio n a r ie s in its A fr ican co lon ies, an d gran ted independence to the rem ain in g m em ­bers o f its em pire in 1975 . Th is, to o , caused m ajo r upheavals, an d a m illion perm an en t refugees rushed to the m oth erlan d , a ggrav atin g the sh o rtage o f h ou sin g an d job s.

A lth o u g h e c o n o m ic p ro b le m s co n tin u e d to be set the youn g dem ocracy , the p o litic a l scene w as greatly stab ilised . In 1 9 8 6 P o rtu g a l, the fo rm e r p o o r b a c k w a te r o f E u ro p e , jo in ed the E u ro p e an E con o m ic C om m u n ity (now the E u ro ­pean U nion, or EU ). W ith aid from the EU , P ortugal becam e one o f the fastest-grow in g coun tries in E urope . T h e A lgarve, a lready a favourite o f sun-seeking beach lovers from the U K and northern E u rop e , a lso benefited from E U fun ds to build

up its in fra stru c tu re an d to Th e E stad io d o A lgarve is a invest in tou rism .Faro landm ark T h e S o c ia lis ts reg a in ed

p o w er in 2 0 0 5 an d their m ain p rioritie s have been to revive the sluggish econom y (one o f the slow est-grow in g in all o f E u ro p e fro m 2 0 0 0 - 2 0 0 6 ) an d stem rising unem ­ploym ent. Tourism in the A l­garve , how ever, continues to flo u r ish , w ith a ro u n d tw o m illio n v is ito r s d escen d in g on its sh ores every year.

H istorical Landm arks

c. I000BC Phoenicians settle in the Algarve region.

7 0 0 B C Celtic tribes arrive.205 B C Romans create Lusitania province.

5th century Algarve falls to the Visigoths.71 I M oors arrive on the Iberian peninsula and swiftly conquer it.

883 Northern Portugal (Portucale) regained by Christian forces.1 139 Count Afonso Henriques declares himself first king of Portugal.1 147 Lisbon taken by Afonso Henriques.1189 Silves taken by the Christians; regained by the M oors 1191.1249 Moors are finally expelled from the Algarve.1386 Treaty of W indsor confirms England-Portugal alliance.

1415 The Atlantic island of Madeira reached by explorers under the pa­

tronage of Henry the Navigator, starting the Age of Discoveries.149 8 Vasco da Gama opens a sea route to India.1500 Pedro Álvares Cabral reaches Brazil.

1580 Portugal falls under Spanish rule for 60 years.1587 English fleet sacks Sagres.

1755 The G reat Earthquake devastates the Algarve, as well as Lisbon.

1807 Napoleonic troops invade Portugal at the start of the Peninsular W ar; royal family leaves for Brazil.1 82 9 -3 4 Civil war between Pedro IV and Miguel I.1892 Portugal declares itself bankrupt.1908 King Carlos I and Prince Luis Filipe assassinated.1910 Monarchy overthrown; Portugal becom es a republic.1932 António de Salazar becom es prime minister and effective dictator. 1974 The Carnation Revolution restores democracy; Portugal pulls out of African colonies and a million expatriates return.1986 Portugal joins the European Economic Community (now the EU).

2 00 2 The euro replaces the escudo as the national currency.2 00 4 Portugal hosts the European Football Championship.

2 005 The Socialist Party regains power under José Socrates.

2 00 9 Parliamentary elections.

25

W HERETO GO

The A lgarve stretches from the A tlan tic O cean to Spain , but it ’s actu ally a sm all reg ion . F aro , the cap ita l, is ju st

5 0 k m (3 0 m iles) fro m the S p an ish bo rder, an d it is only 1 12km (70 m iles) w est o f w hat w as know n in m edieval tim es a s o fim do mundo (the end o f the w orld ) a t Sagres. A lon g th is 1 6 0 k m (100-m ile) co a sta l strip , reso rts an d h o lid ay vil­lages o f all types have sprun g up , so w herever you are based , y o u ’ ll n ever be fa r fro m a g o o d beach , a re a so n a b ly sized tow n , v illage , o r resort, sh o p s an d nightlife.

T h e fo llow in g p ages cover the A lgarve fro m w est to east, though you could certainly do the reverse or begin in the centre, in or aroun d F aro , and em bark on day trips both east and west from there. T h e (as yet) toll-free A 22 m otorw ay , or IP1, p rov id es fa st access acro ss the reg io n , run ning north o f the slow -going, co asta l N 1 2 5 . F or those with additional tim e and an interest in seeing the Portuguese cap ital, a brief section on L isbon is included. L isbon is abo ut tw o to three hours by train or car (and 4 0 m inutes by plane) from F aro ; it should be con­ceived as an add-on to your visit to the A lgarve rather than a day trip. M an y peop le visit the A lgarve by flying into L isbon and driving to the south coast. For indepth coverage o f Lisbon ’s m ain sigh ts an d a ttractio n s, a lo n g w ith detailed hotel an d restaurant listings, w e recom m end Berlitz Pocket Guide Lisbon.

WESTERN ALGARVEThe Sagres PeninsulaIf you begin your journey at Sagres, you m ay be in for a shock. The stark tow n an d area aroun d it scarcely look the p art o f a

Fishing b o a ts in L agos h arb o u r

26 Western Algarve

fabled beach resort w ith a M editerranean feel. Rather, it is re­m ote, rugged an d desert-like, w ith only a relative sm atterin g (com pared to the rest o f the A lgarve) o f hotels, restaurants and other facilities aim ed at tourists. It is like the A lgarve’s outpost, which is precisely w hy it h as so m any adm irers.

Sagres’ connections to the sea are strong. Prince H enry the N a v ig a to r estab lish e d h is N a v ig a t io n Sch o o l here (though som e p ro test th at it w as further ea st, n ear L a g o s) . T h e tow n h as a p ic tu resq u e w o rk in g h arb o u r, w h ere sm a ll, b righ tly p a in te d fish in g b o a ts b o b an d la rge r v esse ls h au l in daily catches o f lobster, eel an d m ackerel. A co up le o f restau ran ts are clustered aro u n d the harbour, w ith im pressive view s. In­lan d , a cute little sq u are , P raça R e p ú b lica , is r in ged by in ­form al (and , in sum m er, heaving) n igh tsp ots.

T h e best beach es n ear Sagres are sheltered an d n ot o v er­crow d ed . M areta, d o w n below the pousada (govern m ent-

Telheiro Beach on the w e st c o a s t

S a g r e s P en in su la

ow ned inn), is the m ost p o p ­ular. M artinhal, ju st ea st o f the h arb o u r, is a w id e , curved b each w ith a first- c la s s w ate r-sp o rts centre.Beliche (also w ritten Belixe) is a san d y ex p an se protected by the C a p e o f St V incen t.Tonel, ju st b e fo re B e lich e, an d Te lh e iro , a b o u t 9 k m (6 m iles) up the w est c o a s t fro m S a g re s , a re a lso w ell- regard ed beach sp o ts.

B eyo n d the v illag e o f S a g re s , a g re a t, ro ck y pen in su la h angs above a brood in g ocean. Y o u ’ll understand why, in the d ays before the great Portuguese exp lorers set ou t from here se ek in g to d isco v er the g re a t be y o n d , it w a s k n o w n as the E n d o f the W orld. T h o se w ish in g to p u t a positiv e spin on th ings called it Sacru m Saturn i - H oly P rom on tory - and believed th at the g o d s slep t here.

Since tim e im m em o ria l th is fo rlo rn p lace h as stirred the im agin ation . It sh ook H enry an d his sa ilo rs, w h o are said to have set up cam p at the Forta leza de Sagres (Fortress; daily M a y -S e p t 1 0 a m -8 .3 0 p m , O ct-A p r 1 0 a m -6 .3 0 p m ) that sits on the prom ontory . U nfortunately, n o t m uch o f the original h as survived. M o st o f it is a 17th-century fo rt that w as insen­sitively restored . In 1 9 9 1 , the w alls o f this m on um en t w ere resurfaced w ith grey concrete, m ask in g the external ch arac­ter o f the bu ild ing . T h e fo rtre ss ’s p rin cip al bu ild in g , w hich m ay have been H en ry ’s h ead qu arters, no longer ex ists. W hat y o u ’ll find inside is a sm all 16th-century ch apel, N o s sa Sen­h ora da G ra ç a , an d w h at lo o k s to be a huge stone su n d ial, know n as the Rosa dos Ventos (R ose C o m p ass). W hether, in fa c t, it w a s a w in d c o m p a s s u se fu l in the g re a t v o y age s is

Henry’s SagresH enry the N avigator - Infante D om Henrique - w as bequeathed the land around Sagres in 1443 by his brother. H enry lived within the castle and died in Sagres in 1460, though his rem ains w ere later transferred to the Batalha m onastery north o f Lisbon.

Western Algarve

unknow n. A m odern hall on the fo rt ’s g rou n d s houses an exhib ition area.

A co u p le o f k ilo m etres (1 m ile) w est o f S ag re s are the m o re au th en tic rem ain s o f another fortress, Fortaleza do Beliche. T h is sm all, a t ­tractiv e 17th -cen tu ry castle h o u ses a w hite, d o m ed ch a ­pel (S an ta C a ta r in a ). B oth the fo rt an d ch ap e l, h ow ev­er, th reaten to c o lla p se b e ­cau se the su rro u n d in g cliffs are ero d in g at a frigh ten ing rate. E ffo rts to sh ore up the c lif fs an d sav e the h isto ric

site have recently been undertaken .T h e w in d sw ep t c liffs o f C ab o de São V icen te , the m o st

sou th w esterly p o in t in E u ro p e , w ere once surely even m ore b leak th an th ey a re to d a y , w h en su p e r ta n k e rs an d sm a ll y ach ts h eave in to v iew a ro u n d the c a p e . B u t even o n the ca lm e st o f d ay s , the A tlan tic th u n d ers b e lo w an d the w in d w h ip s a ro u n d the cap e . A t the tip o f the p o in t , the lig h t­h ou se , b u ilt in 1 9 0 4 on the site o f a co n v en t ch ap e l, h as a b e am v is ib le up to 9 6 k m (6 0 m ile s) aw ay . V is ito r s can clim b the s ta ir s to a h o t, en c lo se d lo o k o u t.

T h e first settlem ent o f any size ou tsid e Sagres is V ila do Bispo, situated 7km (4 miles) to the north. Take a break in the peaceful tow n ’s p leasant, flow er-filled garden square and pay a visit to the 1 8th-century parish church. The w alls are covered with azulejos (tiles) and the ceiling decorated w ith frescoes.

A b o u t h a lfw ay betw een S a g re s an d L a g o s , S a lem a is regard ed a s an u p -an d-co m in g re so rt o f th is stretch , w ith a

Shutting o u t th e w orld in sleepy Burgau

lively sp rin k lin g o f b a rs an d re sta u ra n ts , a p le a sa n t beach w ith fish ing b o a ts and a m arket.

Burgau, 3 .2 k m (2 m iles) east, is sm all an d sleepy. F ish ing bo ats pulled up onto the end o f the ro ad lead ing dow n to the beach jostle w ith cars. T h e beach here is less attractive than th ose at n e igh bo urin g I.uz or Sa le m a, bu t the sm all v illage retain s its easygo in g character.

Luz is a p leasan t seaside tow n. A ll th at rem ains o f o ld Luz is the church and, opposite, the fortress, which has been reno­vated an d converted into a restaurant. There is a go o d beach with w ater-sports facilities and large, flat rocks for sunbathing.

. iLagosThe principal resort o f the w estern A lgarve, Lagos is the rare beach to w n th a t o ffe rs so m e th in g fo r everyon e. By n ight L a g o s is lively, w ith o u td o o r re sta u ra n t te rrace s an d b ars

Lagos 29

D u sk falls on L ago s’ main s tre e t, the Rua 25 de Abril

Western Algarve

a ttra c t in g a h ipper c ro w d th an m o st re so r ts on the c o a s t , an d by d ay it co m ­bin es a rich h isto rica l p a st w ith a busy presen t. A ttrac­tive beach es are ju st o n the ou tsk irts o f tow n, so it is not a c lassic resort in the style o f P raia da R och a.

Y o u r f ir s t v iew o f L a g o s w ill p ro b a b ly be fro m the lo n g , r iv ersid e A ven ida d o s D e sco b rim e n to s, w hich d iv­ides the o ld w alled city from the port. A t the other end o f the avenue, the w ell-restored

fortress, Forte da Ponte da Bandeira, gu ard ed the entrance to the h arbour in the 17th century. C ross the river to see busy fisherm en, h an d so m e b o a ts an ch ored in the m arin a an d the fine view o f the city abo v e the w alls. M an y o f the streets r is­ing to w ard s the to p o f to w n are n arrow , co b b led an d m ore accustom ed to donkeys than rental cars. T h ough L ag o s tow n still retains a g o o d p a r t o f its orig in al w alls - m o st o f them from the 16th century, bu t p art-R o m an in p laces - they have been rebuilt an d expan d ed over the centuries. C lim b the ram ­p arts fo r fine view s over the p o rt an d o u t to sea.

L a g o s w a s an im p o rta n t tra d in g p o r t u n der the M o o rs , but the tow n en joyed its heyday after the C h ristian R e co n ­quest. It w as p ro c la im ed the cap ita l o f the A lgarve, an d the g o v ern o r ’s p a lac e becam e the h ead q u arters o f Prince H enry. A fo rm al statue o f H enry, se ated w ith se x tan t in h an d , h as been erected on P raça D o m H en riqu e n ex t to the m ain a v ­enue. A rgum en ts p ersist over the ex ac t w h ereabo u ts o f the prin ce ’s Sch o o l o f N a v ig a t io n , bu t it seem s a lm o st certa in

F o rte da P onte da Bandeira

Lagos 3 1

th at L a g o s w a s the p rin c ip a l sh ip y ard an d p o rt serv ing his team o f ex p lorers.

T h o se w ere g lory years, bu t som e o f w h at w as g lo rio u s in th o se h ead y tim es to d a y can seem rep reh en sib le . E x p lo ­ra tio n s a lo n g the w est co a st o f A frica in the m id-15th cen­tury e stab lish ed a flourish in g slave trad e , an d L a g o s w as a key p lay er in h u m an co m m e rce . Ju s t beh ind the sta tu e o f H enry, on the co rn er o f R u a d a Sen h ora d a G ra ça , you can still see the sm all a rcad e w here P o rtu ga l’s first slave auction s to o k p lace . A sm a ll p la q u e sta te s s im p ly M ercado de E s ­cravos (Slave M ark et). M o st other h istoric bu ild ings aroun d the squ are succum bed to the devastatin g earth qu ake o f 1755 (see page 19). T h e m ajo rityo f the c ity ’s attractive build- Igreja d e S an to A n tónioin gs th u s d ate fro m the late 18th an d 19th centuries.

O n R u a G en eral A lberta da Silveira, the tiny Igreja de Santo António, an exuberant gilt baroqu e w ork and one o f the A lgarve’s finest churches, w as rebu ilt so o n after the earth q u ak e . T h e church , a n atio n a l m on u m en t d e d ica­ted to St Anthony, h as a h an d so m e d isp lay o f 18th- century blue-and-white glazed tiles an d a b righ tly p a in te d w o o d en ceiling. Set in to the flo o r y o u ’ ll find the to m b o f an Irish co lon el, H u gh B e a t­ty, a so ld ier o f fo rtu n e w ho co m m an ded the L a g o s R e g ­im en t o f the P o rtu g u ese

32 Western Algarve

A rm y in the late 18th century, an d w ho m u st have been held in very high esteem to have been aw ard e d such a prestig iou s final resting p lace.

T h e en tran ce to the ch urch is th ro u gh the c u r io u s an d eclectic m useum n ex t door, the Museu Regional de Lagos (T u e-S u n 9 .3 0 a m - 1 2 .3 0 p m , 2 - 5 p m ; ch arg e ; tel: 2 8 2 -7 6 2 301 ). R o o m s d isp lay sacred art, a rch aeo lo g ica l rem ain s, the original ch arter o f L a g o s , holy vestm en ts an d a bizarre co l­lection o f crea tu res, like a science exp erim en t gon e w ron g: an eight-legged g o a t kid preserved in fo rm ald eh y d e , a one- eyed sheep, a ca t with tw o faces.

T h e m ain stree t o f L a g o s is the ch arm in g , c o b b le d Rua 25 de A b ril, p a ck e d w ith re s ta u ­ran ts , b a rs an d a n tiq u e s an d ce r­am ics sh o p s. T h e sid e streets hold so m e g o o d a r t an d c ra ft g a lle r ie s an d p len ty o f re w a rd s fo r e x p lo ­ration . T h e sq u are at the end o f 25 de A b ril h o ld s a cu r io u s sta tu e , w hich so m e lik en to an e x t r a ­terrestria l, o f the bo y-k in g S e b a s­t iã o . In 1 5 6 8 S e b a s t iã o b e cam e k in g o f P o rtu g a l a t the age o f 14.A d ecad e la te r he e m b ark e d o n a d isa s t ro u s v o y age to M o r o c c o to f ig h t the M o o r s . A t le a s t 7 ,0 0 0 t r o o p s d ied , the k in g in c lu d e d (th o u gh m an y re fu se d to be lieve he h ad p e r ish e d , an d E lv is- lik e sigh tin gs w ere co m m on ).

S pectacu lar ro ck fo rm atio n s

a t the Ponta da P iedade

T h e C o a s t A r o u n d L a g o s 33

The Coast Around LagosT h e beach es n ear L a g o s ran ge fro m M eia P raia , 1 .6 k m (1 m ile) to the e a s t , a lo n g (4 k m /2 J i m ile) f la t s tre tch , to p o c k e t- s iz e d co v e s ju s t w est o f the city. W eird an d w o n ­derfu l ro ck fo rm atio n s, an d steep c liffs th at g lo w oran ge at su n se t, h ave m ad e th em so m e o f the m o st p h o to g ra p h e d in E u ro p e ; h ead fo r P ra ia de D o n a A n a a n d P ra ia do C a m ilo , both sm all, p retty an d cro w d ed (street sign s sh ow the w ay to each ).

At the sou th ern tip , ju st before it turns w est to Sagres, are the c o a st ’s m ost spectacu lar sights. Ponta da Piedade (Point o f Piety) is the m other o f a ll stack an d cliff fo rm ation s alon g

Western Algarve

Northwest of Lagos F o r a co m p le te ch an ge o f

______________________________ scene, take a drive northw estTraditional w ays o f life en d u re to w a rd s the h ills an d B en ­in th e land arou n d Bensafrim safrim . H ere y ou can en joy

the A lg a rv e o f y este ry ear an d ro llin g un developed co un try sid e , w here peop le still live o ff the lan d . T h e tilled so il, a startlin g ochre co lour, m ak es a bright b ack d ro p for o ran ge an d lem on groves. Turn o ff to ­w a rd s the B arrag em da B ra vu ra an d y o u ’ ll be rew ard e d w ith a sigh t every bit a s in sp irin g as its nam e. T h is b o dy o f w ater, m o re ak in to the E n g lish L ak e D is tr ic t th an sun n y south ern E u ro p e , is o f g re a t p ractica l use, irrigatin g c ro p s, including rice, a ro u n d L a g o s .

the A lgarve, a stunning terra­co tta fam ily o f b r id ges, te r­races an d g ro tto e s . T h ere is no beach here, but there are great view s fro m abo ve, and in se aso n (spring to autum n) b o a t tr ip s d e p a rt fro m the fo o t o f the ste p s th a t have been cu t deep in to the sides o f the cliff.

PortimãoSe co n d in size o n ly to F a r o in the A lg a rv e , P o rtim ão is the m o st w o rk m a n lik e to w n o n th e c o a s t . B u t n e s tle d a ro u n d it are so m e o f the A lg a rv e ’s fin est b e ach es , w hich h as tran sfo rm e d the to w n in to one o f the c o a s t ’s m o st p o p ­u lar re so rts . P ra ia d a R o c h a an d P ra ia T rês Irm ã o s in p a r ­t ic u la r are lin ed w ith h o te ls . M o s t h o lid a y m a k e r s s ta y a lo n g th is stretch .

í Portimão 35

P ortim ão sits a t the confluence o f the R iver A dade an d the sea, an d m ost o f its local co lour is dow n by the port, a haven o f fish in g activity. T h e to p fish-cannin g sp o t on the A lgarve, P o rtim ã o is ren o w n e d fo r its re sta u ra n ts sp e c ia lis in g in sardinhas grelhadas (grilled sard in es). T h ou gh P ortim ão w as settled by the R o m an s, it w as one o f the A lgarve tow n s m ost d am aged from the earth quake o f 1 7 5 5 , an d a s a consequence h as few build ings o r m onum ents o f h istorical interest. Largo I ° de D ezem bro is a 19th-century ad d ition , a p a rk w ith 10 sp len d id b lue-and-w hite azulejo benches, each illu stratin g a p iv o ta l even t in the h isto ry o f P o rtu g a l. T h e p a r k ’s n am e a llu d es to the d a te , 1 D ecem b er 1 6 4 0 , w hen P o rtu g a l’s in­depen dence fro m Sp ain w as resto red (see page 18).

M u c h o f the to w n ce n tre is p e d e s tr ia n -o n ly a n d filled w ith sh o p s . T h e m a in sq u a r e , a t R u a d o C o m é rc io an d A v en id a S ã o J o ã o de D e u s , is w h ere y o u ’ ll fin d the la rge

C atch in g th e rays on o n e o f P o rtim ão ’s golden b each es

A p a rtm en ts in p o p u lar P ortim ão

a n d au ste re C o lég io dos Jesu ítas ( Je su it C o lle g e ) . T h e ch u rch , co n stru c te d a t the en d o f the 1 7 th cen tury , is the la rge st on the A lgarv e .

A round the corner, a lo n g R u a M a c h a d o d o s S an to s, is the h an dsom e Igreja de N ossa Senhora da Co nceição , sitting a to p a sm all hill an d incline o f steps. T h e yellow -and-w hite church, originally constructed in the 15th century, h as a beau­tiful G othic portico with carved capitals, but look s like a co lo­nial church you m ight find in B razil, due to its reconstruction an d rem odelling during the 18th an d 19th centuries.

From the centre o f tow n, head to the w aterfront, especially if it ’s an yw h ere n ear tim e fo r lun ch o r dinner. Y o u can a l­m o st fo llo w y o u r n ose to w ard s the h ead y a ro m a o f grilled sardines. It w ill take you to the dockside, w hich is lined with sim ple re stau ran ts, one after the other, all serv ing delic ious, sm o k y sa rd in e s (an d o th er fresh ly c a u g h t fish ). C h o o se w hichever sp o t seem s to be bu stlin g w ith rav en o u s p atro n s.

Portimão

A p la te o f grilled sard in es, p raw n s or squ id an d a bottle o f h ouse w ine m ak e a fan tastic m eal, an d the prices are ab o u t a s low a s anyw here a lo n g the co ast.

T h e hectic o p era tio n s o f the fish ing industry u sed to take p lace here righ t u n d er the n o se s o f h o lid ay m ak e rs , w ith a frenetic ‘bu cket-brigade ’ hau lin g w icker b ask ets o f fresh fish up from the b o a t h o lds to ice tray s an d w aitin g tru cks, right n ex t to d o ck sid e d in in g tab le s. T h e fisherm en w ere m oved to a la rge r lo catio n on the oth er side o f the river, bu t m ost sigh tseein g b o a ts th at tou r the h arb o u r and nearby g ro tto es include a qu ick trip to the new d ock s. You w ill still see fish ­ing b o a ts a t an ch o r o n the m ain quay, bu t the m a jo r ity o f river tra ffic here n ow is m ad e up o f p r iv a te y ach ts, rep lica sa ilin g sh ips on to u rist ex cu rsio n s an d tiny d inghies.

P o rtim ao ’s oth er c la im to fam e is its sta tu s a s a co m p re­hensive reg io n al sh o p p in g centre. T h ere is certain ly a g o o d variety o f sh o p s here, in clud in g m an y in tern ation al nam es,

Fishy Business

At night out on the ocean, a couple o f kilometres o r so beyond the beach, you may see tiny specks o f light glinting below the stars.These are the lanterns of a small fleet of fishing boats in a wide formation, lur­

ing fish into an elaborate net. For centuries fishing has been big business in the Algarve, but the biggest boom began 100 years ago when the

canning industry came to the region.To this day, thousands o f tonnes of fish, mostly sardines, with tuna coming in a close second, are caught, tinned and exported annually.

Those who have tasted plump and juicy sardines fresh from the quay at Portimão or elsewhere in the Algarve - they're best in summer when mature - can only feel a little sorry for those who have to take their pleasures many weeks later; from a tin. If you're in Portimão during Au­gust, check out the Sardine Festival.

Western Algarve

an d a sh o p p in g m a ll, a s w ell a s o u tle ts se llin g tra d it io n a l cra fts or locally m ade item s. A m ark et is often se t up in the sq u are o p p o site the C o lég io d o s Je su íta s .

Praia da RochaJu s t 3k m (2 m iles) d o w n river fro m P o rtim ão is P ra ia da Rocha, w hich becam e a h o lid ay v illage fo r w ealth y P o rtu ­guese fa m ilie s a t the en d o f the 1 9 th century . It w a s ‘d is ­co v e re d ’ by the B ritish in the 1 9 3 0 s , w h en th is ‘ b e ach o f rock s’, strew n w ith ex travagan tly sh ap ed eroded stack s, p ro ­v ided an in sp ira tio n a l refu ge fo r w riters an d in te llectuals. T h e belle-époque H o te l B e la V ista is a surv iv in g m on um en t from th ose d ays.

T o day the 2 k m (1 .3 -m ile ) lo n g go ld en beach is still the m ain attraction , but the once-sm all village fronting the beach has been sw am p ed by a sea o f h otels an d to u r ist facilitie s.

A peaceful m o m e n t a t th e busy r e s o r t o f Praia da R och a

P ra ia d a R o c h a

V estiges o f the v illag e ’s fo rm er g ran d e u r can still be traced a lo n g the fro n t, w h ere g ra n d o ld b u ild in g s jo st le u n co m ­fo rta b ly w ith h igh -rise b lo ck s. T h e sp ra w l h as entirely b lurred P raia da R o c h a ’s se p ara te identity from P ortim ão .

A t the fa r ea ste rn end o f the re so r t , g u a rd in g the R iver A ra d e , is the F o rta le z a de San ta C a ta rin a de R ib am ar (St C ath erin e ’s F o rtre ss), bu ilt in 1621 to defend Silves and P o rtim ã o a g a in s t the M o o r s . L itt le rem ain s o f the actu a l fo rtress , bu t its co urty ard is n ow an agreeab le terrace w here you can en joy a drin k an d w atch the sard in e fleet return ing to p ort. D irectly a cro ss from the fo rt is the sp len d id , beige- co loured Fo rta leza de Ferragudo, w hich lo o k s like a g ian t san d castle ; note th at th is is c lo sed to the public .

T h e o ld fish in g village o f Ferragudo nearby is w ell w orth a v isit. D esp ite its p ro x im ity to a m ain to u rist enclave, and tw o excellent beach es o f its ow n , it h as resisted b latan t co m ­m e rc ia lisa t io n , rem ain in g a tr a d it io n a l f ish erm e n ’s se ttle ­m ent. T h e o p p o site end o f P ra ia d a R o c h a ’s lo n g stretch is kn o w n a s P raia do Vau. T h e sp len d id ro ck fo rm atio n s an d co v es co n tin u e, bu t th is end o f the beach is qu ieter an d less d eve lop ed th an the eastern end.

Ju s t w est, P ra ia d e T rê s Irm ã o s is the sligh tly u p sca le beach cousin o f Praia da R och a. T h e eastern end o f the beach is a beautifu l cove, hem m ed in by cliffs an d ochre-coloured ro ck s . B eyon d it, the b each stre tch es to A lv o r, a c la ss ic A lgarv ian fisherm en’s village. N arro w co bbled streets plunge dow nhill to a q u ay an d m ark et w here b o a ts b o b a t anch or o n a w ide, m arsh y lag o o n . A h an dfu l o f b a rs rustle up b ar­becued sard in es. A t the to p o f the hill, on R u a d a Igre ja , is Igre ja M atriz , a deligh tfu l 16th-century church , w ith a deli­cately carv ed M an u e lin e p o rtico , p e rh ap s the fin est on the A lgarve, an d excellent 18th-century azulejos in the chancel. A large w hite-sand beach is the m ain fo cu s o f a recreation al area th at includes a g o lf co urse an d a casin o .

Betw een A lv or an d the N 1 2 5 , the m ain c o asta l ro ad , are the ruins of Abicada, a R o m an village th at dates back to the 4 th century A D .

Serra de MonchiqueN o rth o f P ortim ão , an d exten din g acro ss the w estern h alf o f the provin ce, is the Serra de M o n ch iq u e , a m ou n tain range that protects the co a st from the h ot p lain s further north . The serra is a verd an t lan d scap e o f co rk , p ine an d chestnut trees an d low -lying a rea s are co v ered in w ild flo w ers. Its h ighest po in t is F ó ia .

Tw o spots in the serra p o p u lar w ith visitors are the villages o f M on ch iqu e an d C a ld a s de M on ch iq u e . T h e first sto p on the scenic journey alo n g route N 2 6 6 is the sp a village o f C a l­das de Monchique, know n since R o m an tim es for its thera­peutic w aters. Its heyday w as the E d w ard ian era, an d m any o f the elegant build ings (including a casin o an d a handicrafts m arket) still date from this period . A g o o d p lace fo r a picn ic

Western Algarve

The Manueline Style

During the reign of Manuel I ( 1495-1521), artists were inspired as never before by the discovery o f far-off lands and the romance of daring sea voyages.The style they evolved, called Manueline after their king, cele­brated this brave new age o f maritime travel. Motifs such as anchors, knotted ropes, sails,terrestrial globes, marine plants and animals became the signatures of this period's sculptors and architects. In the 16th cen­

tury, the style fell out of favour and by 1540 Portugal had joined with

the rest of Europe in building in the more sober Renaissance style.The m ost famous example o f Manueline art is Lisbon's Belém

Tower; but you can also see exuberant stonework all over the Algarve.

Look out for the church portals and windows at Silves (the Igreja da Misericórdia), Alvon and particularly at Monchique,

an d a stroll in the w o o d s, an air o f n o s ta lg ia h as lon g presided over this sleepy h o l­low ; bu t a ren ovation p ro ­gram m e h as rev ita lised an d w idened its to u rist ap p ea l.T h e M o n ch iq u e Spa (www. m onchiqueterm as.com ), com ­plete with hotels, restaurants and craft shops, offers various treatm ents, all m aking use o f the m ineral-rich w aters for w hich the re so rt is fam ed .The w ater is bottled here and sold across the Algarve.

To the north o f C ald as, the ro a d sta r ts to w eave uphill qu ickly , r isin g so m e 3 0 0 m (1 ,0 0 0 ft ) in 5 k m (3 m iles) p a st terraced farm lan d s and fo re sts o f eu ca ly p tu s, o ak an d co rk . M onchique is asm all m arket tow n, know n for its handicrafts and the fam ous M an u e lin e p o r tic o o f its 16th -cen tury Igreja M atriz. T h e b e au tifu l, u n u su a l ch urch h as R o m an e sq u e a rch es, sto n e co lu m n s, b lue-an d -ye llow azulejos (tiles) an d a h an d so m e w o o d ceiling. If you w an der aro u n d the tow n, y o u ’ll p ro b a ­bly see artisan s craftin g shoes an d carv in g ou t w alk in g sticks in sm all w o rk sh o p s.

H igh ab o v e the to w n , the ru in s o f a 17th -cen tury F ra n ­c iscan m on astery , N ossa Senho ra do D este rro , lo o m like a g h o stly g rey em inence. A lth o u gh the m o n astery itse lf is c lo se d to the p u b lic , a v is it h ere w ill be re w ard e d by a b reath tak in g view.

T h e fam o u s M anueline p o rtico o f M on chique’s Igreja M atriz

Western Algarve

T h e r o a d co n tin u es u p ­w ards, passin g road sid e so u ­venir stalls an d fru it ven dors an d a few w ell-p laced re st­a u ra n ts . A t the end o f the line is Fó ia, a lm o st 9 1 5 m (3 ,0 0 0 ft ) ab o v e sea level, a ffo rd in g on e o f the best v iew s in sou th ern P o rtu ga l. T h ere is no se ttlem en t here, ju st a co llection o f craft and so u v en ir sta lls , a bar, a restau ran t, T V m asts an d an

obelisk m ark in g the h ighest p o in t on the A lgarve. O n a clear day you can see from the bay o f Portim ão to the Sagres penin­sula an d pick ou t the rocky o u tcro p s o f the L a g o s beaches.

A lth ough y ou m ay w elcom e the breeze afte r the h eat o f the c o a st , the w in d b lo w s p retty b risk ly a t F ó ia , so y o u ’ll need a jack et o r sw eater. D o n ’t w orry if y o u ’ve fo rgo tten to bring one; the best buys am on g the souvenirs here are chunky hand-knitted card igan s an d pu llovers.

Si IvesB ack dow n the m ain ro a d to w ard s P o rtim ão , a tu rn -o ff to Silves lead s to the fo rm er M o o rish cap ita l o f the A lgarve. M o re th an eight centuries a g o , Silves (then kn ow n as C helb) w as a m agn ificen t city w ith p a la c e s , g ard en s, b a z a a r s an d a huge red castle on a hill. G ra n a d a in Sp a in h as the A lh am ­bra , the legendary p a lace o f the M o o rs , bu t the A lgarve a lso po ssesse s a city stra igh t ou t o f Arabian Nights.

The golden age o f Silves began in A D 7 1 1 w ith the M u slim invasion. W ith redoubtab le fortification s an d a popu lation in the tens o f th o u san d s, it w as one o f the stron gest o u tp o sts in 12th-century A rab Iberia. T h e C ru sad ers a ttack ed an d to o k

An old A lgarvian

S ilv es 43 is

the city in 1 1 8 9 , only to see it recovered by the M o o rs tw o years later. A half-decade later, the C hristian s cap tured Silves for g o o d . H ow ever, the loss o f A rab ic w ealth an d the silting up o f the R iver A rad e left Silves a lm o st literally high an d dry, an d by the tim e the b ish opric o f the A lgarve w as transferred to F aro in 1 5 7 7 , the to w n ’s po p u latio n h ad dw indled to 140.

Its rich es w ere sto len lo n g a g o , the o n ce-great river is a silte d sh a d o w o f its fo rm er se lf, an d Silves is n o w ju s t a d u sty b ac k w ater , b u t the g lo r io u s se ttin g re m ain s. S u r­m o u n ted by its red fo rtre ss , the w hite tow n c lim bs the h ill­side from the river, its m edieval bridge still in tact. Th e old city in sid e the g a te s still ev o k e s the la y o u t o f the Je w ish qu arter an d ahnedina o f the M o o rs .

T h o u gh a castle o f so rts h as ex isted here since Phoenician tim es, the p re sen t C a ste lo dos M ouros (d aily 9 a m -5 p m , until 7pm in sum m er; ch arge; tel: 2 8 2 -4 4 5 6 2 4 ), on the site

A view o v e r Silves with the O ld C ath ed ra l in th e d istance

o f R o m an o r V isigo th ic fo u n d a t io n s , to o k sh ap e a fter the C hristian R eco n q u est, th ough it preserves d istinctly M o o r ­ish lines. O lean der and ja c a ra n d a so ften its bellicose n ature, and there are fine view s over the tiled ro o fs o f the tow n and su rro u n d in g co u n try sid e . A lo n g -d estro y ed ‘P a lace o f V e­ran d as’ once ex isted w ithin the castle ; to d ay you can see only a deep w ell (6 0 m /2 0 0 ft).

N e x t to the castle is the im pressive G oth ic S éV e lh a (O ld C ath edral) o f Silves, bu ilt by the liberatin g C ru sad ers, som e o f w hom are buried w ithin, in the 13th century. Th e rem ains o f a M o o rish m o sq u e are h idden behind the altar. O p p o site the Sé is the 1 6 th -cen tu ry Ig re ja da M isericórd ia , w ith a c lassic M an ueline-sty le side door.

W ander dow n to the m ain square, the Praça do M unicip io . T h e im p o sin g Torreão da Porta da C idade (T urret o f the C ity G ate) g ives you a g o o d idea o f h ow seriously defence o f the city w as taken . T h is sturdy, w ar-like structure n ow h o u s­es the peaceful m un icipal library (open to the public). C lose by, on R u a d a s P o rtas de L ou lé , is a m odern Museu M unic­ipal de Arqueologia (arch aeo lo gy m useu m ). H ere y ou can see p art o f a large A rab w ater cistern an d other local finds.

D ow n by the river, the Fábrica do Inglês (English Factory ; w w w .fabrica-do-ingles.pt) is a leisure com plex w hich w as con­verted from a cork factory in 1 999 . A m on g its a ttraction s are a cork m useum , a variety o f restauran ts, bars an d cafés, street entertainm ent an d evening m ultim edia show s.

The hills aroun d Silves fo rm a p rosp erou s farm ing region; figs, o ran ges, lem ons, grapefruit, clem entines an d po m egran ­ates are all grow n in abu n dan ce in v ast stretches o f orchards.

Ju s t o u tsid e the city, on the ro a d to S ã o B a rto lo m e u de M e ssin e s (rou te N 1 2 4 ) , is an im p o rta n t 16th -cen tury re li­g io u s sculp ture. K n ow n a s the C ru z de Portugal (C ro ss o f P ortugal), it depicts the crucifix ion o f C hrist on one face and the descent from the cro ss on the other.

Western Algarve

E a s t o f P o r t im ã o 4 5

If you are travelling by car, continue to the Barragem (dam) do Arade. The w ater collected in this reservoir surrounded by pine hills provides irrigation for the area ’s profitable orchards.It’s perfect for a picnic as well as sailing an d w indsurfing.

East of PortimãoLagoa, a sizeable tow n east o f Portim ão, is the province’s wine cap ital. T h e acidic vinhos da casa served in m o st restaurants on the A lgarve co m e fro m here. L a g o a w ine, bo th red and white, is m ore pow erful than ordinary wine, and the extra de­gree or tw o o f alcoholic content can creep up on you. The local cooperative (Adega de Cooperativa de L agoa; tel: 282-342 181) offers tours o f the wineries and tastings, with 48 h ou rs’ notice.

From L a g o a , turn south abo ut 5km (3 miles) to the ch arm ­ing reso rt o f C arvo e iro , an arch etypal sm all B arlaven to re­so rt. T h e b each is the size o f a ta b le c lo th co m p a re d w ith

Fishing b o a ts at C a rv o e iro

46 Western Algarve

som e o f the e x p an se s to the east. A sin gle ro ad run s dow n through a pretty valley until it co m es to a sm all crescent o f san d sh ared by su n b ath ers an d fish in g b o a ts . A b o v e , row s o f bright w hite h ou ses perch on red san d sto n e cliffs , w hile cafés and re stau ran ts fill the sp aces in betw een. C arv o e iro is now fairly com m ercialised , but to m any it rem ains one o f the c o a s t ’s m o st attractive resorts.

A n a rro w r o a d fo llo w s the c lif fs e a s tw a rd s to the g e o ­log ica l cu rio sity o f A lg ar Seco ( ‘d ry g u lly ’ ). A m o n g other w eird an d w o n d erfu l sh ap es , w in d an d w ave e ro sio n have crea te d a d o u b le -d e ck e r s to n e a rch . T h e re are w a lk w a y s dow n to a lago o n enclosed by m enacing rock s, an d if w eath ­

er co n d itio n s are ca lm , th isA lgar S eco o pen -air g ro tto is a p arad ise

fo r sn o rk ellers.C o n tin u e e a s t an d you

w ill fin d three m ore beaches w h ose relative iso latio n h as th u s fa r p ro tec ted them fro m developm ent. They are (heading east) Vale de Cen- tianes, P ra ia do C a rva lh o an d P ra ia de Benagil. T h e la st on e in p a r t ic u la r is su ­p e rb , an d is a p p ro a ch e d d o w n a v ertig in o u s ro a d flan k ed by m assive cliffs.

B ack in lan d , ju st o f f the m ain ro a d , is the a ttractiv e little village o f Porches, with so m e c la s s ic , w h ite A lgarv - ian h o u se s an d filig reed chim neys. Porches is fam o u s th ro u gh o u t P o rtu g a l fo r its

E a st o f P o r t im ã o

hand-painted pottery, though you w o n ’t fin d m uch in the v illage itse lf. T h e sh o p s o f g re a te st ren ow n are a lo n g the N 1 2 5 ro u te . O la r ia A l­garv e (tel: 2 8 2 -3 5 2 8 5 8 ; w w w .p o rch e sp o tte ry .c o m ), better know n as Porches Pot­tery, is the biggest and best of these, w ith h igh ly orig in al design s an d un ique co lo u rs.Inside you can u su ally see a tr io o f w om en p ain tin g p ieces. T h e re ’s a lso an a t ­tractive little café-restaurant, itse lf d e co ra te d (o f co urse) with w on derfu l ceram ics. A little furth er ea st is C a sa A lgarv e , w hich se lls p o ttery an d h an d icrafts in an attractive o ld h ouse. M o re th an o th ers, it specialises in large-scale azulejo panels.

T h e co a sta l developm en t nearby a lo n g the cliff to p s co n ­tinues ap ace . H ow ever, the v a st m ajo rity o f ap artm en ts and villas here are low -rise, an d p erh ap s becau se the ro ad system is n ot fully developed here, th is p a r t o f the co a st h as largely e scap ed the atten tion s o f m ass tou rism .

O ne o f the m ost p h otograph ed beaches along this stretch is N ossa Senhora da Rocha (O ur L ad y o f the R ock). The rock in qu estio n is a prom on tory , bo ld ly ju ttin g ou t into the sea, surm ounted by a little white fisherm en’s church. O n either side o f the rock are tw o lovely h alf-m oon coves, fram ed by cliffs.

T h e beach o f A rm a ção de P êra is one o f the lon gest in the A lgarv e - a fla t, go ld en stretch to the ea st, p icturesq ue ro ck stack s an d sm all co ves to the w est. T h e m assive devel­opm en t at the east end o f tow n, though, h as pretty m uch run

D etail o f an azulejo panel from th e C a sa A lgarve

48 Central Algarve

rough sh od over the n atural beauty o f the area , all bu t eclips­ing the form er fish in g village. O n the front, how ever, there is a p le a sa n t e sp la n a d e an d a sm all fo rtre ss , b u ilt in 1 7 6 0 an d hom e to a pretty chapel.

ALBUFEIRA AND CENTRAL ALGARVEAlbufeiraA t one tim e a p ictu resq u e fish erm en ’s tow n , A lbufeira h as g row n w ildly in recent y ears to becom e the lead in g resort in the A lgarve. T h e a rea n ow generally referred to a s A lbu feira

en co m p asse s the co a st fromFalésia Beach , situ a ted to the e a s t o f A lbufeira (see page 52)

b eyo n d G a lé in the w est all the w ay to P ra ia da F a lé sia , ju st before a m argin ally d is­tin ct re so r t a re a begin s at V ilam oura. Parts o f the co m ­m ercial sp raw l, w hile rarely g ro te sq u e , still overw h elm the little tow n at their centre.

O nce y ou ’re o ff the traffic- squ eezed m ain arteries, you w ill find th at A lb u fe ira ’s old to w n preserves a su rp risin g am ount o f trad itional charm . T h e clu ster o f w h itew ash ed bu ild ings includes a num ber o f M o o rish arches an d three sm all churches.

Its m ag n ific en t se ttin g - enorm ous, pockm arked san d­stone cliffs rise abo ve a huge b e ach lin ed w ith co lo u rfu l fish in g b o a ts an d h u n d red s

Albufeira

o f su n b a th e rs - h as p ro v ed resistant to developm ent ruin. T h e gen tly s lo p in g sa n d s are p er fe c t fo r fam ily h o li­d ays, an d if you are look in g for a little m ore privacy you can e sc a p e the c ro w d s by heading further east along the san d y c o a s t . A tunnel lin k s the centre o f the to w n w ith the m ain beach .

W hen trac to rs h au l the fish ing fleet a sh o re , su n ­bathers jum p from their tow ­els to gape at the catch - 1m (3ft) eels, still flapping; large,

Castle on the sea

Albufeira’s name evokes the tow n’s Moorish roots. Indeed, the N orth African occupiers called it Al- Buhera (‘castle on the sea ’). Its cliff-top position and labyrinthine stree t plan pro­vided an easily defensible sp o t for the M oors, and Albufeira proved one o f the last tow ns to fall during the Reconquest. Its layout, how­ever, did not save it from the 1755 earthquake, dur­ing which the town w as al­m ost com pletely destroyed.

spiny lob sters still sn ap p in g;and bucketloads o f flat and silver fish. The fam o us beachside fish m ark et buckled under log istic s p rob lem s y ears ag o and m oved just north o f the centre. It is still w orth a visit, however, and you w ill a lso find fruit, vegetables and flow ers on sale.

M o d e rn A lb u fe ira h a s fa llen prey to m ass to u r ism - in ­tern atio n al b ars , ca fés an d n igh tsp o ts pu m p ou t lou d m usic d ay an d night. T h ere is little trad itio n a lly P ortu gu ese ab o u t its r a u c o u s ce n tra l sq u a re , b u t there are q u ie t sp o ts to be foun d . A n d w h at brings all the to u rists here, the A tlan tic , is ju st a sp lash aw ay. F rom a lm o st an y v an tage poin t, the view o f o ld A lb u fe ira slo p in g up a gentle hill an d its se a scap e is incredibly spectacular.

W ith so m uch activ ity to the e a st, the ex cellen t beach es w est o f to w n are re la tiv e ly u n cro w d e d . T h e best are São Rafael, a beautifu l, san dy strip w ith som e splendid ly sh aped rocky ou tcrop s, an d Coelha, Caste lo an d G alé, three sm all, beautifu l coves.

50 Central Algarve

Hill Villages ofAlte and SalirO n e o f the m o st p ic tu re sq u e se ttle m e n ts in the p ro v in ce is the lovely v illage o f A lte , a b o u t 3 0 k m (18 m iles) north o f A lb u fe ira . It is en tered in ro m a n tic fa sh io n , a c r o s s a sm a ll, w h ite b r id g e o v er a b a b b lin g stre am th a t run s th ro u gh to w n a n d w a te r s a v a lle y th ick w ith o r a n g e s , p o m eg ran a te s an d figs.

T h e a rch ite c tu ra l h igh ligh t o f the v illag e is the 16th- century Igre ja M atriz , entered th rou gh a c la ssic M an uelin e portal. Th e church keeper w ill en th usiastically p o in t ou t the m any e lab o rate ch ap e ls an d the rare 16th -century azulejos from Seville. T h e rest o f A lte is the A lgarv e o f p o stca rd s - w hite-w ash ed h o u ses a lo n g n arro w stree ts, co lo u rfu l w in ­dow s, filigreed chim ney p o ts an d red-tiled ro o fs . A n d while their character m ay at first seem un iform , y ou w o n ’t see tw o h ouses the sam e.

O ld boys relaxing in th e sh ad e in the p ic tu resq u e village o f A lte

East from Albufeira

F o llo w the stream upriver an d you co m e to the p o p u ­lar F o n te P eq u en a (L ittle F o u n ta in ) sp r in g s, w h ere a r e sta u ra n t an d o c ca s io n a l fo lk d an c in g d ra w v is ito r s .T h e setting is delightfu l and a perfect sp o t fo r a picnic.

If you continue east on the N 1 2 4 , y o u ’ ll p a s s ro llin g hills an d co m e to the pretty v illag e o f S a lir , w hich is built on the edge o f a steeply rising ridge an d h as tw o fine look o ut points. The first is in the v illage itse lf, a lo n g sid e the 16th -cen tury p ar ish church an d w ate r to w e r (d o n ’t m iss the d e ligh tfu l g a rd e n s n ex t d o o r). T h e other, w ith the best v iew s, is the ad jace n t p eak , w hich once held a M o o rish stro n gh o ld (fo llow sign s to the castelo). A ll th at rem ain s o f the castle are the b ase s o f four huge turrets (1 2 th -1 3 th century) an d som e ex cav atio n s. The o ld castle g ro u n d s are h om e to a tiny h am let, com plete w ith its ow n church. Th e p an oram ic view s acro ss to the m ain part o f Salir an d the su rroun din g countryside are spectacular, an d there is even a tiny miradouro (belvedere) café here.

East from AlbufeiraL o o se ly g ro u p e d w ith A lb u fe ir a are b e a c h e s to the e a s t . H e re , the co a st lin e fe a tu re s the la s t o f the d ra m a tic ro ck fo rm a tio n s th a t h ave m ad e the A lg a rv e so fa m o u s. A t a p ­p ea lin g O lh o s d ’A gua, a sin g le ro a d lead s betw een pine- covered c liffs dow n to a so ft, san d y beach sh ared by a gaily p ain ted fish in g fleet, erod ed san d sto n e fo rm atio n s an d su n ­b a th e rs . T h e r e so r t d e r iv e s its n am e fro m th e ‘ ey es o f

O pen any bottle of wine with a natural cork in it and the chances are the cork com es from Portugal. O ver half the w orld ’s supply is produced here and you w on’t have to drive far in the Algarve to sp o t the cork oak.The tree is recog­nised by its broad, rounded head and glossy-green, holly-like leaves, o r by the raw red trunk w here the bark has been stripped off.

52 Central Algarve

w a te r ’ th a t flo w fro m stran g e ly fo rm ed ro c k s , v isib le on ly a t lo w tide.

jp r Falésia is a beautifu l beach fram ed by high c liffs , but to reach it you need to n egotiate the g ro u n d s o f the Sh eraton A lgarve hotel, w hose lift dow n to the beach is fo r guests only. T h ere are o th er excellen t beach es at S an ta Eu lalia (longer an d m ore open than O lh os de A gu a), Balaia, Praia da O u ra an d São João. T h e la tte r tw o are re g a rd e d a s sa te llite s o f A lbu feira an d m ay w ell be w here y ou are stay in g on a p a ck ­ag e h o lid ay to A lb u fe ira . T h e cen tre o f activ ity a lo n g th is beach h interland is the in fam o u s ‘str ip ’ - a lo n g street lead ­ing up to the h ill-top area kn ow n as M o n tech o ro . It’s lined w ith a m otley co llection o f b ars, restau ran ts an d n igh tsp ots.

N e a rb y V ila m o u ra is a w h o lly p la n n e d a n d sa n it ise d com m un ity - E u ro p e ’s la rge st ‘ fro m -scra tch ’ p r iv a te to u rist u n d e r ta k in g . F ro m h igh -r ise h o te ls a n d sp r a w lin g v il la s

A line o f yach ts in V ilam oura's m arina

East from Albufeira

th a t lin e m a n ic u re d g o lf c o u r se s to th e 1 9 th -h o le c lu b b a r an d th e A lg a r v e ’s b ig g e st m a r in a , it is u n d e ­n ia b ly w ell d o n e , b u t it co u ld be anyw here. Still, it ’s a m a jo r d raw fo r th ose w ho h ave th eir c lu b s read y fo r a g o lf in g h o lid a y ; se v e ra l o f the A lg a r v e ’s b e st c o u r se s h av e been sc u lp te d o u t o f the a rea .

A s new a s every th in g lo o k s an d feels, the m arin a d esig n ers w ere n o t the fir st to tak e ad v an tage o f V ilam - o u ra ’s harbour. T h e R o m an s built a d ock in the sam e place an d established an im portan t fish ing centre here. Th e R om an rem ain s o f C e rro da V ila w ere u n earth ed a c ro ss the ro a d fro m the m a r in a . A sid e fro m so m e low -level e x c a v a tio n s show ing the elaborate w ater-piping system and surviving m o ­sa ic s an d ceram ics, there is a lso a sm all m useum d isp lay in g everyth ing fro m f ish h o o k s to la m p s, ap p e a lin g to an y s tu ­dent o f arch aeology .

A little fu rth er w est, Q u a rte ira , o n ce a q u iet fish in g v illag e , is to d a y a lm o st u n re co g n isa b le , su b su m e d u n der ro w s an d ro w s o f ap artm en t bu ild in gs. T h e busy resort h as a lo n g , go ld en beach , an d there are g o o d , ch eap restau ran ts in the o ld quarter w here locals an d adven turous v isitors m in­g le. T h e m u n ic ip a l m ark et still s ta n d s on the beach ; every W ednesday one o f the largest an d busiest m ark ets on the A l­garve - o fferin g fish an d p rod uce - is held n ex t to it.

T o the e a s t o f V ila m o u ra a n d Q u a r te ira , the A lg arv ian te rra in begin s to ch an ge . T h e ru g g e d , ro ck y lin es o f the

Luxu ry villa in Q u in ta d o Lago

54 Central Algarve

B arlav en to c o a s t w est o f F a ro g iv e w a y to the lo n g , fla t beaches o f the east.

T h e sm all c ro ssro a d s to w n o f A lm ancil h as sh o p s , cafés and businesses, m any o f w hich are dedicated to serving Brit­ish expatriates. But the tow n, o f m odest interest itself, is best know n for w h at lies in its vicinity. M an y o f these e x p a ts live a few kilom etres sou th on the co ast, an d it is here that tw o o f the A lgarve’s m ost lu xu riou s an d exclusive resorts are found.

Each is reached dow n long ro ad s that becom e progressively m ore private-looking as the beach nears. Vale do Lobo m eans ‘Valley o f the W olf’ , bu t it co u ld ju st a s w ell m ean ‘V alley o f the D o lls ’ ; it is a security-con scious, m aze-like villa co m m u ­nity concealed behind a g ian t entrance gate . G u ard s d o their best to k eep the b each the d o m ain o f the e x p a tr ia te an d w ealthy to u r ist c la sse s. Q u inta do Lago, a few k ilom etres dow n the co a st, refers to the h otel o f the sam e n am e, once ow ned by Prince Faisal o f Saudi A rabia , and the luxury hom es that have sprou ted up aroun d it. Q u in ta do L a g o h as tw o o f the finest g o lf co urses on the A lgarve an d h as regularly h o st­ed the Portuguese O pen . T h e beach is reached acro ss a long, n ostalgic w ooden bridge th at cro sses w etlan ds an d bird san c­

tu arie s o f the Ria Fo rm o sa Ria F o rm o sa N atu re R e se rv e N atu re R eserve . O n the

beach is a terrific , if e x p e n ­sive , re sta u ra n t fo r fresh- cau gh t fish , w hich you p ick o u t an d have grilled.

São Lourenço dos MatosB ack to w a rd s A lm an cil is one o f the A lg a rv e ’s to p a t ­tr a c tio n s , bu t if y o u ’ re n o t lo o k in g clo sely , it ’s easy

to m iss. A b o u t 16km (10 m iles) w est o f F aro , a sim ple w hite church sta n d s o u t on a sm a ll hill o v erlo o k in g the th u n derin g highw ay. A sign s im p ly say s ‘ S. L o u re n ç o ’ - in d ica tin g the tu rn -o ff to São Lo u ren ço dos M atos (C h u rch o f St L aw ren c e o f the W o o d s; T u e -S a t 1 0 a m - lp m , 2 .3 0 - 6 p m , u n til 5p m in w inter, M o n 2 .3 0 - 5 p m on ly ; ch arg e ; tel: 2 8 9 -3 9 5 4 5 1 ) . In side is on e o f the m o st ex trao rd in ary d isp lay s o f azulejo design y o u ’ll ever see. Every sq u are centim etre o f the b aroqu e, 15th-century ch urch - its w a lls , v au lted ce ilin g an d cu p o la - is c o v ­ered w ith h an d -p a in ted ,b lue-and-w hite ceram ic tiles. M o s t d ate from the early 18th cen tu ry an d d ep ic t b ib lica l scen es d e ta ilin g the life o f St Law rence, born acro ss the border in H uesca , Spain . The only element o f the church n ot blue-and-w hite is the carved, gilded a ltar . T h e en sem ble is a stu n n in g s ig h t, n o t to be m isse d . W orth v isitin g to o is the n earb y São Lo u ren ço C u ltu ra l C e n tre , w hich h o sts m od ern art ex h ib itio n s an d con certs, an d h as a delightfu l scu lp ture gard en .

S ã o L o u ren ço d o s M atos

LouléN o rth o f A lm an cil, Loulé is a reg io n al p ro d u ce centre with a large Saturd ay m arket, know n for its leather, lace an d co p ­p er g o o d s . L o u lé is a p ro sp e ro u s to w n w ith an am b itio u s,

I9SRH

B

fit

m odern boulevard com plete w ith o u td o o r cafés th at are jam - p ack e d o n m a rk e t day. C o a c h p a r t ie s co m e fro m fa r an d w ide to sh op a t the co lo u rfu l, bustlin g m arket.

There are actually tw o m arkets. Fresh produce, including fish, is so ld in a m o ck -M o o rish hall, w hile a ‘G ypsy m ark et’ is held tow ard s the o pposite end o f the boulevard . Ju s t below the perm anen t m ark et halls, on the m ain P raça da R e p ú b li­ca , y ou ’ll find a w ell-preserved section o f the m edieval castle w alls (w hich w ere m uch d am age d by the 1 7 5 5 earth quake). T h e ram p arts a ffo rd excellent view s from the tow n , an d set into the castle rem ains is a m od est local m useum . A lso w orth visiting are the Igreja M atriz (São C lem ente), a 13th-century G oth ic church w ith 18th -cen tury azulejos (tiles); the C o n ­vento da G ra ça , w ith a terrific M an u e lin e p o rta l; an d E r ­m ida de N ossa Sen h o ra da C o n ce ição , a sm a ll church prized for its baro q u e a ltar an d ceram ic tiles.

In the s tre e ts d ire c tly b e lo w the c a s t le w a lls , y o u m ay w ell h ear the so u n d s o f c ra ftsm e n b e a tin g c o p p e r - fro m w hom you can buy direct. Y ou can a lso see a rtisan s a t w ork on the p o tte ry w h ee l, p ro d u c in g le a th e r g o o d s (su ch a s

Central Algarve

Filigreed Flues

Tourism has often been called an industry w ithou t chimneys, but no t so

in the Algarve, w he re smokestacks - graceful, lattice creations, rem inis­

cent o f M oo rish lanterns - have becom e a tradem ark o f the region. For

hundreds o f years, A lga rve hom eow ners have taken great p ride in the

beauty and originality o f th e ir chim neys.The popu lar d ictum is the m ore

e laborate the ch im ney pot, the w ea lth ie r the owner. O rig ina lly carved

o f w ood, later ceram ic, and then eventually concrete was used.The area

around Faro and O lh ã o in pa rt icu la r en joy a strong repu ta tion fo r

roo ftop art, but keep you r eyes skyward and you'll see pretty chim ney

pots all o ve r the A lgarve.

Towards Faro 57

decorated saddles and bridles) and furniture. The craftsm en o f Loulé are said to be the de­scendants o f a com m unity o f M uslim s w ho found refuge in the d istrict a t the end o f the Christian R econquest. If you are in the A lgarve in sp rin g­tim e, d o n ’t m iss the L ou lé Carnival. The parades, ‘Battle o f F low ers’ and m usical cele­bration s are the best o f their kind in the region.

T h e flow er-lin ed ro ad fro m L o u lé to São Brás de A lp o rte l, an o th e r m ark et tow n an d site o f one o f fo u r pousadas (governm ent-ow ned inns) a lon g the A lgarve, passes th rou gh ro llin g o rch ard s o f fig , o live an d o ran ge trees. It ’s be st to v isit the to w n on Satu rd ay , w hen the lively m ark et tran sfo rm s its o th erw ise sleepy character. You m ay w ish to p ay a visit to the lovely Museu Regional do A lgarve (Ethno­graph ic M u seum ), w here exh ib its o f A lgarv ian co stu m es are w ell staged in a large , o ld h ou se 9 0 m (10 0 yd s) or so o ff the m ain sq u are .

In th is northern p a r t o f the p rovin ce , life is v isib ly slow er an d m o re ru stic ; bo n n eted lad ie s in b lack w a lk a lo n g the ro a d s id e , o ld m en are ca rr ie d a lo f t d o n k e y s, an d fam ilie s p luck a lm o n d s fro m the trees w ith lon g sticks.

Towards FaroO n the ro a d to w ard s F a ro is a p a ir o f h istorica l sigh ts. Th e Palácio de Estói is a ch arm in g ro c o c o p a lace , w hich once be lon ged to the D u k es o f E stó i. A b an d o n ed an d d ilap id ated

A family o f s to rk s tak e s advan ­

tag e o f an A lgarvian chim ney

Faro and Environs

fo r m any y ears, it is being tran sfo rm ed into a new pousada (a state-ow n ed hotel, u su ally - a s here - h ou sed w ith in an h istoric building) an d , w hen it open s in 2 0 0 9 , sh ou ld be one o f the m o st in teresting pousadas in w hich v isito rs can stay. A new w ing w ith 4 9 ro o m s, co m plete w ith sw im m in g p o o l an d sp a , is being built. T h e sa lo n s are to be retain ed a s p u b ­lic a reas an d the S ão Jo s é ch apel restored fo r re lig iou s cere­m on ies. E le g an t g ro u n d s fe a tu re b a lu s tra d e te rrace s an d sta ircases w ith sp len did bursts o f bo ugain v illea , bu sts o f h is­toric ch aracters im p aled o n the p a ra p e ts , brightly co loured w all tiles an d form al gard en s.

The dusty Villa Rom ana de Milreu (R om an ruins o f M il- reu) is located 1 .5km (1 mile) dow n the road from the village, on the route tow ards F aro (a sm all sign on the side o f the road reads ‘R u inas de M ilreu ’ ). Som e 1 ,4 0 0 years before the Palace o f E stói w as erected, M ilreu w as a lso the large country house o f an em inent person . T h e knee-high w alls th at trace the o u t­line o f this once-luxurious establishm ent are still clearly visi­ble. T h e tall, sem i-circular tow er ruin is thought to have been a tem ple to p agan w ater go d s at one tim e; however, by the 5th century it had clearly been converted to a church.

FARO AND ENVIRONSFaro, the p ro v in cia l c a p ita l o f the A lgarv e , is a lso the one th at seem s to g e t the le a st re sp ec t fro m to u r ists . M an y fly in to F a ro , m ak e a beeline fo r th eir re so rts an d retu rn tw o w eek s later, b y p a ss in g the city fo r the a irp o rt . T h o se w h o tak e the tim e - a d ay is su fficien t - to ex p lo re F a ro find an atm osp h ere qu ite d istin ct fro m the resort-h eavy co a st. F aro has a greater w ealth o f cu ltural an d h istoric m onum ents than any other A lgarv ian tow n, a p icturesque o ld quarter an d best o f a ll, to u r ists n ever overru n au th en tic P o rtu gu ese r e sta u ­ran ts, ca fés an d bars.

A view a c ro s s F aro ’s h arb o u r with th e A rco da Vila to th e right

F a ro w a s a lw ay s an im p o rtan t tow n , even d u rin g R o m an tim es, w h en it w a s a llo w e d to m in t its ow n co in s. It c o n ­tin ued to thrive u n der the A ra b s ; its n am e m ay be derived fro m the n am e Harune, on e o f the o ld c ity ’s ru lin g fam ilies. T h e C h r is t ia n s r e c a p tu re d F a r o in 1 2 4 9 , co m p le tin g the R eco n q u est, an d the city p ro sp ered , becom in g the ep iscopal see o f the B ish op o f the A lgarve in 1 5 7 7 . B ut in 1 5 9 6 , when it w a s S p a n ish territory , an E n g lish flee t c o m m an d e d by Q ueen E lizabeth I ’s fav o u rite , the E arl o f E sse x , sack ed and burned the cap ita l.

U n til co m p a ra tiv e ly recen tly , w h en the a re a silte d in to a tid a l f la t , F a ro w as a co m m e rc ia l an d fish in g p o r t open to the A tlan tic . In deed , the E arl o f E s se x ’s fleet h ad sa iled r igh t up to the c ity ’s A ra b fo rtif ic a tio n s. T o day , sm a ll fish ­ing b o a ts an d p leasu re c ra ft m u st z igzag carefu lly am id the d u n es an d then creep ben eath the ra ilw ay brid ge to enter the sleepy h arbour.

Old TownThe m ain entrance to the cir­cu lar o ld tow n, near the h ar­bour, is the 19 th -cen tu ry A rco da V ila , a love ly arch a n d bell to w e r h ab itu a lly c ro w n e d by a v en erab le fam ily o f n estin g sto rk s . B eyon d the arch , a co b b led stree t, w o rn slick by ce n ­turies o f tram pin g feet, leads up to the sp le n d id e x p a n se o f the Largo da Sé (C a th e­d ral Sq u are), best seen in the even in g w hen flo o d lit an d free o f cars.

T h e only rem ain s o f the 13th-century G oth ic Sé (M o n -S a t 1 0 a m -n o o n , 2 - 5pm ; charge for m useum and tow er) are the unusual cathe­

dral tower, m ain portico and tw o interior chapels. The entrance is a t the side. A s y ou enter, lo o k ou t fo r the rem ain s o f the C apela dos O sso s (Bone C hapel). Inside are som e fine ex am ­ples o f azulejos an d superb statues an d carvings, one o f the A l­garve’s top collections o f 17th- and 18th-century religious art. C lim b the tow er for fine view s over the w hole o f Faro.

A cross the squ are is the Paço Episcopal (B ish op ’s Palace), an excellent ex am p le o f the p la in chã sty le p revalen t during the 1 7 th cen tury . To its r igh t is the Câm ara Municipal (Tow n H all).

The Convento de N ossa Senhora da Assunção (Convent o f O ur L ad y o f the A ssum ption ) con tain s the m ost beautiful cloister in southern Portugal. The first R enaissan ce building in

T h e cath ed ral to w e r

Faro’s Town Centre 61

the A lgarve, it w as constructed in the 16th century on the site o f the o ld Jew ish quarter (Faro h ad a sizeable Jew ish p o p u la­tion in the M idd le A ges). A bandoned as a convent in the 19th century and then pu t to use as a cork factory, it has been beau­tifully restored as a m useum devoted to art and archaeology, the Museu Municipal (June-Sept Tue-Fri 12 .30pm -m idnight, Sat-Sun 5.30pm -m idnight, O ct-M ay Tue-Fri 10am -6pm , Sat- Sun 1 0 .3 0 a m -5 p m ; charge; tel: 2 8 9 -8 9 7 40 0 ). The principal exhibit is a 2,000-year-o ld R om an floor m osaic m easuring 9m (30ft) long an d 3m (10ft) w ide. Unearthed in F aro , it is nick­nam ed the ‘O cean M o sa ic ’ , fo r it depicts a bearded sea-god (though the bulldozer that discovered it in 1976 shaved o ff the low er h a lf o f his face). T h ere are a lso bu sts taken fro m the R om an ruins at M ilreu. D isp lays o f Portuguese art are housed in the m any room s o ff the cloister.

N e a rb y is the E rm id a de N ossa Sen h o ra do Repouso (H erm itage o f O u r L ad y o f R est), a tiny 18th-century chapel carved ou t o f the ancient M o o rish arches.

Ju s t ou tside the o ld quarter is the Igreja de São Francisco (Church o f St Francis), w hich w as begun in the late 17th cen­tury. N arra tiv e tiles ad o rn the m ain ch apel an d vau lted ceil­ing, w hich d isp lay s a terrific p an el o f the C o ro n atio n o f the V irgin M ary .

Town CentreIn the centre o f tow n , acro ss fro m the h arb o u r, the c o b ­b led an d sh ad e d m u n ic ip a l Jard im M anuel B ivar, cre­a ted in the 15 th cen tu ry as Q ueen ’s Squ are , is a p o p u lar m eeting p lace fo r youn g and o ld alike. In its centre are an o p e n -a ir ca fé an d an old-

Classical coffee

The real attraction of Faro's old tow n is not its set-piece buildings, but the quiet, hidden, tim eless flavour o f its tiny houses and narrow, cobbled alleyways.A good place to sit and absorb som e o f it is the C afé do Largo, w here classical music accom panies your coffee.

62 Faro and Environs

fa sh io n e d b a n d sta n d . S e v era l h a n d so m e 16th - to 18th - century m an sio n s su rrou n d the sq u are , including the B an co de P ortu gal bu ild in g an d the P a lác io B elm arço .

A s in several other A lgarve tow ns, the m ain sh opp in g area o f central F aro is pedestrian-only , an d ca fés an d restau ran ts spill ou t on to the street, fish d isp lay s an d all. R u a de San to A n tónio is the m ain th orough fare . A t its fa r end is the Museu Etnográfico Regional do A lgarve (E th nograph ic M u seum ; M o n -F r i 9 a m -1 2 .3 0 p m , 2 - 5 .3 0 p m ), w ith d isp lay s o f local h an d icrafts, recon structions o f ro o m s in a typical A lgarv ian house, and a co lourfu l w atercart th at M an uel Ignacio M iguel o f O lh ão o p erated fo r 6 0 y ears , a lm o st up to h is d eath in 1974. The m useum sits on the edge o f F a ro ’s M o u raria , or old M o o rish quarter. It’s w orth w andering the streets th at lead to Largo do Pé da C ru z an d the attractive little 17th-century chapel o f the sam e nam e (O ur L ad y o f the F o o t o f the C ross).

T h e chilling in terio r o f th e C a p e la d o s O s s o s

Praia de Faro 63

T h e new tow n, an expan sion dating from the 19th century, is w est o f here. T w o churches, w hich face each oth er acro ss the large an d co n gested L a rg o d o C arm o , are w orth seeing. T h e Igreja de São Pedro (Church o f S t Peter) is the sm aller o f the tw o , built in the 16th century. It h as a carved b aroqu e retab le an d a co up le o f ro co co ch apels.

B u t F a r o ’s fin est church is Igreja do C a rm o (C arm elite C h u rch ; M o n - F r i 1 0 a m - lp m , 3 - 5 p m , S a t m o rn in g on ly ; ch arge ; tel: 2 8 9 -8 2 4 4 9 0 ) , w hich to o k m o st o f the 18th cen­tu ry to bu ild . T h e tw in bell to w e rs an d sta te ly fa ç a d e are m atch ed by a beautifu l g ild ed interior, bu t the g re a te st a t­traction is the m acabre Capela dos O ssos (Chapel o f Bones). T h is 19th-century curiosity , like a sim ilar ch apel in the tow n o f É vora further north , is constructed o f the sku lls an d bones o f m o n k s, u n earth ed fro m the f r ia r s ’ cem etery. D ep en d in g o n y o u r to leran ce fo r such th in gs, it is either fa scin atin g or sick beyon d belief.

L e ss gh astly is the Jewish C e m e te ry , on the o u tsk irts o f to w n (o ff R u a L e ã o P en ed o , n ear P raç a d o s B o m b e ro s de F aro ). D atin g to the early 19th century, it h as m ore than 100 tom bston es in H ebrew , testim ony to the once-im portant Je w ­ish com m un ity in F aro .

Few p eo p le seem to d o it, bu t it is w ell w orth spen d in g a n ight o r tw o in F aro , especially if y o u ’ve alread y spent som e tim e in a trad itio n a l A lgarv ian beach reso rt. W atch the sun se ttin g over the fish in g b o a ts in the lag o o n w hile y ou have a d rin k in th e sp le n d id ly o ld - fa sh io n e d , c a v e rn o u s C a fé A lia n ç a , the c ity ’s o ld e s t c a fé . F a ro a lso h a s so m e lively m u sic b ars.

Praia de FaroF a ro ’s beach , the Praia de Faro, is noted for its w ater sports. Y ou can drive there acro ss the single-lane cau se w ay linking the lon g strip o f dunes with the m ain land (no buses or m otor

h o m es a llo w e d ), or in the su m m er ca tch a ferry from the p ier by the o ld tow n . If the sea is rough , sim ply cross to the o p p o s ite sid e o f the sa n d sp it an d sw im in the ca lm , w arm e r w aters o f the lag o o n (though be aw are , it can so m e tim es be m u d dy an d a little u n p leasan t).

EASTERN ALGARVEOlhãoH ead in g ea st fro m F aro , the f ir s t se ttlem en t o f an y size you w ill co m e to is the fish ­ing tow n o f O lhão. A w o rk ­in g p o r t, it h a s m ad e few co n ce ssio n s to to u r ism an d is full o f character.

O lh ão h as o ften been d escribed a s the ‘little w hite C u b ist to w n o f the A lg a rv e ', its a rch ite c tu re lik en ed to th a t o f

| N o rth A fric an to w n s. T h a t m ay h ave been the ca se so m ey ears a g o , bu t m od ern d eve lop m en t h as stro n g ly in terfered w ith its once-distinctive appearan ce. Y ou can ju dge fo r y o u r­self by ascen d in g the bell tow er o f the p arish church , N ossa S en h o ra do R o sário , w h ich y o u ’ ll fin d by w in d in g y our w ay through the n arro w streets back to the P raça da R e stau ­ra çã o (you m ay have to a sk fo r a c c e ss to the to w e r in the sa c r is ty ) . F o u n d e d by K in g D o m P ed ro II in 1 6 9 8 , the church h as an im p ressive , sc ro ll-d e co rated b aro q u e façad e , b r illian t w hite d o m e, sto n e bell to w e r an d a ch ap e l a t the rear, N ossa Senhora dos Aflitos (O ur L ad y o f the A fflicted),

Olhão 65

w h ere w o m en o ften p ra y w hen th eir fish erm en h u sb an d s are aw ay a t sea.

In stead o f the red-tiled ro o fs an d filigreed chim neys seen elsew here in the A lgarve, the O lh ão skyline co m p rise s flat- to p p e d ro o fs o f terraces called açoeitas. L o o k carefu lly and y ou can still see the n arro w , o u tsid e s ta irc a se s lead in g to w h ite-w ash ed tow ers, w here fish erm en ’s w ives, or p erh ap s sm u gglers, w o u ld lo o k o u t fo r the incom in g fleet.

T h e n am e o f the sq u are , P raça da Restauração (‘R e sto ­ration Sq u are ’ ), recalls 0 1 h ã o ’s m ost g loriou s m om ent, when an im provised local arm y rebelled aga in st N a p o le o n ’s occu ­pying forces in 1 8 0 8 . T h is in surrectionary zeal subsequently spread th rou gh ou t the rest o f P ortu gal an d resulted in O lh ão being aw arded the title ‘N o b le Tow n o f the R e sto ra tio n ’ .

O lh a o ’s fish ing p o rt is w orth a lo o k . Th e fisherm en o f the tow n have a rep u tatio n for h ard in ess - so m e u sed to earn a living in the co d-sto ck ed w aters a s far aw ay a s N e w fo u n d ­lan d . D u rin g the p a s t tw o cen tu ries, how ever, som e o f the sa ilo rs have turned aw ay fro m fish ing an d in stead , taken to the cargo trade betw een P ortugal an d N o rth A frica. T h is rel­atively recent link w ith the neighbouring continent m ay have been the in sp ira tio n fo r the local N o rth A frican style o f a rch itec tu re . In an y c a se , it d ev e lo p ed lo n g a fte r the M o o rs h ad left the A lgarve.

Y o u ’re un likely to see a b o a t com in g in fro m an o th ­er co n tin en t, bu t y ou are g u a ra n te e d the h u stle , b u s­tle, sigh ts, sm ells an d sou n ds o f one a t the O lh ã o fish m arket, one o f the A lgarve’s be st (the to w n is e sp ec ia lly

N o s s a Sen h o ra d o s A flitos

fam o u s for its m u sse ls an d oth er shellfish). A d jacen t to the vo lu m in ou s m ark et bu ild in gs are sm all, w ell-tended p ark s, one o f w hich b o asts several sp lendid benches decorated with blue-and-w hite azulejos. Ju s t beyon d the p ark on the other side, ferries d ep art regularly in sum m er fo r the barrier-island beaches o f A rm o n a an d C u la tra ju st o ffsh ore . T hese lovely, under-developed beach es are the jew els o f the co astlin e bet­w een F a ro an d T av ira an d d raw large c ro w d s in sum m er.

A little further a lo n g the co ast, a t Fuzeta , is an other p o p ­u lar beach . T h ere is som e h o lid ay developm en t here, bu t as yet only o n a sm all sca le . F u zeta itse lf is little m ore th an a few gaily pain ted bo ats bo bb in g at an ch or on the inlet, while in the back grou n d local w ork ers rak e sa lt cry sta ls into sm all w hite m ou n tain s pu n ctu atin g the delta.

T urn in la n d , b e c a u se the sm a ll v illa g e o f M oncarapa- cho, w ith a fin e o ld ch u rch , a sleep y v illag e sq u a re an d a fa sc in a tin g little m u seu m , is w ell w o rth the 8 k m (5-m ile) detour. T h e co u n try sid e a ro u n d here is fu ll o f o ra n g e an d a lm o n d g ro v e s a n d , a s y o u h e a d e a s t (b a c k o n the m ain

Eastern Algarve

Azulejos

It is thanks to the M oo rs that Portugal is so liberally endowed w ith glazed

tiles, or.ozulejos.The name probably derives from the A rab ic Al Zulaicha,

o r Zuleija, meaning ceram ic mosaic. O th e r influences w ere painters from

France, Italy and Germany, as w ell as Portugal's m aritim e empire.

Mass p roduction began after the 1755 earthquake, bu t small family

businesses using o ld m e thods con tinued , and still ex is t today. A fine

exam p le o f th e cra ft is in th e church o f São Lou ren ço in A lm ansil. Its

in te r io r w alls and d o m e are en tire ly faced w ith b lue -and -w h ite tiles

depicting scenes from the life o f S t Lawrence. O th e r exam ples are the

tiled stairways in the gardens o f the villa at Estói and the scenes from

the life o f St Francis in the Chu rch o f São Francisco in Faro.

This azulejo in O lh ão reflects th e to w n ’s principal trad e

road ) to w ard s T av ira , olive g ro v es an d v ineyards a lso start to appear. T av ira ’s g rap e s p ro d u ce a g o o d , rustic w ine co n ­sum ed all over the A lgarve.

TaviraA fter the sa lty f la v o u r o f O lh ã o an d the ru ra l seren ity o f M o n c a ra p a c h o , the a r isto cra tic be arin g s o f Tavira, one o f the tru e gem s o f the A lgarv e , m ay co m e a s som eth in g o f a su rp rise . O ne o f the reg io n ’s m o st h istoric cities, its M o o r­ish , Reconquista an d R en aissan ce ro o ts are clearly visible.

In the 1 5 0 0 s , T a v ira h ad the la rg e s t p o p u la t io n o n the A lgarve. T h is tuna-fish ing p o rt an d se lf-assured tow n o f h is­toric churches, im p o sin g c lassical-sty le m an sio n s an d river­fron t gard en s p ro b ab ly d ates back a s fa r as the P hoenician s or the C arth agin ians. Its seven-arched stone bridge o f R om an o rig in is still in u se . T a v ir a ’s ca stle (M o n -F r i 9 a m -5 p m , S a t-S u n an d h o lid a y s 1 0 a m - 5 p m ), in the m id d le o f the

68 Eastern Algarve 7

centro histórico (old quarter), w as a defensive structure built by the M o o rs . C lim b the w alls fo r a su p erb pan o ram ic view o f the city, but be carefu l, a s the ram p arts have no hand-rails. W ithin the w alls is an a ttractiv e , frag ran t garden .

T h e w alls lo o k directly o n to the Igreja de Santa M aria do C aste lo (C h urch o f St M a ry o f the C astle ) , m o st likely bu ilt on the site o f the o ld m o sq u e . T h e G oth ic p o rta l is the only orig in al 13th-century p a rt o f the bu ild in g to have su r­vived the d ev asta tin g 1 7 5 5 earth q u ak e . In the chan cel is the large tom b o f D o m Paio Peres C orreia , w ho drove the M o o rs ou t o f T av ira in 1 2 4 2 .

A c ro ss the sq u a re , the o c h re -co lo u re d fo rm er co n ven t, C o nvento da G ra ça , h as been co n v erted in to an e legan t pousada (inn; see page 136).

Ju st dow n the hill, o ff R u a G aleria near the river, is the beau­tiful 16th-century Igreja da M isericórdia (Church o f M ercy),

T h e h istoric city o fT avira on th e banks o f th e G ilão

■■I

A ro u n d T avira 69

a spectacular Renaissance ed­ifice. The carved portico is es­pecially fine, with a statue o f O u r L ad y o f M ercy under a canopy. The 18th-century in­terior co n ta in s fine g ild ed w o o d w o rk an d azulejos.

Rua da L iberdade, T av i­r a ’s m ain street, is lined with state ly 16th-century m an ­sion s. A w alk dow n an y o f the city ’s old streets will rev­eal handsom e details o f noble h o u ses, such as dou b le w in ­dow s an d latticed d o o rs. A lively fruit an d vegetable m arket is held by the b an k s o f the River G ilão , an d it is well w orth crossing the R o m an bridge to view m ore o f the tow n’s elegant houses and pretty flower-filled squares. M an y o f those houses have slop in g trian gular ro o fs , called tesouros (treasures).

Around TaviraA nice ex cu rsio n from T av ira is to the n earby islan d llha de Tavira, w h ere there is a huge an d th o ro u gh ly ap p e a lin g beach b ack e d by san d d u n es. B o a ts leave fro m Q u a tro A g u as, 2 k m (1 m ile) ea st o f tow n.

B ack on the m ain lan d , a tu rn -o ff fro m the m ain ro ad east o f T av ira lead s to a perfectly en ch an tin g little w h itew ashed v illage ov erlo o k in g the sea. Pretty C a ce la V e lh a can ’t have m ore th an 100 in h ab itan ts. It h as an 18th-century church , a te leph on e b o o th , a cem etery, an o ld w ell an d a h an d fu l o f w ell-tended, b lue-and-w hite h ou ses fe sto o n ed w ith flow ers.

E ast o f here lies the fledgling resort o f Manta Rota, a fo r­mer fishing village, and the high-rise canyons o f Monte Gordo. The reason behind all this developm ent is a long sandy beach,

An elegan t façad e alongT avira's

Rua da L iberdade

70 Eastern Algarve

w hich stretches un d istu rbed for som e 10km (6 miles) bet­w een the tw o reso rts an d is back ed by pine trees and dunes. A lthough the last in a lon g line o f A lgarve beach resorts (or the first, if y o u ’re co m in g fro m Spain ) is not, by a lon g sh ot, the c o a s t ’s m o st a ttractiv e , the beach an d w ater-sports facilities at M on te G o rd o are enough to attract and entertain m any se­

rious sun-seekers. By night the casin o is the focus o f attention.

Castro MarimT h e G u a d ia n a R iver, w h ich ru n s in to the A tlan tic 3k m (2 m iles) east o f M o n te G o rd o , served a s a n atu ra l frontier for 2 ,0 0 0 y ears, fo rm in g the bo u n dary betw een the R o m an p ro v in ce s o f L u sita n ia (P o rtu ga l) an d B a e tica (so u th ern S p a in ). T h is e x p la in s the s tra te g ic im p o rta n c e o f C a stro M arim , a fo rm er fo rtre ss tow n risin g fro m the fla tlan d s to co m m an d the b ro a d river. F o r five cen tu rie s its p rim itiv e castle-fortress w as occup ied by the M o o rs. A fter the C h rist­ian R econquest it becam e the hom e o f the new M ilitary O rder o f C hrist (succeeding the d isb an d ed K n igh ts T em plars).

B e low the castle , the sa ltp an s an d u n po llu ted m arsh lan d s o f the lo ca l n ature reserve attract a large n um ber o f w aders (look ou t for sto rk s, egrets and b lack-w inged stilts). In 1991 a new su sp e n sio n b rid ge a c ro ss the river w a s b u ilt to link sou th ern P ortu gal an d sou th ern Sp a in , an d the fo rm al b o r­der betw een the tw o co un tries h as since been abo lish ed .

It is w orth driving north alo n g the G u ad ian a for the pret­ty scenery an d riverside v illages. A lternatively you can take a

C e m e te ry a t C acelaV elh a

Vila Real de S. António 71

b o a t a lo n g the river, startin g at V ila R eal de San to A n tónio (see below; w w w .rio su ltrav e l.co m ). T im e less A lco u tim is crow ned by castle ruins and look s across a t San lúcar in Spain, sim ilarly dom inated by ancient fortress rem ains. A ferry links the tw o villages and b o a ts are availab le fo r river trips.

In the rem ote hills to the sou th w est, the Parque Miniero C o v a dos M ouros (2 k m /l m ile so u th o f V aq u e iro s) is a reco n stru c tio n o f an Iron A ge m in ing settlem en t. T h e co p ­per m ines here w ere u sed fo r over 5 ,0 0 0 y ears ; you can still see m ine sh afts, a lo n g w ith rebu ilt h u ts, a fo rt an d furn aces. O ther attractions o f this ecological park are the donkey rides, n atu ra l p o o ls fo r sw im m in g an d m ark ed fo o tp a th s fo r e x ­p lo r in g the f lo ra an d fau n ao f the u n sp o ilt coun try side. Vila Real d e San to A n tón io

Vila Real de Santo AntónioR etu rn in g to the co a st, the tow n o f V ila Real de Santo António (the R o y al Tow n o f St A nthony) is the last o f the A lgarve’s beach tow ns before Spain . T h e city w as designed to be as g ran d as its nam e su ggests, in order to im press the Span ish on the other side o f the river. T h e to w n p lan w a s the in sp ira tio n o f the M a rq u ê s o f P o m b al, K in g Jo s é I ’s fa v o u red arch itect, and the tow n w as built in just five m on th s in 1 7 7 4 , ap in g the g rid lay o u t o f L isb o n ’s B a ix a (low er city).

72 Excursion to Lisbon

The tow n square, the Praça do Marquês do Pombal, is the w ork o f the royal architect and the tour de force o f V ila Real. The pavem ent’s black-and-w hite w edges o f stone radiate from an obelisk in the centre o f the sq u are like rays from the sun. D istinguished three-storey, late 1 Bth-century h ou ses line the squ are , an d oran ge trees soften the edges, ad d in g co lour and scent. Visit the sm all Manuel Cabanas M useum , ju st o ff the squ are , to see a nice co llection o f w o o d cu ts th at ran ges from rustic scenes to fam o u s statesm en an d co m p o sers.

T o day V ila R eal is qu iet but d ign ified . A w alk aro u n d the o ld quarter reveals a num ber o f fine, brightly painted houses along pedestrian-only streets. Vila Real de Santo Antonio’s m ain ap p eal is a s the ferry p o rt to A yam o nte acro ss the w ater in Spain . The trip takes ju st 2 0 m inutes - less tim e than it w ould take to drive to an d over the bridge - an d the w hite tow n o f Ayam onte is a fine sight a s you ap p roach it from the river.

EXCURSION TO LISBONU ntil the 1 9 th century , the o v erlan d jo u rn ey fro m the A lgarv e to L isb o n , P o rtu g a l’s c a p ita l city, to o k a w eek or m ore. N o w it ’s only tw o to three h o u rs by ro a d or rail, an d you can fly fro m F a ro in ju st 4 0 m inutes.

F or years L isb o n h as h ad a repu tation a s a relatively quiet, easy-going tow n, lack ing the hustle an d bustle o f other m ajo r E uropean cities. But while this is still true to a degree, the gap is clo sing an d L isb o n is becom ing altogether m ore E uropean .

Th e centre o f L isb o n is sm all, co m p ac t an d easy to get around in just a couple o f days. M oreover, it has tw o lovely old quarters that are as full o f character as any p lace in Europe.

T h e city is bu ilt on h ills - by legen d seven , in fac t m an y m ore - but the g reat th ing fo r the v isito r is the sp lendid v an ­tage po in ts an d lo o k o u ts th at these prov ide. T h e best p lace to sta r t y o u r to u r o f L isb o n is fro m the M o o r s ’ o ld castle ,

TheAlfama 73

I

the C a ste lo de São Jorge, the k in g o f a ll v a n ta g e po in ts. F ro m here y ou can lo o k o u t over the w hole o f the city an d alo n g the b ro ad R io T e jo (R iver T ag u s), span n ed by one o f the lon gest su sp en sion b ridges in E urope .

T h e castle is se t ju st ab o v e L isb o n ’s m o st fa m o u s bairro (d istrict), the A lfam a. H ere you will d isco ver a labyrin th o f n arro w , c ro o k e d stre e ts , co b b le d a lle y w ay s , d ec ay in g o ld h o u ses, fo rm er p a la c e s , fish sta lls an d b ars to ta lly unknow n to the v a st m a jo r ity o f to u r is ts . L ittle h a s ch an ged here in d ecades, if n ot centuries.

A n other m ajestic view o f the city is from the M iradourode Santa Luzia , a p ark ju st dow n the hill from the castle. N e a rb y is the Sé (C a th e ­d ra l), w hich h as an ancient, c a v e rn o u s in te rio r - on e o f p e rh a p s a d o zen f ir st-c la ss ch u rch es in the city. A d ja ­cen t to the c a th e d ra l is the Igreja de Santo António da Sé , n am ed fo r the p a tro n sa in t o f L isb o n , St A n thony o f P adu a .

Ju s t beyon d the dense quarters o f the A lfam a is São Vicente de Fora (St Vincent B eyon d the W alls), an Ital- ian ate church an d m on astic cloister. The latter is the true highlight: its w alls an d court­yards are lined with blue-and- white azulejos, and the view s from the ro o f are am on g the best in the city.

A view a c ro s s the city to the C a ste lo d e S ão Jo rg e

74 Excursion to Lisbon

D ow n to w ard s the river is the Museu N acional do A zu le jo (N atio n a l Tile M u ­seum ), d ev o ted entirely to the art o f pain ted an d g lazed ce ram ic tile s , a n a tio n a l art form . A b ou t 1 2 ,0 0 0 azulejos are on sh ow here, from 15th- century po lych rom e design s to 2 0 th -cen tu ry A rt D eco . A p rized p o sse ss io n is the Lisbon Panorama, a 3 6 m (118ft) long tile co m po sition o f L isb o n ’s r iversid e a s it lo o k e d b e fo re the G rea t E arth q u ak e o f 1 755 .

The B airro A lto (upper city) is a hilly area full o f ev o c a­tive h o u ses d eco rate d w ith w ro u gh t-iro n b alco n ies u su ally o ccup ied by b ird cages an d flo w erp o ts. A t n ight the d istrict is lo ad ed w ith an excitin g a tm osp h ere an d is fam o u s fo r its fado (fo lk m u sic) c lu b s. I t ’s a re lativ e ly h arm le ss p lace by day, bu t you sh ou ld be on y o u r g u ard if visitin g after dark .

Perched on the edge o f the B a irro A lto is the Igreja do C a rm o , a convent devastated in the earth qu ake o f 1755 but deliberately preserved a s an atm osp heric ruin an d potent rem inder o f its im pact. N earby , the su m p tu ou s, 16th-century Igreja de São Roque features a sm all m useum o f sacred art.

T h e convent u sed to be connected to the low er city by the lan d m ark 3 0 m (98 ft) Elevad o r de Santa Justa, a lift situ ­ated o ff the R o s s io sq u are in the B a ix a ; how ever, the w a lk ­w ay linking the lift an d the upper city w as destroyed in a fire th at sw ept th rough L isb o n in 1 9 8 8 , an d n o w ad ay s you can only g o to the to p o f the E lev ad o r (defin itely w orth the ef­fo rt for the excellent v iew s). T h is 1 9 0 2 V ictorian m arvel o f

E levador d e San ta Ju sta

The Baixa 75

iron an d g la ss w as bu ilt by R au l M esnier, n o t, a s p o p u larly believed, by G u stave Eiffel. T o reach the u p m ark et sh opp in g area o f Chiado , n ow to ta lly rebu ilt a fter the 19 8 8 fire, you have to slow ly m ean der up behind the Elevador.

T h e Baixa is L isb o n ’s principal busin ess district. T h e m ain square is the Praça D om Pedro IV , better know n as Rossio. L o o k ou t fo r the ra ilw ay statio n , Estação do Rossio, which lo o k s like a M o o rish palace w ith h orsesh oe arches, ju st w est o f the sq u a re . T w o b lo ck s n o rth is an o th e r lively sq u a re , P raça dos R estaurad o res, w hich lead s to the leafy m ain th o ro u gh fare , A venida d a L ib erdad e .

T h e city p lun ges steeply dow nhill to the R iver T agu s an d its m o st im p o sin g sq u a re , P ra ça do C o m é rc io , lin ed on three s id e s by g ra c io u s a rc a d e d bu ild in g s an d a v a s t tr i­u m p h al arch . T h e g ra n d sq u a re , w h o lly w ip ed o u t by the earth qu ak e o f 1 7 5 5 , h as seen its share o f w atersh ed political

A fountain on L isb on ’s main sq u are , the R o ssio

Excursion to Lisbon

events: K in g C arlo s and his son w ere felled by a ssa s s in s ’ bu l­lets in the sq u are in 1 9 0 8 , an d one o f the first u p ris in gs o f the C arn atio n R evo lu tion o f 1 9 7 4 w as staged here.

M o v in g w est an d d ow n to w ard s the river fro m P raça do C om ércio is the elegant residential neighbourhood called Lapa. Its standout sight is the Museu Nacional de A rte Antiga (N a ­tion al M u seu m o f A n cient A rt), P o rtu ga l’s la rgest m useum . A m on g its pieces o f international renow n are The Adoration o f St Vincent, a m u lti-p an e l w o rk a ttr ib u te d to the 15th - century Portuguese m aster, N u n o G on çalves; an d The Temp­tation o f St Anthony, a fantastic hallucination by H ieronym us Bosch, tem pered w ith h um our an d executed w ith m ad genius.

Som e 6km (4 miles) w est o f Praça do C om ércio is the river­side district o f Belém . It w as from here th at the A ge o f E x ­p loration (begun on the A lgarve) reach ed its zenith betw een 1 4 9 7 an d 1 4 9 9 , w hen V asco d a G a m a ’s v o y age to In d ia open ed up a m a jo r new sea route. D u rin g the fo llow in g cen­tury, Portugal enjoyed a golden age o f trade, and K in g M an uel celebrated the discoverers w ith tw o m agnificent m onum ents.

The m o st fam o u s is the dim inutive but exquisite ly form ed Torre de Belém . By co n trast the m ajestic M osteiro dos Jero­nim os is L isb o n ’s la rge st re lig iou s m on u m en t an d a fo rm i­dable exam p le o f M an uelin e architecture. T h e church an d its double-decker clo ister survived the 1 7 5 5 earth q u ak e ; in a d ­d itio n to h o u sin g ro y a l to m b s it a lso h o ld s the relics o f national heroes V asco da G am a and the poet Lu is de C am õ es. The m onastery houses the M u seu de A rq u eo lo g ia (A rch aeol­ogy M useum ) an d the Museu da M arinha (N av a l M u seum ). B ack dow n the street to w ard s the tow n centre is the Museu Nacional dos C o ches (N ation al C oach M u seum ), housed in the form er riding sch oo l o f the Belém R o y a l Palace.

A lso in Belém is the m odern Padrão dos D escob rim en­tos (M o n u m en t to the D isco v erers). T h is h uge w ater fro n t sculp ture depicts Prince H en ry the N a v ig a to r at the p ro w o f

P ad rão d o s D e sc o b rim e n to s

a sty lised caravel th at ju ts into the T agu s. T h e figures behind re p resen t n o te d e x p lo re rs , m a p -m a k e rs an d a stro n o m e rs w h om Prince H enry m obilised in order to launch Portuguese sh ip s into the h istory b o o k s.

O p p o site the P a d rã o is the sty lish C e n tro C u ltu ra l de Belém , w hich p u ts on tem p o rary ex h ib ition s an d concerts an d is a lso h om e to L isb o n ’s D e sign M u se u m . T h e re sta u ­ran t here h as fine v iew s over the river an d the P ad ráo d o s D esco b rim en to s.

T h e r iv erfro n t Parque das N açõ es (N a t io n s P ark ), d e­sig n ed fo r E x p o ’9 8 , d id m u ch to re in v ig o ra te the in d u s­tria l eastern section o f the city. T h e p a rk co n tin u es to d raw v is ito r s w ith th e se co n d la rg e s t o c e a n a r iu m in E u ro p e (O cean ário de Lisboa), an in teractive sc ien ce m u seu m , a new ca s in o an d cab le ca rs up to T o rre de V asco da G a m a , the h igh est p o in t in the city. T h e p a rk is ea s ily access ib le by M e tro .

WHAT TO DOSPORTS

79

The A lgarve is a to p destin ation fo r sp o rts h o lidays. W ith g reat w eather an d su perb ly designed co urses, the region

h as lo n g been fam o u s fo r go lf. Tennis is a lso b ig , an d som e form er big n am es in B ritish tennis have taken ad v an tage o f the fa v o u ra b le c lim ate to se t up sc h o o ls here. A n d w ith aro u n d 1 6 0 k m (1 0 0 m iles) o f sou th -facin g beach es, there is p len ty o f sco p e fo r w ater-sp orts en th usiasts.

GolfA lth ough a year-round sp o rt on the A lgarve, g o lf is p layed m ainly from O ctober to M ay. There are aroun d 30 m ajor go lf courses, m any designed by the sp o rt’s b iggest nam es. All boast luxury clubhouses, m anicured greens and im m aculate fairw ays. The top courses are to be foun d aroun d V ilam oura and stretch w est to L ago s. Green fees range from € 9 0 to € 2 0 0 (discounts possible) for 18 holes. All courses are open to visitors; m ost re­quire an official handicap certificate and proper dress. For full details visit w w w .algarvegolf.net. A m on g the best courses are:

Le Meridien Penina (near Portim ão): 36 holes. The longest an d oldest course, w ith a d istinguished cham pion sh ip history. W aterw ays an d lak es d o m in ate . C h am p io n sh ip c o u rse , re ­qu ired h an d icap 28 m en, 32 w om en. Tel: 2 8 2 -4 2 0 2 0 0 .

O ce ân ico Laguna: 18 h o les. D e sign ed by Jo se p h Lee, opened in 1993. Know n for its w ater hazards. Tel: 289-310 180.

O ce â n ico M illennium : 18 h o les . D e sign ed by M a rtin H aw tre e an d o p en ed in M a y 2 0 0 0 . B e au tifu lly in te gra ted into the environm ental p ark at V ilam oura. Tel: 2 8 9 -3 1 0 333 .

T h e fam ou s 16th hole a t Vale d o L o b o ’s Royal G o lf C o u r se

W hat to Do

O ce ân ico O ld C o u rse :18 holes. D esign ed by Fran k P en n in k , th is is a c la s s ic English-sty le course. G olfers m u st p resen t a certificate o f h an d icap no greater th an 2 4 (m en) o r 2 8 (w om en ). Tel: 2 8 9 -3 1 0 3 4 1 .

O ce â n ico P inhal: 18 holes. O riginally designed by

F ran k Pennink an d re n o v a te d by the A m e rican arch itec t R o b e rt T ren t Jo n e s in 1 9 8 5 . F irs t 9 h o le s are am o n g the p ines, the la st 9 have view s o f the sea. Tel: 2 8 9 -3 1 0 3 9 0 .

O ceân ico V icto ria : 18 h oles. T h e n ew est o f the sw an k y co u rses a t V ilam o u ra an d the lon gest g o lf co u rse in P o rtu ­gal. D esign ed by A rn o ld Palm er. Tel: 2 8 9 -3 2 0 5 0 0 .

P alm ares (n ear L a g o s ) : 18 h o le s . A ch a lle n g in g co u rse w ith an ocean p a n o ra m a , p lu s h igh h ills an d deep valleys. V iew s o f Bay o f L a g o s. Tel: 2 8 2 -7 9 0 5 0 0 .

Parque da F lo resta (B u d en s, n ear S a le m a): 18 h o les. A sp e c tacu la r ro llin g h illside co u rse o ffe r in g ex cellen t v alu e . A favourite w ith fam ilie s, o fferin g a w ide ran ge o f spo rtin g facilities, a heated ou td o o r p o o l an d a health an d beauty spa. Tel: 2 8 2 -6 9 0 05 4 .

Q uinta da Ria (near C astro M arim ): 18 holes. O ne o f sev­eral new g o lf co urses in the eastern A lgarve, w ith a stunn ing setting over the R ia F o rm o sa . Tel: 2 8 1 -9 5 0 5 8 0 .

Q uinta do Lago: T w o 18-h ole co u rse s , Q u in ta d o L ag o so u th an d Q u in ta d o L a g o n o rth . A m o n g E u ro p e ’s fin est courses. Am erican-designed w ith ou tstan din g lush greens and room y fa irw ays. Tel: 2 8 9 -3 9 0 70 0 .

Royal (Vale do L o b o ): 18 holes. A rugged terrain w ith fine v iew s. T h e 1 6 th h o le is ‘the m o st p h o to g ra p h e d h o le in E u ro p e ’ . Tel: 2 8 9 -3 5 3 5 3 5 .

Golf packages

Algarve Golf can arrange discount rates and various packages.There are packages for playing all the courses at Vilamoura - 5 rounds in 7 days, € 345 (high season); 7 rounds in 10 days, €440; www.algarvegolf.net.

Sports 81

San Lorenzo (near Q u in ta d o L a g o ): 18 h oles. R an k ed by G o lf W orld a s the 5th -best co u rse in E u rop e . R equ ired h an d icap , 28 m en, 3 6 w om en. Tel: 2 8 9 -3 9 6 5 2 2 .

Sheraton Pine Cliffs (Praia F a lésia ): 9 h oles. A lth ough not the m o st ch allen gin g o f the A lgarv e ’s co u rse s , it ’s cer­ta in ly one o f the m o st p ic tu re sq u e , w ith a c liffto p lay o u t overlo o k in g the sea . Tel: 2 8 9 -5 0 0 113 .

V ila Sol: 18 h o les . C o n sid ered to h ave am o n g the best fa irw ay s in the A lgarve. Tel: 2 8 9 -3 0 0 5 0 5 .

Vilam oura: For all V ilam oura courses, reserve at least tw o days ah ead by calling central reservations. Tel: 2 8 9 -3 1 0 333 .

Keen golfers should consider the option o f accom m odation at a hotel affiliated with a go lfcourse. Typically these are es- Surfing a t Beliche Beach

tablishm ents very close to the top go lf courses that offer free (or discounted) go lf on cours­es that m ay otherwise be hard to get a gam e on. T h ey a lso arran ge tourn am en ts am on g their guests. Staying at a villa on the fringes o f a fairw ay is another w ay to secure green- fee d iscoun ts an d guaran tee­ing preferential tee tim es.

Water SportsM o s t o f the la rge r be ach es have equipm en t for hire, but d on ’t coun t on expert tu ition everyw here. A side fro m the m ain beach resorts, there are g o o d fac ilit ie s a t P ra ia da L u z (w here the O cean C lub

W hat to Do

h as its ow n w ater-sports cen­tre), the m a r in a a t V ila m ­o u ra , Q u in ta d o L a g o , Praia d a M artin h al an d Sagres.

Jet-skiing. F o r m ore h igh­sp eed fun on the w ater you can rent a jet-sk i a t P raia da R o c h a , Q u a rte ira , A lv or or Q u in ta d o L ag o .

Sailing. D in gh ies an d in ­stru ction are av a ilab le at Praia de Luz, Q uinta do L ago and Portim ão. Sailing is a lso

possib le on the d am , B arragem d o A rade. F o r b igger craft try the m arin a a t V ilam oura or the C arv o e iro C lub . A n ch orage and harbour facilities are available at L ago s, F aro , O lhão, Por­tim ão, Sagres and Vila R eal. B oat cruises are available in near­ly all spo ts a lon g the A lgarve. Bom Dia offers L a g o s-S a g re s cru ises, barbecue cruises, dolph in sa faris an d g ro tto trips de­p artin g fro m the L a g o s m ar in a (tel: 2 8 2 -7 6 4 6 7 0 ) . Mini Cruzeiros do Algarve (Q uay Q , V ilam oura M arin a ; tel: 289- 3 0 2 984) run a variety o f co a sta l m o to r an d sailing cruises.

Scuba-diving. Reef, night, w reck, cave an d freshw ater dives from n ear L a g o s are o ffered by Blue O cean D ivers in P orto de M ó s . They a lso cater for com plete beginners (tel: 2 8 2 -7 8 2 7 1 8 ) . Y ou can a lso e x p lo re the co a st lin e w ith ju s t a g o o d sn o rkel an d m ask . O th er centres include A tlan tic D iving at P raia d o s A veiros an d the D ivers’ Cove a t C arv o e iro .

Spa. N o t ex actly a w ater sp o rt per se, bu t the sp a w aters a t Term as de M on chique (C ald as de M on chique) have draw n visitors since the 19th century (w w w .m onch iqueterm as.com ). A grow in g num ber o f sp a s are sp rou tin g alo n g the co ast.

Surfing. T h e A tlan tic ro llers north o f C a b o de S ã o Vicente a ttrac t se riou s su rfers; Sagres is m ore su itab le fo r novices.

Plain sailing

Sports 83

Windsurfing. T h e m o st p o p u la r w ate r sp o r t a lo n g the A lg arv e c o a s t - y o u ’ ll fin d g o o d in stru c tio n a t P ra ia da R o c h a , F erragu d o , P raia da L uz, P raia de F aro an d Q uin ta d o L a g o . T h e la s t tw o h ave bo th o p en se a an d sh eltered w ater, p ro v id in g the lu xu ry o f calm co n d ition s.

Outdoor Sports and ActivitiesFishing. The w aters o f the Algarve provide som e o f the best big- gam e fishing in Europe. The Atlantic O cean record, a blue m ar­lin w eighing m ore than 7 0 0 k g (1,5001b), w as caught ju st 8km (5 miles) o ff the co ast o f F aro in 1993 . Shark (m ostly blue, but occasionally copper, ham m erhead, m ak o or tiger), m arlin , bill- fish, large bass and giant con­ger are regularly h au led in. Fishing on Fuzeta Beach Sw ordfish an d tuna can be | cau gh t further ou t. Sagres,P ortim ão and V ilam oura are the m ain centres, w here you can b o ard a b o a t o r hire a crew. O ne outfit to consider is the Big G am e Fishing C e n ­tre in Praia da R ocha (www. biggam efishing.info).

If the deep sea d o esn ’t a p ­p ea l, you can rent a sm all bo at, rod an d reel. The co ast north o f Sagres is one o f the best spots to do this. You can a lso d o a s the lo ca ls d o an d use a ro d an d reel o f f the rock s at a h arb o u r entrance o r o f f th e c lif fs . A n g lin g con dition s are generally best from O ctober to mid-January.

W hat to Do

Football. T h e P o rtu gu ese are w ild a b o u t futebol, a s they call it, an d the country h osted the E u ro p ean F o o tb a ll C h am ­p ion sh ips in 2 0 0 4 . T h e b iggest clubs are fro m the tw o m ajo r c ities, L isb o n an d O p o rto . Both SC Faren se an d D C Lou le- tan o p lay at the E stad io d o A lgarve in F aro .

Horse Riding. W hether y o u ’re lo o k in g for p o n y rides for children, treks fo r the co m peten t or h ack s fo r the in ex p eri­enced, the m ixed terrain o f beach es, rolling hills an d w o o d s m ak es rid in g in the A lgarv e a deligh t. M o s t o f the h o rses y ou ’ll encounter are a t least p a r t L u sitan o , a sure-footed P or­tuguese breed. R ecom m en ded sch ools include the Q uinta do Lago Riding C e n tre (tel: 2 8 9 -3 9 6 0 9 9 ), a t Q u in ta do L ag o near the R ia F o rm o sa N a tu re Preserve, Q uinta Penedo (in Vale Fuzeiros, near A lbu feira ; tel: 2 8 2 -3 3 2 4 6 6 ) and C en tro H ip icoV ale de Ferro (M exilh oeira G ran d e betw een L a g o s and Praia da R och a; tel: 2 8 2 -9 6 8 4 4 4 ). A lso consider Q uinta

Bullfighting

The main d ifference betw een the Portuguese and Spanish corrida is

that in Portugal the bul! leaves the ring b lood ied but alive. D eath does

no t com e in the afternoon, but the fo llow ing m orn ing in the slaughter­

house. The Portuguese vers ion is fu rth e r sanitised in that the bull's

horns are blunted to reduce the risk o f in jury by goring.

If you w ant the colour; spectacle and strategy o f the bullfight but

w ou ld pre fer no t to see the coup de grace, then the Portuguese ver­

sion may suit you. Be aware, though, that the re is still a lo t o f b lood, and

the w ho le ep isode may we ll p rove d istastefu l.The bull is used as a pin­

cushion fo r long darts, then taunted and run to the ground. Bullfights

have lost popu larity in recen t years and are held a lm ost entire ly fo r the

benefit o f curious tourists.The on ly re so rt w hich still hosts regular bull­

fights is A lbuferia, The season lasts from M ay to Sep tem ber and the

events take place every Saturday.

Sports 85

W alk ers en joy th e view a t Fóia

da G ill, C a rv o e iro (on the N 1 2 5 ) an d Tiffany’s Riding C e n tre , V ale G rifo , A lm a- den a (betw een S ag re s an d L a g o s ; tel: 2 8 2 -6 9 7 395 ).

Tennis. T h e m o st p re sti­gious com plex is the academ y at Vale do Lobo (tel: 2 8 9 - 3 5 7 8 5 0 ), w hich h as 14 all- w eather co urts, including six th at are flood lit. C lo se by is the w ell-equipped Vilam oura Tennis C e n tre (tel: 2 8 9 -3 1 4169), w hich h as 12 courts. The Jim Stew art Tennis A cade­m y a t Q u in ta d o L a g o (tel: 2 8 9 -3 9 8 848 ) h as w eekly co ach ­ing pro gram m es on 10 h ard and tw o synthetic g ra ss courts. T h e C a rvo e iro Perform ance Tennis School (tel: 2 8 2 -3 5 7 847) on the ou tsk irts o f C arvoeiro h as 14 co urts as w ell as a p o o l an d fitness centre.

H otels w ith a g o o d num ber o f courts include the A lfa M ar, P raia da Falésia , near O lh os de A gu a (15 courts); H otel A lvor P raia , a t A lvor beach (seven co urts); an d H otel M on tech oro , near A lbufeira (eight co urts). In struction in the p leasan t sur­roun din gs o f the O cean C lub at Luz (five courts) is d em an d ­ing but rew arding. P ortim ão h as seven m unicipal h ard courts av ailab le to guests (tel: 2 8 2 -4 1 8 7 8 0 for book in g).

Walking. The beaches and cliffs along the co ast are excellent for w alking, as are the m ountains o f the Serra do M onchique. Serious hikers m ight consider the new Via Algarviana (The Al­garve Way) - or a t least a section o f it. T h is challenging and often rem ote route runs from A lcoutim on the Span ish border to C ab o de São Vicente in the far w est (243k m /150 m iles). As yet the p ath is n o t fully w aym ark ed bu t you can d o w n lo ad m aps and detailed descriptions at w w w .algarvew ay.com .

86 W hat to Do

SHOPPINGR e g io n a l h a n d ic ra fts ran ge fro m co p p e rw a re an d co rk to w ickerw ork an d w ine. Th e m o st fam o u s item s are azulejos.

What to BuyBrass, Bronze and Copper. C an d lestick s, p o ts an d pan s, old- fashioned kitchen scales, bow ls and trays can be found. Cata- planas (bronze pressu re-co o k ers u sed to m ake the n atio n a l dish) m ake delightful d ecorative o r fun ction al souven irs.

Ceramics, Pottery and Azulejos. P o rtu g a l is ren o w n e d for its co lourfu l, hand-paint-

C olou rfu l hand-painted ed an d g lazed p o tte ry an dp o tte ry from the A lgarve tile s , an d su ch item s are

g en era lly m uch le ss e x p e n ­sive in P o rtu g a l th an at h om e. T h e ro a d sid e p o tte r­ies o n the N 1 2 5 in P orch es are the best source o f ceram ­ics in the A lg arv e . Y o u can buy a single blue-and-w hite tile (azulejo), an a d d re ss p laq u e fo r y o u r h o u se , o r a batch to assem ble into a p ic­ture w hen you get hom e. O r p u rc h ase an en tire se t o f p la te s . W ith se v era l d a y s ’ notice som e sh o p s w ill p a in t tiles to o rd e r if y o u h av e a p articu lar d esign in m ind or they can co py a p h otograp h . But rem em ber th at ceram ics can be h eavy an d frag ile to ca rry h o m e; en q u ire a b o u t

sh ipping; som e potteries will tak e care o f it fo r you.

Cork. P o rtu g a l is the w o rld ’s lead in g p ro d u cer o f co rk . Y o u ’ll fin d p lace m ats, intricate sculptures an d other design s - an d it’s a ll as light as a feather.

Embroidery. E m broidered tablecloths, napkins and other item s are fo u n d th rou gh ou t the A lg arv e , e sp e c ia lly a t C h aracterfu l p o tte ry figures

street m arkets, w here they’re fo r sa le in M on carapach o

likely to be lite ra lly th ru stu p o n you . H agg lin g is ab so lu te ly accep tab le at such p laces. L o o k a lso fo r the d e lic a te h an d n ee d lew o rk o f the islan d o f M a d e ir a , ite m s th a t a re e x c e e d in g ly w ell c r a fte d b u t co m p ara tiv e ly in ex p en siv e .

Knitwear. D esp ite the generally w arm w eath er a lo n g the A lgarve, thick sw eaters, cap s an d gloves, m ost o f which com e fro m the n o rth o f P o rtu g a l, a re so m e o f the r e g io n ’s few genuine barga in s. Stalls a t the su itab ly w indy venues o f Fó ia an d Sagres are su rprisin gly g o o d value.

Leather. T h e re w a s a tim e w h en lea th e r g o o d s w ere am az in g ly ch e ap in P o rtu g a l, bu t p rices h ave risen c o n sid ­erab ly a lo n g w ith the to u r ist in flu x an d ‘E u ro p e a n isa t io n ’ . S till, i t ’s p o ss ib le to fin d fa sh io n a b le , re la tiv e ly in e x p e n ­sive sh o e s an d h a n d b a g s . P o rtim ã o is k n o w n fo r its se lec­tio n o f sh o p s .

Rugs. A ttractive an d excellently crafted h an d -m ad e rugs, m ostly from the A lentejo reg io n (north o f the A lgarve), are m ade as beautifully as they have been for centuries. The nam e to lo o k for is A rra io lo s , a type o f co lo u rfu l, ru stic-look in g w o o l ru g n am ed after a sm all tow n.

Shopping

W hat to Do

Wicker. B a g s , m a ts , fu rn itu re , p lan t-h o ld e rs , g la ss- and w ine-holders, trays - y ou nam e it, y o u ’re likely to find it.

Wine. P ortu gal’s w ine industry produces n ot only excellent tab le w ines from regions such as the D ã o , D o u ro an d A len­tejo , bu t legendary p o rt w ine, w hich com es fro m the north . V intages o f p o rt all the w ay back beyond your birth year can still be foun d in dusty bottles, but they are expensive.

Where to ShopM an y sh o p s on the A lgarve sto ck po ttery an d leather item s am o n g the u su al trinkets an d sou ven irs, bu t the m o st inter­e stin g sp o ts fo r gen u in e h a n d ic ra fts or lo ca l g o o d s are reg ional m arkets. T h ese co lo u rfu l a ffa irs are a m ix o f every­day w ares fo r lo ca l co n su m p tio n , genuine lo ca l h an d icrafts, leath er g o o d s an d c lo th in g . U su a lly h eld on ce o r tw ice a m onth in the larger reg io n al cen tres, they are p o p u la r w ith locals an d to u rists a like.

A nother option is to go directly to the artisan s’ w orksh ops. T h ese are beco m in g in creasin gly d ifficu lt to fin d , a s w hen the o ld cra ftsm e n retire , th eir d e sc e n d an ts are tu rn in g to to u r ism in ste ad o f the tr a d it io n a l w ay s . L o u lé an d M o n ­chique are p ro b ab ly y o u r best bets.

P ottery an d ce ram ic s are fo u n d in an d a ro u n d every re­sort, but route N 1 2 5 alo n g the co a st sells m ore ceram ics and p o ttery th an a lm o st an y w h ere else in P o rtu g a l. T h e sm all tow n o f Porches h as a co up le o f the to p sh o p s in the co u n ­try: O la ria A lg arve (P orch es P o ttery ; tel: 2 8 2 - 3 5 2 8 5 8 ) , w hich h as rev ived an d u p d a te d lo n g -fo rg o tte n M o o rish sty les, and C a sa A lgarve (tel: 2 8 2 -3 5 2 6 8 2 ).

Several large sh o p p in g m alls have o pen ed in the la st few y ears an d h ave p ro v ed a b ig h it w ith the P o rtu g u ese . T h e largest are A lgarve Shopping a t G u ia , n ear A lb u fe ira , an d Forum A lg arve at F a ro , bo th o ffe r in g over 1 0 0 sh o p s , as w ell a s re stau ran ts, c in em as an d crèches.

E n te r ta in m e n t 89

ENTERTAINMENTW hile Sp ain ’s southern co ast is a m agnet for osten tatiou s jet- setters w h o p arty all n ight, soph istica ted n ightlife h as never really sp ro u ted in the A lgarve. M o s t evening entertainm ent is either h otel-based o r set up specifically fo r tou rists in b ars an d d isco s. B ut in qu ieter sp o ts o f f the beaten to u rist track an d in less co m m ercia lised tow n s, y o u ’re m ore likely to find lo ca ls ou t fo r a drink.

P o p u la r re so r ts su ch a s A lb u fe ira an d P ra ia d a R o c h a th ro b nigh tly to a d isco b e at, w hile v is ito rs in sm alle r an d new er resorts m ay have to rely on their hotel for an evening’s entertainm ent. L a g o s is oneo f the few re so rts w ith a An evening o u t in Lagosg o o d se lection o f low -key b a rs an d live-m usic ven ues.T h e ‘ S tr ip ’ in the m o d e m section o f A lb u feira an d the tourist village o f M ontechoro ab o u n d w ith all-night drin k­ing an d d an c in g o p p o r tu n i­ties - few o f them c la ssy - fo r sun-scorched tourists.

C a sin o s o p era te a t P ra ia d a R o c h a , V ilam o u ra an d M o n te G o rd o . T h ey have re stau ran ts w ith flo o r show s (open to fam ilie s), w hile g am b lin g tak e s p lace in a sep arate gam in g ro o m , from m id -afte rn o o n to w ell into the fo llo w in g m orn in g . You m ust be 18 or over to gam ble an d w ill need y our p a ssp o rt

W h at to Do

or identity card . D ress is n ot form al but should be reasonab ly sm art. G am es include roulette , b lack jac k , b ac cara t an d the P ortu gu ese g am e o f ‘F rench b a n k ’ . T h e C a sin o in P raia da Rocha (Avenida Tom ás C abreira; tel: 282-415 999 ), open daily until 4 am , is particu larly popular.

A nother favourite attraction is the fado night, a t w hich d is­tinctive Portuguese fo lk m usic is perform ed. Y o u ’ll find them at bars and hotels. The quality o f perform an ces is unlikely to rival the clubs in L isb o n ’s a tm osp h eric bairros, bu t you can still get a ta ste fo r th is qu in tessen tia lly P ortu gu ese m u sical expression. There are tw o kinds o f fado. First, the m elancholic, nostalgia-tinged variety, w hose origins are unclear, which m ay have developed as a fo rm o f m ourn in g for m en lost a t sea or m ay be a relic o f the d ays o f slavery - a kind o f Iberian blues. The other fado is m uch m ore upbeat, an d , w hile lack ing the em otion al pow er o f the form er, a t least gives the audience a chance to w rin g ou t their h an d k erch ie fs. T yp ically a fado

hill....... ....in ........mmFolklore shows are regularly staged in the large resort hotels throughout

the Algarve. G irls w ear black felt hats over bright scarves, colourfu l blous­

es and aprons over skirts w ith hoops, and high-button shoes over white

knitted stockings.The swift, whirling dances may also reveal traditional long

underwear w orn in spite o f the w arm climate. M en are dressed more

soberly, w ith trousers, waistcoats, cumm erbunds and felt hats, mostly in

b lack Singers are accompanied by accordions, mouth organs and triangles.

There are basically tw o kinds o f dances: the corridinho, o r jig, w hich

are w hirling dances w ith stamping feet, and the bailes de roda, w hich

are reels o r square dances.

T h e Fonte Pequena restaurant in A lte hosts a lively fo lk lo re

evening m ost nights. L o o k in local magazines fo r details o f additiona l

fo lk lo re events.

The beaches o f the A lgarve, w ith long, sandy, gently shelving beach es fo r sm all ch ildren , an d sm all ro ck y co ves id ea l for o lder children to explore , are perfect fo r fam ily holidays. Pay attention to the beach w arn ing flags, however. G reen m eans the sea is ca lm an d a lifeguard is on duty; green p lu s a check­ered flag m eans th at the lifeguard is n ot on duty; yellow urges cau tion ; red m eans dan ger an d w arn s bath ers to stay ashore.

W ater p ark s are the m ost pop u lar choice for children aw ay from the beach. There are several scattered across the Algarve: the best are Slide & Splash (N 1 2 5 Vale de D eus, near L ag o a tel: 282-341 685) and Aqualand (N 1 2 5 , near Alcantarilha; tel: 2 8 2 -3 2 2 828 ). B oth o ffer a bus service all d ay fro m m any

A trad ition al fado tro u p e

troupe consists o f a w om an dressed in b lack accom pan ied by a co up le o f m en p lay in g aco ustic gu itars.

CHILDREN’S ALGARVE

92 W hat to Do

points along the Algarve. Atlantic Park (Q uatro Estradas, near Q uarteira; tel: 2 8 9 -3 9 7 282) has a m ountain backdrop and fea­tures a daily high-diving show. Its neighbour, Aquashow (tel: 2 8 9 -3 8 9 39 6 ), h as fewer aqu atic thrills, but both children and adults get the chance to drive scaled-dow n Form ula 1 cars on a mini racing circuit (adults need driving licences).

K razy W o rld (a lo n g the A lg o z-M essin e s ro a d , n o rth o f A lb u fe ira ; tel: 2 8 2 -5 7 4 1 3 4 ) h a s an an im al farm , m ini-zoo an d crazy go lf. M ontechoro Park h as an 18-hole m in i-golf co urse , an O lym pic-size sw im m in g p o o l an d m an y oth er f a ­cilities. O ther attractions include Zoom arine (N 1 2 5 at G uia, n ear A lb u fe ira ; tel: 2 8 9 - 5 6 0 3 0 1 ; w w w .z o o m a rin e .co m ), which com bines perform in g dolph ins an d sea lions w ith fa ir­g rou n d rides an d sw im m ing p o o ls , and Lagos Zoo (betw een B a rã o de S. T o ão an d B en safrim ), w ith an im als an d ex o tic b ird s set in lan d scap ed gard en s.

For older children, sports such a s tennis, horse riding, w ind­surfing an d even g o lf m ay prove to be excellent d iversions.

S e v era l h o te ls in the A lg arv e a re p o p u la r w ith fam ilie s an d w ell eq u ip p ed fo r en tertain in g ch ildren . M o s t h otels in

the P e sta n a ch a in , fo r e x ­am p le , h ave co m preh en sive ‘K id s C lu b ’ p ro g ra m m e s (w ith o u td o o r g a m e s, r e a d ­ing, treasure hunts, etc). Per­h ap s the best se t up o f a ll is the h u ge p la y g ro u n d an d d ay sch o o l a t the u p m ark et Sherato n A lgarve on P raia da F a lé sia . T h e hotel is one o f the r e g io n ’s m o st lu x ­u r io u s , b u t in th is c a se the ch ildren get a s m uch o u t o f it a s the paren ts .

T h e A lgarve ’s b each es are p e rfec t fo r sim ple sea s id e fun

Calendar of Events

In comparison to the flamboyant fiestas o f neighbouring Spain, Portu­gal’s festivals are low-key. But each town celebrates at least once a year on its saint’s day, so check at the tourist information office when you arrive for forthcoming events (a monthly events leaflet and other pub­lications with listings are available).

February Lisbon: Fado Festival at various sites in the city. February-March Loulé: Carnaval - parades and processions, spectac­ular flower-covered floats.March Portugal Open - golf.

March-April Holy Week. Palm Sunday, G ood Friday and Easter Day - services and processions.

April Loulé: Mãe Soberana - Pilgrimage to N ossa Senhora da Piedade. May Portimão:Algarve International Film Festival.

May-June Various locations:Algarve International Music Festival - free classical concerts by local and international musicians, plus other per­forming arts, in som e of the region’s oldest churches; Alte: May Day festivities - folk dancing and markets; Estói: Festa da Pinha (Pine Festival)

- wine and beer, barbecued chicken, dancers, accordianists and guitarists; Salir: Festa da Espiga - procession followed by fireworks and folk dancing.

July Silves Castle: International Beer Festival; Loulé: International Jazz Festival; Faro: Senhora do Carm o - festivities and fair.

August Olhão: Shellfish Festival; Pinhal do Forte Novo, Quarteira: Sar­dine Festival; C astro Marim: Senhora dos Mártires - festivities and fair. Septem ber Silves: Handicrafts Fair; Albufeira: Fishermen's festivals;

throughout Algarve: National Folklore Festival - folk music and dance. October Throughout Algarve: religious and trade fairs, including Feira

de Outubro at Monchique (famous for its market) and the Feira de Santa Iria at Faro, a lively traditional event lasting several days; various loca­tions: International Algarve C ar Rally.November Vilamoura:TAP Air Portugal Open G olf Championships. December Igreja do Carmo,Tavira: Christmas choral concert.

94

EATING OUT

M o st A lgarve co o k in g is a s u n affected a s a fish erm an ’s b arb ecu e : g rille d o r fried f ish , ch icken an d s te a k s .

W hich is n ot to say the P ortu gu ese are n ot inventive; y o u ’ll sam p le co m b in atio n s such as clam s an d p o rk , so le an d b a ­n an as, or p o rk an d figs.

Y o u ’ ll a lso fin d the sp ic y ta ste o f P o r tu g a l ’s fo rm e r co lo n ie s h a s c rep t in to the n a tio n a l cu isin e . C h ick en piri- piri (m ade fro m A n go lan p ep p ers) is a h ot an d very p o p u ­lar d ish in the A lgarve. C urrie s o c ca sio n a lly a p p e a r on the m enu, o rig in atin g fro m the form er co lon y o f G o a (in so u th ­ern India) o r A frica.

B u t m ostly , a lo n g the 1 6 0 k m (1 0 0 -m ile ) c o a s t , y o u ’ ll en joy an ex ce lle n t ra n g e o f fre sh fish an d se a fo o d . T h e se item s are n o lo n g e r c h e a p , a s m uch o f it is n o w bein g b rou gh t in fro m d istan t w aters. T h e h um ble bu t n ob le P o r­tu gu e se sa rd in e is an e x ce p tio n , an d w ith a hunk o f local rustic b read an d a bo ttle o f h ou se w ine, y ou can still fe a st

Meal TimesBreakfast (pequeno almoço) is u sually eaten any tim e up until abo ut 10am . Lunch (al­moço) is served fro m shortly after noon until 2 .3 0 p m , and d inner (jantar) ru n s fro m 7 .3 0 to 1 0 p m (or la te r in a casa de fado). S n ack s b e­tw een m eals are u su ally taken at a pastelaria (pastry an d cak e sh op), salão de chá

w ell on a sm all bu d get.

Taking coverNearly every restaurant in Portugal serves a couvert (literally, cover) - an a sso rt­ment o f appetisers, including bread and butter, that ap­pear to be free but are usu­ally not.Your bill will include a charge of anywhere from € 2 to € 8 for the items. Theoretically, if you don ’t touch them, you shouldn’t be charged for them.

(te a sh o p ), o r w h at the P o r­tu g u e se call a ‘ sn ac k b a r ’ - a sta n d -u p co u n ter se llin g sandw iches, savou ry pastries an d sw eets.

B e cau se lunch an d d inner tend to be m ajo r events, you m ay p refer the k ind o f light b re a k fa s t the P o rtu g u e se e a t: co ffe e , to a s t o r ro lls , b u tter an d jam . H o te ls u su ­ally prov ide large A m erican- style bu ffets.

StartersA s soon as you sit dow n you w ill be served a pre-starter sn ack th at m ay co n sist o f bread, butter and a co m bin a­tion o f o lives, sard in e p a ste Freshly caught fish

an d cream cheese (this isn ’tcom plim entary and w ill be on your bill as a cover charge).

H e arty sta r te rs a lw ay s in clude a ch oice o f so u p s - som e v egetab le so u p s , th ick en ed w ith p o ta to e s , can be a lm o st a m eal in them selves. Fish so u p is v ariab le bu t gaspacho, the P o rtu g u ese v ersio n o f the co ld A n d a lu s ia n to m a to -b a se d so u p , is u sually g o o d .

F an s o f sm o k ed fo o d have tw o trea ts in store. T h e first is sm o k ed h am (presunto fumado) - the best co m in g from C h av es, the north ern m ost provin ce o f P ortu gal (although M onchique ham is also highly regarded). The second is sm oked sw o rd fish (espadarte fumado), w hich is a qu ite sim ilar to sm o k ed sa lm o n but h as a g rain ier tex tu re an d is less sw eet. M o st restaurants a lso have a range o f international starters.

-

C ataplana - a regional dish

Fish and SeafoodBesides sard in es, tuna is the to p fish a lo n g the A lgarve. It is u su ally served a s a ste a k , w ith a lm o n d s, o r in a th ick stew (estufado). P raw n s, c rab s , lo b sters an d fresh fish are alw ays their ow n best advertisem en t, an d you w ill see them all over the A lgarve either refrigerated in a w in d ow d isp lay or, in the case o f large sh ellfish , co u n tin g their d a y s in an aq u ariu m w aitin g for y our se lection . M o s t shellfish an d som e fish are so ld on a price-per-k ilogram b asis .

L o b ste r a n d fish p r ice d o n a w e ig h t b a s is a re o ften b ro u g h t to the tab le fo r a preview . U n le ss y ou h a p p e n to be o n an e x p e n se a c c o u n t, th is is the m o m e n t to a sk the e x a c t co st. L a rg e sh ellfish can be very ex p en siv e , so m ak e sure you get a p ro p e r an sw er to a v o id p ro b le m s w hen the b ill a r r iv e s . T h e re a re tw o k in d s o f lo b s te r : a lavagante (w ith la rg e fro n t c la w s) a n d the lagostim o r lagosta (the sp in y lo b ste r o r c ra y fish , w ith o u t c la w s). S im ilarly , there

Fish and Seafood

are tw o k in d s o f c ra b : the sapateira is a b ig A tlan tic type, the santola is a sp id er crab .

L o o k o u t fo r the fo llow in g reg io n al se a fo o d dishes:Açorda de marisco. A sp icy, g a r lic - flav o u re d b re ad an d

se a fo o d so u p bak ed in a cassero le , w ith raw eggs fo lded into the m ixtu re a t the tab le (a lso served a s a starter).

Amêijoas à bulhão pato. C lam s, fried or steam ed w ith g a r­lic an d coriander.

Arroz de marisco. S e a fo o d r iso tto .Bife de Atum. A beefy fillet o f tu n a ste a k , m ar in a ted in

w ine o r vinegar, salt, garlic an d bay leaves, then co o k ed with o n ion an d p erh ap s bacon .

Caldeirada de peixe. T h e A lg arv e v ersio n o f the French b o u illab a isse , a rich , filling m ixed fish stew including p o ta ­to e s, on io n s, to m ato e s, p ep p ers , w ine an d spices.

Cataplana. T h e regio n ’s m ost individual d ish , nam ed after the co p p er pressu re-co ok er in w hich it is p repared . Th e dish varies, but it is basically a co m b in ation o f se a fo o d , w hich a l­w ay s in c ludes c la m s (amêijoas), p lu s sa lam i-sty le sa u sa g e , h am , on ion , garlic , p a p r ik a , ch illi, p arsley an d w hite w ine.

Choquinbos con tinta. C uttlefish served in their ow n ink.

Bacalhau

Cod , o r bacalhau, is pretty much the national dish o f Portugal.The Por­

tuguese have been drying and salting cod since th e ir first sea voyages

to N ew found land in 15 0 1. Strangely, even though fresh fish is available

on th e ir ow n doorstep, they still p re fe r to ship in th is relatively e xpen ­

sive, p reserved fish. Preserving gives it a fu lle r flavour (though this is not

always apparen t w hen it is cassero led w ith many o th e r ingredients).

Th ere are dozens o f recipes fo r bacalhau, th e m ost com m on on the

A lga rve being à bras - fried w ith on ions and potatoes, then baked w ith

a topp ing o f beaten eggs.

98 Eating Out

Espadarte. Sw ord fish , o ften a grilled fillet steak . O n som e m enus it’s listed as peixe agulha. D o n ’t co n fu se it w ith peixe espada, a long thin fish , usually tran slated a s ‘sc ab b ard fish ’ .

Salada de polvo. O cto p u s sa lad .Sardinhas. T h e b e st-v a lu e fish d ish y o u ’ ll en jo y o n the

A lgarve; p lu m p , juicy, crisp ly grilled an d served w ith boiled potatoes. N o te that fresh sardines are only available from June to O ctober, though at P ortim ão you w ill get them year-round.

Meat and PoultryCabrito assado (no forno). B ak e d k id ; n o t a co m m o n d ish , but w orth seeking ou t. Cabrito estufado is k id stew ed with

Fresh m eat at the Loulé marketto m ato es an d vegetab les.

Carne de porco com amêi­joas. A n im p ro b ab le bu t e x ­cellent co m bin ation o f clam s an d ro a st p o rk , p ro b ab ly in­v en ted in the A le n te jo , b u t ad o p te d by the A lgarve.

Favas à Algarvia. P o rk an d b ro ad bean stew.

Feijoada. A hearty B raz il­ian d ish c o n sistin g o f d ried b e a n s an d c a b b a g e stew ed w ith p o rk , s a u sa g e , b a c o n an d w h atever else o f the pig is a t h an d (often the feet).

Frango piri-piri. W h at y o u m o st need to k n o w a b o u t a piri-piri p rep aratio n is th a t it ’s h o t. C h ick en (frango), u su ally , is co o k e d o r b a s te d w ith tiny red ch illi p e p p e rs fro m A n go la

T a b le W in e s

(y o u ’ ll see th em stru n g as n ecklaces in the m arket).

Galinha cerejada. R o a s t ch icken served w ith sm ok ed m eats an d rice.

Leitão. R o ast suckling pig, served h ot or co ld .

B ife/Steak à Portuguesa.S teak fried w ith g arlic , top p ed with h am an d a fried e gg , an d se rv ed in a c a s se ­ro le d ish su rro u n d e d by sau téed p o ta to es.

DessertT h e A lg arv e , w ith a read y su p p ly o f a lm o n d s an d figs, excels a t sw eet d esserts. B oth are em p loy ed in a variety o f cak e s an d ta r ts , in c lu d in g tarte de amêndoa, a lm o n d tart. O th er sw eets w o rth try in g are arroz doce, rice p u d d in g to p p ed w ith c in n am on ; an d pudim flan, crèm e caram el.

P ortuguese cheese (queijo) is a lso an excellent dessert. The richest is serra da estrela, cured ew e’s m ilk cheese fro m the country’s highest m ountains. It takes three hours to m ake each sm all cheese by h and an d it is only availab le from D ecem ber to April. O utside o f this you ’ll have to m ake do with tipo serra, a harder, factory-m ade cheese. O ther cheeses include flamen­go (sim ilar to E dam ) an d saloio, a cream y co ttage cheese.

Table WinesP o rtu g u ese w in es, w hile n o t a s w ell k n o w n a s th o se fro m Sp ain an d F ran ce , are u n iform ly g o o d , an d several reg io n s p ro d u ce truly excellent w ines. Y ou need only tell the w aiter tinto (red) or branco (w hite) an d you can ’t go w rong.

Fruits abound in the gentle Algarvian climate

100 Eating Out

Vinho verde (green w in e), p ro d u ced in n orth w est P o rtu ­g a l, is a y oun g w hite w in e, sligh tly fizzy, ligh t an d deligh t­ful. A lesser-know n type is red w ine fro m the sam e regio n , bearin g the seem in gly o x y m o ro n ic n am e vinho verde tinto (red green w in e). B o th o f th ese w in es sh o u ld be served chilled, as sh ou ld P ortuguese rosé, w hich is a lso slightly b u b­bly an d m ay be either sw eet o r very dry. Vinhos maduros are m atu re , or aged , w ines.

Vinho espumante is P ortu gu ese sp ark lin g w ine, p ack age d in a C h am p agn e-sh ap ed bottle . M o s t are sw eet bu t you can a lso find som e relatively dry version s.

Sev eral o f the b e st w in e-p ro d u c in g reg io n s h ave n am es w h o se u se is c o n tro lle d by la w (região dem arcada). T h e D ã o an d D o u ro in the n orth o f P o rtu g a l p ro d u c e v ig o ro u s red s a n d f la v o u r so m e w h ite s . W in es fro m th e A le n te jo are a lso h igh ly reg ard ed . O f the lo ca l w in es, y ou are m o st

Vineyard near CacelaVelha

Coffee and Tea 10 i

likely to see the L a g o a label, p a ck in g m o re o f a pu n ch th an average w ine. Portuguese beers are good

and refreshing. Light or dark, they are served chilled, bottled or from the tap. One of the best and

Other Alcoholic DrinksT h e tw o m o st ce leb rate dP o rtu gu ese w in es, p o r t an d most C0mm0n is Sagres.M a d e ira , are m ostly kn ow nas dessert w ines, but they m ay a lso be sipped as aperitifs. The before-d inn er varieties are dry o r ex tra dry w hite p o rt, and the dry M a d e ir a s , Sercial an d Verdelbo. T h e se sh o u ld be served sligh tly ch illed . A fter dinner, sip one o f the fam o u s ruby or taw n y p o rts (aged taw n ys are especially go o d ) or a M ad e ira d essert w ine, such a s Boal or Malvasia (M alm sey). T w o lo ca l w ines th at m ak e excellent aperitifs are Algar Seco a n d Afonso III. R e m in isce n t o f sherry, bo th co m e from L a g o a an d are served chilled.

L o c a l after-d in n er sp e c ia lit ie s in c lud e aguardente de medronho, a bran d y d istilled fro m the fru it o f the arbu tu s tree. B len d ed w ith honey, it ’s ca lle d medronheira de mel. E q u ally p ow erfu l is bagaço, or bagaceira, a firew ater m ade from grape residue in the sam e w ay as the French m ake marc an d the Ita lian s grappa.

Coffee and TeaW hen th ey w a n t a c o ffe e , m o st P o rtu g u e se o rd er a bica, w h ich is a sm a ll e s p re s so . I f th a t ’s a litt le to o sm a ll fo r y o u , o rd er a duplo, a double . T ak e one bica, ad d w ater, an d y ou h ave a carioca; a few d ro p s o f m ilk tra n sfo rm s it in to a garoto.

A w hite co ffee in a café is a galão, served in a tall g la ss. In a restau ran t y ou w o u ld ord er a café com leite. T ea (chá) h as been drun k in P ortu gal as long a s it h as been kn ow n to the W estern w orld .

102 Eating Out

To HelpYou Order ...

C o u ld w e have a tab le? Q u erem o s um a m esa.D o you have a Tem um a em enta turística?

set-price m enu?I’d like a /an /som e ... Q u e ria ...

beer um a cerveja m in eral w ater água m inerai

the bill a conta n apk in guardanapobread pão sa la d saladabutter m anteiga sa lt saldessert sobrem esa san dw ich sanduíchefish peixe so u p sopafruit fruta su gar açúcarice cream gelado tea chám eat carne v egetab les legum esm enu a ca rta w ine vinhom ilk leite w ine list carta de vinhos

... and Read the Menu

alho garlic lom bo filletam eijoas bab y clam s lulas sq u idarroz rice m ariscos shellfishassado ro a st m exilhões m u sselsbacalhau co dfish ostras oystersbesugo sea bream ovo eggdobrada tripe pescada hakedourada sea b ass pescadinha w hitingfeijões bean s polvos b ab y o c to p u sfrito fried queijo cheesegam bas p raw n s salm onete red m ulletlagosta sp iny lob ster tru ta trou tlenguado sole vitela veal

103

HANDY TRAVEL TIPSAn A-Z Summary of Practical Information

A Accommodation . , 104

A irp o rt ....................... 104

B Bicycle Hire ............. 105Budgeting for

Yo urTrip ............... 105C Cam ping..................... 107

Car H ire .................... 07

C lim ate ....................... 108Clothing ..................... 109Crime and Safety . 109Customs and Entry

Requirements . . 1 10D Driving ....................... 1 10

E Electricity .................. 1 13Embassies and

Consulates.......... 1 13Emergencies .......... 1 14

G Gay and LesbianTravellers ............. 14

Getting to theAlgarve .................. 1 15

Guides and Tours . 1 16H Health and

Medical Care . . . 1 16

H olidays..................... 118L Language ..................118

; M M aps............................ 119Media ..........................119Money .......................120

O Opening Hours . . . 121| P Police .......................... 121

Post Offices .............122Public Transport . . 122

R Religion.......................124S Sm oking.................... 124T Telephone ............... 124

Time Z o n e s .............125T ip p ing .......................125To ile ts ..........................125

TouristInformation . . . . 125

Travellers withDisabilities.............126

W Websites andInternet Cafés . . 126

Weights andMeasures .............127

Y Youth Hostels . . . . 127

Travel Tips

A C C O M M O D A T IO N

(see also CAMPING,YOUTH HOSTELS and RECOMMENDED HOTELS)

Besides hotels, which range in an official category from 1 to 5 stars (not directly related to price), you ’ll find apartbotels (one- or two- bedroom with kitchenette, occasionally called aldeamentos) as well as a selection o f accom m odation variously categorised by overlap­ping and confusing nam es. A sm all, basic guest house is labelled a pensão or residencial (pension); quinta and estalagem refer to an inn or rural estate, and albergaria is generally a 4 -5 star inn. A pou­sada is a governm ent-ow ned (but now privately m anaged) hotel, often but not alw ays in an historic building. There are three in the Algarve - in Sagres, Sao Brás de Alportel and Tavira - and another to be opened in the Palace o f Estói in 2 009 .

M an y tour operators bo ok blocks at large, m odern (and often undistinguished) hotels on or near beaches. If you wish to be on the beach, m ake sure that w hat is described as a ‘sea view ’ is not one that requires binoculars to see the distant ocean.

I’d like a sin gle /d oub le ro o m . Q u e ria um quartosim ples/duplo.

with b a th /sh o w er com banho/chuveiroW h at’s th e r a te p e r night? Q ual é o preço por noite?

A IR P O R T (aeroporto)

Faro International A irport (w w w .ana.pt), serving the A lgarve, is 7km (4 miles) from Faro, the regional capital. It’s just a 10-minute taxi ride to Faro, and about half an hour by car to Albufeira. Buses leave regularly for Faro ’s Eva bus terminal, departure point for buses serving destinations throughout the Algarve. Taxi or minibus trans­fers from the airport can be booked at reasonable rates via www.

B u d g e tin g fo r Y o u r Trip

faroairporttran sfer.com (sam ple co st for 1 -4 passengers to A l­bufeira, one way, €32). You can pay online or on arrival a t the air­port. A irport facilities include car-hire agencies, a tourist office, bank, A TM and shops.Airport Inform ation, tel: 289-800 800 (arrival and departure times, tel: 289-800 801).TAP Air Portugal reservations, tel: 707-205 700 ; w w w .flytap.com .

W h e re can I g e t a tax i? O n d e posso enco n trar um taxi? P lease tak e th e se bags. Leve-m e a baggagem, por favor.

____________________ B _________________

B IC Y C L E H IR E (aluguer de bicicleta)

M ost resort hotels have bicycles for hire. If yours does not, the m ajor resorts all have scooter and bike rental shops. A m ong those are Zebra Safari (Areias de S. Jo ão , Albuferia; tel: 289-583 300), M oura- bike in V ilam oura (tel: 91-727 0801) and M otoride in Lagos (Rua José Afonso, 23 ; tel: 282-761 720). Expect to pay from €10 per day.

B U D G E T IN G F O R Y O U R T R IP

The season when you go will have much to do with the cost o f your trip. H otel rates rise astonishingly during the sum m er months.

Accom modation. H otels at the top levels are com parable to large European cities. In high sum m er season (Ju ly-A ugust especially), hotel prices are exorbitant - often double w hat they cost in off-sea- son. O utside high season, m any hotels at the two-, three- and four- star ratings are excellent value. In high season, a double room with bath per night in a 3-star hotel averages € 1 0 0 -4 0 ; 4 -star hotel, € 1 5 0 -2 0 0 ; 5-star hotel, € 2 5 0 -5 0 0 . Pousadas generally range from € 1 4 0 -2 0 0 for a double room.

Travel Tips

Meals. Even top-rated restaurants m ay be surprisingly affordable com pared to m ost European cities. Portuguese wines are quite good and very attractively priced, even in fine restaurants. A three-course meal with wine in a reasonable establishm ent averages about € 3 0 - 40 per person. M ost hotels offer half- and full-board plans. Conti­nental or full-buffet breakfast is nearly alw ays included in the price o f hotels.

Local transport. Buses and taxis are reasonably priced. Local buses are less than €2; a tax i from F aro airport to Faro centre (4km /2’/2 miles) is € 1 0 -1 2 plus luggage (a supplem ent o f 20 percent is levied on weekends, public holidays and between 10pm and 6am ). Taxis can be hired for day trips for set fees; check with the local tourist office for a list o f trips.

C a r hire. It’s a good idea to hire a car in order to allow m axim um flexibility, but be sure to budget for the cost of petrol, which is cost­ly, as in m ost o f Europe. Econom y car hire is cheaper than in m ost parts o f Europe; expect it to run between €20 and €50 per day (in­cluding co llision insurance and taxes). You m ay find even better bargains at local firms.

Organized excursions. These cost € 1 5 -2 5 for a half day, € 3 5 -5 0 for a whole day, including lunch.

Activities. It costs about €9 0 -1 6 0 for golf for an 18-hole cham pion­ship course (or € 5 0 -9 0 for 9 holes); € 7 0 -8 0 per day for big-game fishing (spectators €50); horse riding, € 2 0 -4 0 per hour; and tennis € 8 -1 4 per hour per court. Instruction for m ost sports ranges from € 2 5 ^ -0 per hour.

Nightlife and entertainment. C osts vary widely. Expect cover fees at d iscos to range from € 8 -2 0 , which usually includes first drink;

Car Hire 107

casino entrance is €10 . Entrance to w aterparks generally costs around €20 for adults and €15 for children.

cC A M P IN G (campismo)

C am psites are categorised from 1-4 stars. Public sites are open to all paying cam pers; private sites, m arked with the letter ‘P’, are only open to m em bers o f the cam psite operator, the Portuguese C am p­ing Federation or holders o f a C am ping Carnet. M any o f the sites are w ithin easy reach o f the beach. They range from very cheap, basic grounds to vast recreational centres with restaurants, pools and sports facilities.

C am p in g on beaches, or indeed anyw here ou tside recognised sites, is illegal. D etails on all A lgarve cam psites are available from tourist in form ation offices, or visit w w w .roteiro-cam pista.pt for inform ation and prices.

Is th e re a cam p site n ear h ere? H á algum parque decam pism o por aqui perto?

May w e cam p h ere? Podem os acam p ar aqui?W e have a caravan (trailer). Tem os um a caravana.

C A R H IRE (de aluguer; see also DRIVING)

C ars can be picked up at the m ain airports where the m ajor car-hire com panies have their outlets. However it is normally cheaper to re­serve a car in advance.

You m ust be at least 21 and have held a valid national (or inter­national) driving licence for at least one year. Rental companies will accept your home country national driver’s licence. Third-party in­surance is included in the basic charge but a collision dam age w aiv­er (CDW) and personal accident policy m ay be added. You will need

Travel Tips

to present a passport or ID, a recognised credit card or a significant cash deposit when booking.

A value-added ta x (IVA) is added to the total charge, but will have been included if you have pre-paid the car hire before arrival. Third-party insurance is required and included, but full collision coverage is advisable as well. M any credit cards autom atically in­clude this if you use the card to pay for the car, but be sure to ver­ify this before you leave home.

If you wish to drive in Spain too , you m ay need to pay extra in­surance. A basic econom y car is likely to average € 2 0 -5 0 per day (including collision insurance and taxes). There is a sm all additional charge for an extra driver. M ake sure you return the car with a full tank o f fuel - there are hefty charges if you fail to do so.

I'd like to hire a c a r Q u e ria alugar um carrofo r to d ay /to m o rro w para hoje/am anhãfo r o n e day/a w e ek por um dia/um a sem ana

P lease include full in su ran ce . Q u e inclua um seguro co ntratodos os riscos, por favor.

CLIMATE

The Algarve’s climate is generally warm all year round, with rare ex­tremes. Winter evenings can occasionally be chilly, and hot periods in July and August may prove stifling to those who prefer milder weath­er. Spring and autumn are the best seasons to travel in the Algarve.

J F M A M J ) A S O N D

A ir °C 12 12 14 15 18 21 23 24 22 18 15 13°F 54 54 57 59 64 69 73 75 72 64 59 55

Sea °C 15 16 17 18 19 21 21 20 19 18 16 14°F 59 61 62 64 66 69 69 67 66 64 61 57

Crime and Safety 109

C L O T H IN G (roupa)

D ress is casual in alm ost all parts o f the A lgarve. The exceptions are certain luxury hotels and restaurants, as well as casinos, where sm art (though never form al) attire is appreciated.

Pack a sweater or jacket, even in sum m er as evenings can turn quite cool. Winters are mild with the occasional shower, so a light rainproof jacket may come in handy. It’s cooler in the mountains and also in Lis­bon and its environs, so dress warmer if you plan on including these.

C R IM E A N D S A F E T Y (segurança; see also EMERGENCIES and POLICE)

As a m ajor tourist area, the Algarve experiences m ore petty crime than other parts o f Portugal, though crimes involving violence against tourists are very rare. Theft from hire cars is the m ost common crime targeting tourists. In rural areas the problem is far less acute, but in resorts and where cars are left unattended for a period o f time (at beach parking areas, beauty spots, etc) the risk is high.

Burglaries o f holiday apartm ents, though less com m on than car theft, also occur, so be on your guard to the best extent possible.

As a rule, never leave anything in your car, even if it is out o f sight and locked in the boot. Keep valuables in the hotel safe and refrain from carrying large sum s o f money or w earing expensive jewellery on the street. Do not leave bags and cameras unattended on the beach.

R eport any theft to the hotel receptionist, the nearest police sta­tion, or the local tourist office. You m ust report any losses to the local police within 24 hours and obtain a copy o f your statement for insurance purposes.

If you are going to Lisbon, beware that the city is infam ous for its p ick pockets, particu larly on the M etro , the buses and R ossio square. Some people m ay not feel com fortable w alking in the Bair­ro Alto or A lfam a areas at night unless in a group.

I w an t to r e p o r t a theft. Q u ero p artic ip ar um roubo.

Travel Tips

C U S T O M S A N D E N T R Y R E Q U IR E M E N T S (alfândega)

A m ericans, British, C anadians and m any other nationalities need only a valid passport - no visa - to visit Portugal. EU nationals m ay enter with an identity card. The length o f stay authorised for m ost tourists is 90 days (60 for US and C anadian citizens).

The Portuguese-Span ish border scarcely serves as a frontier anym ore and visitors can com e and go easily, though you should carry identification.

Currency restrictions. Under European Union regulations, travellers entering and leaving the EU must declare amounts of €10,000 or more.

Custom s. Free exchange o f non-duty-free good s for personal use is perm itted between Portugal and other EU countries. However, duty-free items are subject to restrictions: check before you go.

I’ve n oth ing to d eclare . N ão tenho nada a declarar. It’s fo r my p e rso n al u se . É para uso pessoal.

D R IV IN G (see also C a r Hire and Emergencies)

Driving can be the best w ay to see the Algarve, but, especially in high season, traffic can test one’s patience. It can also be costly, as petrol and rental charges are likely to outpace the cost o f public transport.

Road conditions. The southern Algarve coastline is served by the N acional 125 (abbreviated to the ‘N 1 2 5 ’ ). Parallel to this road is the new A 22 or E01 (also called the Via do Infante, IP1), which runs from Spain as far w est as L ago s. T h is ro ad links in with the A2 m otorw ay going north to Lisbon. The Via do Infante has helped di­vert traffic from the N 1 2 5 , which in summer can become a bumper-

Driving

to-bum per nightm are. Exercise care at ail tim es on this road ; the accident rate is one o f the highest in Europe.

In rural areas, beware o f such rustic hazards as herds o f sheep or goats around the next bend, unlit donkeys and carts at night, trac­tors, hay carts, etc. If driving to Lisbon, allow at least three hours. In high season the m otorw ay can be quite congested, and once you reach the centre o f L isbon traffic slow s to a crawl.

Rules and regulations. The rules o f the road are the same as in most W estern European countries. At roun dabouts the vehicle on the roun dabout has priority unless road m arkings or lights indicate otherwise. Local driving standards are im proving but are still errat­ic. Speed limits are 120kph (75mph) on m otorways, 90kph (56mph) on m ain roads and 50kph (37mph) in urban areas. C ars towing car­avans (trailers) are restricted to 50kph (31mph) in towns and 70kph (45mph) on the open road and m otorw ays. M ost m otorw ays have tolls (portagems) but the A 22 is free o f charge. The Portuguese rou­tinely disregard speed limits, but that doesn’t mean you should.

Seat belts are m andatory, and children under 12 cannot sit in the front seat unless strapped into a special child restraint. You can be fined on the sp o t for not carrying your licence, p assp o rt, or car- rental docum ents; for ignoring parking restrictions; for using m o­bile phones w ithout hands-free equipm ent; and for drink-driving (limit 0.5m g/l).

If you take your own car, you need only your national driving li­cence, car registration papers and an International M otor Insurance certificate. Com prehensive coverage is highly recom m ended. A w arning triangle is also compulsory.

Fuel. Fuel by the litre is expensive in Portugal. Prices should be the sam e - or very close to it - everywhere you go. Some petrol stations are 24-hour, and all accept credit cards. Filling up anywhere near the N 1 2 5 is easy, but petrol stations are sparse in some inland regions.

Travel Tips

Parking. Parking in m ost tow ns and resorts is m anageable. D on ’t disregard no-parking signs: your car m ay be tow ed away. Certain areas are metered and others are ‘Blue Z on es’ where you m ust buy a ticket from a machine. C ar parks and garages are also available.

If you need help. There are orange SO S telephones stationed about every 3km (2 miles) on m ain roads. If you belong to a m otoring or­gan isation affiliated with the A utom óvel C lube de Portugal (tel: 808-502 502), you can m ake use o f their services free o f charge. The emergency num ber for police and am bulance is 112.

Road signs. Standard international p ictogram s are used in Portu­gal, but you might also encounter the follow ing signs: altocruzamento curva perigosa desvioencruzilhadaestacionamento permitido estacionamento proibido guiar com cuidado obras/fim de obras

paragem de autocarro parepassagem proibidapedestres/peõesperigoposto de socorros proibida a entrada saída de camiões seguir pela direita/esquerda sem saída

haltcrossroads dangerous bend diversion crossroads parking allow ed no parking drive with care road w orks (men w orking)/

end o f road w orks sus stop stopno entry pedestrians danger first-aid post no entrylorry (truck) exit keep right/left no through road

Embassies and Consulates

sentido proibido sentido único silêncio stoptrabalhos trânsito proibido velocidade máxima

no entry one-way street silence zone stoproad w orks (men working) no through traffic m axim um speed

A re w e on the right road fo r ...? É esta a estrada para ...?Fill th e tan k w ith super, p le ase . E nch a o depósito de super,

por favor.C h e ck th e o il/ty res/ Verifique o óleo/os pneus/

battery , p le ase . a bateria , se faz favor.I’ve brok en d ow n. O m eu carro está avariado.T h e re ’s b een an acciden t. H ouve um acidente.

E L E C T R IC IT Y (electricidade, luz)

Stan dard throughout P ortugal is 220-vo lt, 50-cycle A C . US and British appliances m ay require an adaptor, and those from N orth America will also need a transformer.

E M B A SSIE S A N D C O N S U L A T E S (embaixada; consulado)

Consulates in the Algarve:British Consulate (C on su lado da G rã Bretanha, which handles Com monwealth nationals): Largo Francisco A M aurício, 7, I o; Por­tim ão; tel: 282-490 750.Canadian Consulate (Consulado de C anadá): R ua Frei Lourenço de Sta M aria 1, 1st floor, Portado 79; Faro; tel: 289-803 757). Em bassies in Lisbon:Australia: Av. da Liberdade 200 ; tel: 213-101 500.

114 Travel Tips

Canada (Embassy/Consulate): Av. da Liberdade 198-200 , 3rd floor; tel: 213-164 600.Republic of Ireland (Em bassy/C onsulate): R u a da Im presa à E s­trela 1; tel: 213-929 440.South A frica (Em bassy ): Avenida L u is B ivar 10 /10 A ; tel: 213- 192 200 .United Kingdom (Em bassy): R ua de São Bernardo 33 ; tel: 213- 924 000.U S A (Em bassy/C onsulate): Avenida d as Forças A rm adas 16; tel: 217-702 122.M o st em b assies an d co n su la te s are open M o n -F ri from 9 or 10am until 4 .3 0 or 5pm , with a break in the m iddle o f the day o f 1 -3 hours.

E M E R G E N C IE S (urgência)

D ial I 12 for m edical, police and general emergencies in the whole o f Portugal.

The hospitals at Faro (tel: 289-891 100) and Portim ão (tel: 282- 4 5 0 330) have bancos de urgência (emergency w ards). Som e hos­pitals can also handle dental emergencies. For trouble on the road such as a breakdow n, see page 112.

GG A Y A N D L E SB IA N T R A V E L LE R S

In a country heavily influenced by the C atholic Church, attitudes tow ards gays are not as to leran t as elsew here in E urope , though in tourist-dom inated enclaves o f the A lgarve, such as ‘the S trip ’ in A lb u fe ira , g ay trave lle rs w ill fin d acc o m m o d atin g b ars and re stau ran ts. The w ebsite w w w .portugalgay .p t co n tain s a travel gu ide w ith in fo rm atio n in English an d oth er lan gu age s. It has som e specific in form ation relating to the A lgarve and a m essage board.

G e tt in g t o th e A lg a rv e

G E T T IN G T O T H E A L G A R V E (see also A irpo rt)

Air travel. Faro International Airport is served by numerous low- cost, charter and scheduled airlines from the UK, operating from over 25 airports. TAP Portugal (www.flytap.com), the national Portuguese air­line, operates daily flights from H eathrow to Faro; British Airways (w w w .ba.com ) has a daily service (4 times daily in season) from Gatwick to Faro. Low-cost carriers include easyjet (www.easyjet.com), M onarch Airlines (www.monarch.co.uk) and Thom as Cook (www.fly thomascook.com). From the US the only direct flights to Portugal are from New York to Lisbon, with connecting flights to Faro.

Faro In ternational A irport is 7km (4 miles) from F aro , the regional capital. For airport inform ation, tel: 289-800 800.

By car. M any travellers each year take their cars from other points in Europe by m ajor highways through Spain and Portugal. British travellers can take their car across the Channel to France or Bel­gium and make the drive from there, although the trip is likely to take 3 or 4 days.

The distance from C alais to the Algarve is over 2 ,000km (1 ,250 miles). You can cut driving time by taking the car-ferry service from Plymouth to Santander in northern Spain (a 20-hour trip), but this still leaves a drive o f over 10 hours to the Algarve.

By rail. The Portuguese national railway network is called Comboios de Portugal (tel: 808-208 208; www.cp.pt). Portugal is linked to the European railway network; connections to Lisbon are possible from points throughout Spain, France and the rest o f continental Europe. Travel to and within Portugal is included on any InterRail Pass.

London to Lisbon by rail takes around 24 hours, going via Eurostar to Paris, from Paris to Irún on the Spanish border by T G V and from Irún to Lisbon on the Sud-Express. Lisbon and the Algarve are now linked by a direct, high-speed train. The service departs from Lisbon’s Oriente station. The journey time to Faro has been reduced to 3 hours.

16 Travel Tips

B y s e a . Lisbon is a m ajor port, and several cruise ships include a port-of-call in the cap ital. From Britain , Brittany Ferries (www. brittany-ferries.co.uk) sails twice weekly from Plym outh to San ­tander in northern Spain (around 20 hours) and P & O Ferries (www. poferries.com ) goes four times a week from Portsm outh to Bilbao (28 hours). The drive from Bilbao to the A lgarve is likely to take another 15 to 18 hours.

G U ID E S A N D T O U R S (guias; visitas guiadas)

A num ber o f guided day-trip itineraries are available through a l­m ost all hotels and a m yriad o f local travel agencies and tour op­erators. These include: Seville in Spain, Lisbon, the River G uadiana, Silves and M onchique, Sagres, Lagos and the w est, Loulé m arket and Alte, and jeep safaris. If you w ould like a personal guide to a particular place, the nearest tourist office or travel agency should be able to direct you to qualified local guides. D ay trips can be arranged with tax i drivers at set fees; again, see the local tourist in­form ation office for details.

B oat trips explorin g the n ook s and crannies o f the fam ous Barlavento (west) coast are a popular choice; they depart from sev­eral points west o f V ilam oura, m ost notably from Portim ão.

Tourism offices in A lbufeira, T avira, F aro and São Brás de Al- portel offer guided w alks o f the historical centres o f towns.

W e’d like an English-speaking Q uerem os um a guia que fale guide/an English interpreter, inglês/um intérprete de inglês.

_________________H________________H EA LTH A N D M E D IC A L C A R E (see also Emergencies)

Standards o f hygiene are generally very high; the m ost likely illness to befall travellers will be due to an excess o f sun or alcohol. Tap

Health and Medical Care

water is safe to drink, but bottled water is alw ays safest and is avail­able everywhere. Even m ost local people drink bottled water, either água com gas (carbonated) or sem gas (still). M osquitoes are com ­m on in summer; an anti-m osquito device that plugs into your wall and em its a vapour noxious to the insect but not to you, is avail­able at airport shops.

Farmácias (chemists) are open during norm al business hours and are recognisable by an illum inated green cross sign. At other times one shop in each neighbourhood is on duty round the clock. A d­dresses are listed in new spapers.

For more serious illness or injury, all principal Algarve towns and resorts have hospitals, and many doctors are multilingual (most can speak English rem arkably well). There are a lso a num ber o f ex ­patriate doctors at m edical clinics and health centres throughout the region. Tourist offices carry lists o f English-speaking doctors. The Red C ross (Cruz Vermelha) can be contacted in Faro (tel: 289- 899 900) and Portim ão (tel: 282-760 611).

M edical insurance to cover illness or accident while abroad is a good investment. EU nationals with a European Health Insurance C ard (EHIC) obtained well before departure can receive free emer­gency treatm ent at Social Security and M unicipal hospitals in Por­tugal. Privately billed hospital visits are expensive.

1 W h e re ’s the n e a re s t (all-night) O nde fica a farm ácia (depharm acy? serv iço) m ais próxim a?

1 n eed a d o c to r/d e n tist . Preciso de um m édico/um adentista.

I’m n o t feeling well. N ão m e sinto bem .an am bulance am bulânciah osp ital hospitalan u p se t sto m ach m al do estôm agosu n stro k e u m a insolação

Travel Tips

H O L ID A Y S (feriado)

National holidays:1 January Ano Novo25 April 1 M ay 10 June 15 August5 O ctober 1 N ovem ber 1 December8 December

25 December Movable dates:Carnaval Sexta-feira Santa Corpo de Deus

Dia da Liberdade Dia do Trabalho Dia de Portugal AssunçãoHeróis da República Todos-os-Santos Dia da Independência Imaculada Conceição

Natal

N ew Year’s D ay Revolution D ay L abour D ay N ation al D ay Assum ption Republic D ay All Saints’ Day Independence D ay Im m aculate

Conception C hristm as D ay

Shrove Tuesday G ood Friday C orpus Christi

In addition, every town closes down and takes to the streets at least once a year in honour o f its ow n patron saint. See the C alendar of Events for other events (page 93).

A re you o p en to m o rro w ? Estão aberto s am anhã? W hen d o you c lo se? Q uando fecha?

L A N G U A G E

Your senior-school Spanish m ay help with signs and menus, but will not unlock the mysteries o f spoken Portuguese. The Portuguese in Portugal is much more closed and guttural-sounding and is also spo­ken much faster than that in Brazil. A surprising num ber o f people in the Algarve speak passable and even fluent English. The Berlitz

M ed ia

Portuguese Phrasebook & Dictionary covers m ost situations you’re likely to encounter during a visit to Portugal.

MM A PS

The Algarve is a relatively sm all region, linked east to west by the A 22 and the N 1 2 5 , so orientation is easy. The red, green and yel­low ‘Portugal Tourist M ap ’, available at som e tourist inform ation offices, is a m ap o f the entire country; you m ay need a m agnifying g lass for the sm aller road s in the A lgarve. O therw ise, to explore roads less travelled, the ‘Turinta’ m ap o f the Algarve (1 :176 ,000) is a good buy. All tourist inform ation offices will supply you with a reasonable street plan o f the local town.

a s tre e t m ap o f ... um a p lanta d e ...a road m ap o f the A lgarve um m apa das estradas do Algarve

M E D IA (jornal;revista)

Foreign newspapers usually arrive the day after publication, though E uropean editions o f the Guardian and Financial Times and the International Herald Tribune are available on the sam e day at many newsagents. Popular foreign m agazines are also available. The m ost im portant Portuguese-language daily is Diário de Notícias, which contains full cultural listings. Popular foreign m agazines and pa-

. perback books in English are also available.English-language publications with useful information as to what’s

on (folklore, m arkets, music, cinema, sporting events, etc) include: The Algarve News, a bi-weekly newspaper; The Resident, a weekly m agazine; and the bi-monthly glossy Essential Algarve. The week­end Portugal News is the country ’s largest-circulation English- language newspaper, also available online at www.the-news.net.

Travel Tips

There are two government-operated T V channels in Portugal. M ost hotels and som e bars a lso have cable connections show ing w orld news, feature films, football gam es and other big sporting events.

M O N E Y (dinheiro; see also Budgeting fo rY o u rT r ip )

Currency (moeda). The euro (€) is the official currency used in Por­tugal. N otes are denom inated in 5, 10, 20 , 50 , 100 and 500 euros; coins in 1 and 2 euros and 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 and 50 cents (cêntimos).

Currency exchange (banco; câmbio). N orm al banking hours are M on day-Friday 8 .30am -3pm . Some banks remain open later and at weekends to change money. The exchange at Faro airport is open daily 6 am - midnight. Changing money can be quite expensive, and you are advised to check the rate o f com m ission before any trans­action. Banks often levy 0 .5 percent com m ission with a m inimum charge o f €10, so it is not a good idea to exchange sm all am ounts with them. Autom atic m oney-exchanging machines (ATM s) charge at least 2 percent com m ission.

Credit cards (cartão de crédito). Standard international credit cards are w idely accepted, as are Eurocheque cards. However, in som e shops and restaurants, especially in sm all villages, you m ay not be able to use a credit card.

ATMs (caixa automática). Autom atic teller machines outside banks, identified by the M B (MultiBanco) sign, are widely available. You can get cash with a Visa or M astercard, or other card on an internation­al network like Cirrus, as long as your card has a four-digit PIN.

Travellers’ cheques. Travellers’ cheques are not widely accepted and a high flat-rate fee is charged for changing them . Paying by cheque is invariably more expensive than by cash, due to the lower rate of exchange. You will need to show your passport.

Police 121

C an I pay with this cred it card?

I w ant to change so m e poun ds/do llars.

C an you cash a traveller’s cheque?

Posso pagar com cartão de crédito?

Q u eria tro car libras/dólares.

Pode pagar um cheque de viagem?

O P E N IN G H O U R S (horas de abertura)

M ost shops and offices open 9 a m -lp m and 3-7pm w eekdays and 9 am -lp m Saturday. In summer many shops will remain open all day, and until 10pm or later. Shopping m alls open from 10am -10pm or even midnight. M ost museums close for lunch, from noon or 12.30pm to 2 or 2.30pm , but m ajor ones stay open all day. M ost public muse­ums are closed on Monday. Churches normally open from 7am -noon and 4-7pm M onday to Saturday and are open for M ass on Sunday.

The Portuguese do not take a siesta, but m ost businesses close for a 1-2-hour lunch break. Banks are open 8 .3 0 am -3 p m M on d ay- Friday. In resorts many bars are open from noon (or earlier) until the wee hours. Informal restaurants m ay open all day but more upscale establishments may only open at lunch and in the evening, or for din­ner only. Some restaurants close one day a week, so check first.

P O L IC E (polícia; see also EMERGENCIES)

Police w earing arm bands m arked C D (it stan ds for C orpo D istri­tal, meaning local corps) are assigned to assist tourists and normally speak at least a smidgen o f a foreign language. On highw ays, traf­fic is controlled by the G u ard a N acio n a l R epublican a (G N R ) in white cars or on m otorcycles. For a general emergency, dial 112.

Travel Tips

W h e re ’s th e n e a re s t po lice O n d e fica o posto de policia station ? m ais próxim o?

P O S T O F F IC E S (correios)

The m ail service is generally good , though it can get bogged down during the height o f the season. M ain offices open 8 .30 or 9am to6 or 6 .30pm M onday-Friday; local branches open 9am to 12.30pm and 2 to 6pm M onday-Friday. The m ain p ost offices in Portim ão and F aro open on Saturday m ornings as well. You can a lso buy stam ps from new sagents or vending m achines at post offices.

M ail from Portugal m ay take up to a week to reach a European destination. There is also a faster ‘AzuP service which takes 2 -3 days.

W h e re ’s th e n ea rest O n d e fica a estação dep o s t office? co rre io s m ais próxim a?

A stam p fo r this le tte r / U m selo para esta carta/estep o stca rd , p lease . postal, por favor.

e x p re s s (special delivery) expressoairmail via aéreareg iste red registado

P U B L IC T R A N S P O R T

Buses (autocarro). EVA Transportes (w w w .eva-bus.com ) operates m ost buses in the A lgarve. L ocal and regional tim etables m ay be consulted at any bus station or tourist in form ation office. M ost buses run on time. Buy your ticket on board the bus for all services except for the Algarve Express, where tickets m ust be purchased in advance at the station. Bus stops are denoted by the sign ‘Paragem ’.

Trains (comboio). An A lgarve railw ay line runs from L ag o s in the west to the eastern frontier at Vila Real de Santo António, with

Public T ran sp o rt 123

50 stations in between. Stations are in or near Faro , Portim ão and Lagos, but in other spots are far enough aw ay to require a bus or tax i ride. The m ost notable exam ple is the station o f A lbufeira, which is actually near Ferreiras and a good 15-minute bus ride from the resort. The top-of-the-range Alfa Pendular trains link Albuferia with Lisbon in 2 hours 45 minutes. For Faro add another 30 min­utes. Fares are inexpensive: L isbon -Faro return is from €47.

Train tim etables are posted at all railw ay stations; request a guia de horarios for a full listing o f tim etables. C onsult the w ebsite of Com boios de Portugal, the national railway network, for timetables and inform ation on international and dom estic trains: w w w .cp.pt.

Taxis (táxi). Portuguese tax is are usually cream -coloured though som e o f the old black and green ones are still in use. While you can hail them in the street, it is usually easier to go to a taxi stand or tele­phone for one. The m ajority o f tax is are metered. If your taxi does not have a meter, m ake sure you ask w hat the charge will be before setting out. Average taxi fares to all resorts from Faro are posted at the airport. Fares increase by 20 percent if you travel from 10pm to 6am and there are fixed charges for luggage carried in the boot.

W h e re can 1 g e t a taxi? O nde posso enco n trar um táxi?W h at’s the fare t o . . . ? Q uanto custa o percurso

p ara ...?W h e re is the n earest O nde é a estação ferroviária/

railway station /b u s s to p ? a paragem de autocarrosm ais próxim a?

W h e n ’s th e n ex t bus/ Q uando parte o próxim otrain t o . . .? autocarro/com boio p ara ...?

1 w an t a tick et t o . . . Q u e ria um bilhete p ara ...single (one-w ay trip) idaretu rn (round-trip ) ida e volta

Travel Tips

R E L IG IO N

The Portuguese are predom inantly R om an Catholic, a fact reflect­ed in surviving religious rituals and saints’ days that are public hol­idays. Services in English are scheduled in principal tourist areas. Protestant (prim arily Anglican) services are held in several towns. Full details o f all services are available from tourist offices and m ost hotels. The weekly English-language publication, The Resident, has a full listing.

sS M O K IN G

Sm oking in public places w as banned in Portugal in 2008 .

T E L E P H O N E (telefone)

Portugal’s country code is 351 . There are no local dialling codes; you need to dial all 9 digits from anywhere within the country.

M ost public telephones accept pre-paid telephone cards or cred­it card s as well as co in s. Credifone telephone card s can be p u r­chased at post offices, newsagents or superm arkets. Local, national and international calls can a lso be m ade from hotels, but alm ost alw ays with an exorb itant surcharge. You are wise to m ake these with an international calling card , if you m ust m ake them from your hotel room .

To call from a public phonebox, pick up the receiver, insert card, w ait for the dial tone and dial. To m ake an international call, dial 00 for an international line (both Europe and overseas; eg. UK 0044, USA 001) + the country code + phone num ber (including the area code, w ithout the initial ‘O’, where there is one).

Tourist Information

rev e rse-ch arge call paga pelo destinatárioC an you g e t m e this Pode ligar-m e p ara este

n u m ber in . . .? núm ero em ...?

TIM E Z O N E S (local)

P ortugal, being at the w estern edge o f E urope , m aintains G M T (along with the UK) and is therefore 1 hour behind the rest o f the EU. From the last Sunday in M arch until the last Sunday in O cto­ber, the clocks are m oved 1 hour ahead for summer time (G M T +1).

T IP P IN G (serviço;gorjeta)

In restaurants where service is not included, leave a 10 percent tip. H otel porters, per bag, generally receive € 0 .50-1 . Give hairdressers, tour guides and tax i drivers around 10 percent.

T O IL E T S (WC; quarto de banho; serviços)

Public toilets exist in som e large tow ns, but alm ost every bar and restaurant has one available for public use. Large hotels are also an excellent place to find clean toilets. It’s polite to buy a coffee or drink if you drop in to use the restroom but no one will shout at you if you don’t. The Ladies’ is marked Senhoras and the Gentlemen’s Homens.

T O U R IS T IN F O R M A T IO N (turismo)

Inform ation on the Algarve m ay be obtained from Portuguese N a ­tional Tourist O ffices:Canada: Suite 1005, 60 Bloor Street West, Toronto, O ntario M 4W 3B8; tel: 416-921 7376.Ireland: 54 D aw son Street, Dublin 2; tel: 353-1670 9133.South Africa: 4th floor, Sunnyside Ridge, Sunnyside Drive, Park- town. PO B ox 2473 H oughton, Johannesburg; tel: 2711-484 3487. United Kingdom: 11 Belgrave Square, London SW 1X 8PP; UK brochure line, tel: 0845-355 1212.

Travel Tips

USA : 590 Fifth Ave, 4th floor, N ew York, N Y 10036; tel: 212- 354 4403.

In the Algarve itself, all m ajor (and som e minor) tow ns have tourist inform ation offices, staffed by helpful English-speaking assistants. Always m ake the turismo your first stop and pick up the town m ap/ brochure (printed in several lan guages), which locates all m ajor points o f interest. The m ajor Algarve regional office is in Faro (Av. 5 de O utubro, 18; tel: 2 8 9 -8 0 0 4 0 0 or 2 8 9 -8 0 0 47 7 ). O thers in­clude:Albufeira: Rua 5 de O utubro; tel: 289-585 279 Faro: Rua da M isericórdia, 8/12; tel: 289-803 604 Lagos: R ua Belchior M oreira de B artudo (at S. Jo ão ); tel: 282- 763 031Portim ão: Av. Z eca A fonso; tel: 282-416 556Praia da Rocha: Av. Tom ás C abreira; tel: 282-419 132Sagres: Rua Com andante M atoso-V ila do Bispo; tel: 282-624 873

T R A V E L LE R S W IT H D ISA B ILIT IE S

For inform ation on accom m odation, transport and leisure activi­ties, contact W heeling A round The A lgarve (tel: 2 8 9 -3 9 3 63 6 ; w ww.player.pt).

wW E B S IT E S A N D IN T E R N E T C A F É S

W ebsites worth checking before you go include:• www.algarvenet.com,www.algarvemais.com and www.algarve uncovered.com General websites packed with useful inform ation on the region.• www.cp.pt C om boios de Portugal, nation al railw ay netw ork, with tim etables and details o f international and dom estic trains.• www.flytap.com TAP/Air Portugal - the Portuguese national airline.

Youth Hostels

• www.portugalgolf.pt;www.algarvegolf.net Sites on golf, with inform ation specifically related to the Algarve.• www.portugal.org Portuguese Tourism Office.• www.portugalvirtual.pt G eneral country in form ation and tourism database, with accom m odation links.• www.pousadas.pt Inns o f Portugal.• www.visitalgarve.pt Official website for the Algarve region.• www.visitportugal.com O fficial website for Portugal.

Internet cafés. M ost resorts have internet cafés or com puter cen­tres where visitors can access e-mail for a sm all hourly fee. Check with the local tourist inform ation office, as these tend to come and go with regularity. Larger post offices have internet points and m ost hotels will allow you to use their internet (norm ally for a fee). An increasing number o f hotels have wireless access.

W E IG H T S A N D M E A SU R E S

The metric system is used in Portugal.

Y O U T H H O S T E L S (pousadas de juventude)

Four youth hostels operate year-round in the Algarve:Alcoutim : tel: 281-546 004 ; 64 bedsFaro: R ua de PSP - Edifício do IPJ; tel: 289-826 521 ; 54 beds Lagos: Rua de Lançarote de Freitas, 50; tel: 282-761 970;62 bedsPortim ão: L ugar da C oca M aravilhas; tel: 282-491 804 ; 180 bedsFor additional information, contact the headquarters o f the Portuguese Youth H ostel A ssociation (A ssociação Portuguesa de P ousadas de Juven tude), R u a Lúcio de A zevedo N r 2 7 , 1600-146 L isbon ; tel: 21-723 2 1 0 0 ; w w w .pousadasjuventude.pt.

Listings

Recom m ended Hotels

V isitors have a vast range o f accom m odation options in this part of Portugal. H otels are scattered ac ro ss the m ajor tow ns and re so rts o f the A lgarve, but den sely c lu stered in spraw ling r e so r ts th at stretch from Lagos to Faro - especially around Portim ão,A lbufeira and Vilamoura.

Book well in advance for high season , July-Septem ber, when hotel beds are difficult to com e by. H otel prices are hugely inflated in the height and heat o f sum m er (though many luxury h otels are a lso at peak rates around C hristm as and N ew Year). A hotel that is a rela­tively good bargain in May o r O cto b e r - in many ways the best time to visit the A lgarve - may be prohibitively overp riced during the sum m er months.

Room price guidelines below are rack rates for a double room with bath in high season, including breakfast and value-added tax.Thus, the prices below may be considerably m ore than you’ll end up paying. All hotels, save for the tiniest residential inns, accept m ajor credit cards. For making reservations, Portugal’s country code is 3 5 1;the prefixes for the Algarve are 2 8 1,2 8 2 and 289.

€€€€ €€€€€

€€€€€

€

SA G RES

A p a r th o te l N a v ig a to r € € Rua Infante D. Henrique, Sagres, tel: 282-624 354, fax: 282-624 360, www.hotel-navigator.com. This m odern hotel, on a c liff righ t next to the pousada (see below), h as basic apartm en ts bu ilt aroun d a central sw im m ing p o o l. A good deal for guests w ho enjoy the low-key, unglitzy ap p eal o f Sagres. O ff-season it ’s an especially go o d deal. Satellite T V and air-condition ing. Bar, restau ran t and sq u ash court. W heelchair- accessib le. 55 apartm ents.

over € 2 6 0 € 1 6 0 -2 6 0 € 1 0 0 -1 6 0 € 7 0 -1 0 0 under € 7 0

Recommended Hotels

Hotel Memmo Baleeira € € € Vila de Sagres, tel: 282-624 212, fax: 282-624 425, www.memmohotels.com. A large , revam ped hotel overlookin g the co lourfu l Sagres h arbour and w ithin easy strik in g d istan ce o f several sh eltered beach es. C on tem p orary- styled guest ro o m s, new sp a and ap p ealin g poo l w ith sea view. 110 room s.

Pousada do Infante € € € € Ponta da Atalaia, 8650 Sagres, tel: 282- 620 240, fax: 282-642 225, www.pousadas.pt. Clinging to a rocky cliff looking out across the Atlantic, this pousada (one o f four along the Algarve) is prized for its location. Room s are spacious and com ­fortable, and m ost have terraces with excellent views to the coast.51 room s.

BU RG A U

Casa Grande € Burgau, tel: 282-697 416, fax: 282-697 825, www. nexus-pt.com/casagrande. Unique accom odation in a ram bling old villa and converted barn above the slow -m oving fishing village o f Burgau. C harism atic Sally Vincent, an ex-actress, has been running it since 1972 and will provide you with all you need to know about the region. 7 room s, sleeping 2 -6 .

LA G O S

Dom Pedro Meia Praia Beach Club € € € Meia Praia, Lagos, tel: 289-300 780, fax: 289-381 001, www.dompedro.pt. This large and popu lar aparthotel is ju st across the road from one o f the longest stretches o f sand along the A lgarve co ast: M eia Praia, the closest beach to Lagos (3km/2 miles) from town. Well-equipped, airy apart­ments. Two swimming pools, two tennis courts, mini-golf and land­scaped garden s. G o o d roster o f activities and golfing d iscoun ts. W heelchair-accessible. 77 apartm ents.

Tivoli Lagos € € € € António Crisógono Santos, Lagos, tel: 282-790 079, fax: 282-790 345, www.tivolihotels.com. An excellent choice for those w ho w ould prefer to stay in a hotel with character and style in old Lagos rather than on the beach in a generic seaside hotel.

Listings

H andsom e and colourful room s, attractive poolside areas, indoor swim m ing pool, fitness centre, tennis courts, plus w ater sports at the D una Beach C lub (hotel tran sport arranged). W heelchair- accessible. 319 room s.

PORTIM AO AN D EN VIRO N S

Aparthotel O riental € € € € Avenida Tomás Cabreira, Praia da Rocha, Portimão, tel: 282-480 000, fax: 282-413 413, www.td hotels.pt. In the m ore upscale (and slightly m ore tranquil) end o f Praia da Rocha, this M oorish fantasy palace w as designed in the style o f the casino that stood on this spo t in the 1920s. Features a gal- leried interior, Turkish bath, pretty gardens with sun terraces, and sw im m ing p oo ls lookin g onto the beach. W heelchair-accessible. 85 room s.

Hotel Bela Vista € € € Avenida Tomás Cabreira, Praia da Rocha, Portimão, tel: 282-450 480, fax: 282-415 369, www.botelbelavista. net. The first hotel in the Algarve, this free-standing m ansion over­look s the beach and look s w holly ou t o f p lace on very built-up Praia da Rocha. An architectural gem , resem bling a church more than a hotel, the Bela V ista w as built as a sum m er house in 1916. Its interior features beautifu l w ood ceilings and sta ircases, plus splendid 19th-century azulejos. Follow ing a tw o-year renovation, the hotel will reopen in 200 9 . 14 room s.

Le Méridien Penina G olf and Resort € € € € - € € € € € Montes de Alvor, Portimão, tel: 282-420 200, fax: 282-420 300, www.star woodhotels.com. The original luxury go lf resort on the A lgarve is set w ithin a 145-hectare (360-acre) e state , w hich includes the w orld-fam ous Penina go lf course. Perfect for the well-heeled sports lover, with flood lit tennis, w atersports, beauty salon and a gym. 196 room s.

Residencial Praia doVau € € Portimão, tel: 282-401 312, fax: 282- 401 756. A sm all, rustic and com fortable inn in an attractive Al- garvian house just 200m (650ft) from the Praia do Vau beach (west o f Praia da Rocha). 21 room s.

Recommended Hotels

ALVOR

PestanaAlvor Praia Hotel € € € € € Praia de Três Irmãos, Alvor, tel: 282-400 900, fax: 282-400 975, www.pestana.com. This large and luxurious, recently refurbished hotel sits am ong thick trees and gar­dens on cliffs. It overlooks one o f the finest beaches along the coast, Praia dos Três Irm ãos, which is floodlit at night. O utdoor and in­door seaw ater pools. Three top-flight restaurants with terraces and different cuisines. Tennis courts, full spa, golf and w atersports near­by. W heelchair-accessible. 198 room s.

CA RV O EIRO

Hotel Carvoeiro Sol € € € € Praia do Carvoeiro, Lagoa, tel: 282- 357 301, fax: 282-357 211, www.carvoeirosol.com. Wedged right into the narrow opening between twin cliffs above C arvoeiro’s tiny beach, this m odern, com fortable hotel has a central courtyard, bar and restaurant, and clean, bright, beach-style room s. Wheelchair- accessible. 54 room s.

M O N CH IQ U E

Estalagem Abrigo da Montanha € € - € € € Estrada Monchique- Fóia, Monchique, tel: 282-912 131, fax: 282-912 750, www.abrigo damontanha.com. H igh up in the Serra de M onchique, aw ay from the heat and crow ds o f the coast, this wood-and-granite m ountain lodge is a special retreat. It’s not luxurious, but it has style and spec­tacular views. Pretty rooftop sw im m ing pool and café-restaurant across the road. Slightly more expensive room s are larger and come with a bigger terrace. 16 room s.

SILVES

Colina dos Mouros € € Pocinho Santo, Silves, tel: 282-440 420, fax: 282-440 426. L o cated on the ou tsk irts o f Silves, th is hotel has fine view s o f the fortress and attractively furnished, m odern room s. Lan dscaped garden s, restaurant, bar and sw im m ing pool. 57 room s.

Listings

A LBU FEIR A /FA LÉSIA

Albufeira Jardim I & II € € Cerro da Piedade, Albufeira, tel: 289- 570 070, fax: 289-570 071, www.albufeira-jardim.com. A large en­closed com plex o f w hitew ashed tourist apartm en ts sit on a hill overlooking the sea. They enjoy fine views and a quiet setting, only a 10-minute w alk into town. With five pools, tennis courts, shop­ping, bars and superm arket. All apartm ents have either a balcony or terrace. G ood value. Bus shuttle service to beach and Albufeira town. 4 7 0 apartm ents.

Alfagar Aldeam ento Turístico € € € Santa Eulália, Albufeira, tel: 289-540 220, fax: 289-540 229, www.alfagar.com. N ine hectares (22 acres) o f landscaped gardens and a cliff-top w alkw ay surround this good-value holiday apartm ent com plex. One-, two- and three- bedroom apartm ents with cleaning service five days a week. Steps down to Santa Eulália beach. 2 2 0 apartm ents.

Hotel Apartam entos O urapraia/Clube Praia da O ura €€€Areias São João, Albufeira, tel: 289-590 324, fax: 289-585 288, www.clubepraiadaoura.com. An attractive holiday com plex o f well- equipped apartm ents centred aroun d sw im m ing poo ls. Tennis courts, sauna, gym , children’s playground and close proxim ity to the Albufeira beach. Excellent value, especially during high season. 126 apartm ents.

Hotel Belver Boa Vista € € € Rua Samora Barros 20, Albufeira, tel: 289-589 175, fax: 289-589 180, www.hotelboavista.pt. Superb set­ting, built into the cliff at the very western end o f tow n, with a view over the whole o f Albufeira. C lose enough to w alk to town but far enough aw ay to be quiet in high season. Spa, swim m ing pool and sun terrace. 93 room s.

Hotel Falésia € € € Pinhal do Concelho, Praia da Falésia, tel: 289- 501 237, fax: 289-501 270, www.falesia.com. A m odern hotel th at lo o k s like an ap artm en t bu ild in g on the edge o f the Pine C liffs resort and g o lf course. G arden-like lobby, p o o l w ith w a­terfall, som e one- an d tw o-bedroom apartm en ts. F a lésia beach

Recommended Hotels

access is through the ad jacen t Sheraton A lgarve. W heelchair-ac­cessib le. 170 room s.

Hotel Sol e Mar € € € Rua José Bernadino de Sousa, Albufeira, tel: 289-580 080, fax: 289-587 036, www.grupofbarata.com. A large block hotel in the town centre with somewhat dated room s but good value given its m ain asset - it’s built right into the cliff on Albufeira’s desirable beach. In door p oo l. A p o p u lar econom y package-tour hotel. 74 room s.

ResidencialVilla Recife € - € € Rua Miguel Bombarda, 6, Albufeira, tel: 289-586 747, fax: 289-587 182. A 2-minute walk from the heart o f old A lbufeira, a converted private house with a pleasant garden entrance. The old section o f the house has m ore character than the m odern wing. 29 room s.

Sheraton Algarve (Pine Cliffs) Hotel & Resort € € € € € Praia da Falésia, Albufeira, tel: 289-500 100, fax: 289-501 950, www. sberaton-algarve.com. O ne o f the A lgarve ’s m ost d istinguished and lu xu riou s developm ents, su rroun ded by pines at the top of d ram atic cliffs. H andsom e M oo rish styling, excellent restaurants and extensive sporting facilities, including nine-hole cliff-top go lf course, tennis, w atersports, sem i-private beach , three p oo ls and sp a . Lu xu ry ‘G o lf Su ites’ , p lus v illas and apartm en ts. G reat f a ­cilities for children. W heelchair-accessible. 215 room s (33 suites, 70 apartm ents).

Vila Channa € € € São Rafael, Albufeira, tel: 289-583 700, www. sao-vicente-hotel.com. A w ell-kept villa-style sm all hotel a short w alk from a couple o f the prettiest beaches near A lbufeira, C aste­lo and São R afael. N ice pool. 18 room s.

Vila Joya € € € € € Praia da Galé, Albufeira, tel: 289-591 795, fax: 289-591 201, www.vilajoya.com. P robably the m ost stylish hotel on the entire co ast, this sum ptuously decorated sm all pa lazzo is full year-round. Ensconced in beautiful garden s, the M oorish-in- fluenced villa is ju st m inutes from the pretty, calm G alé beach. Beautiful bathroom s, public room s and gourm et restaurant. M ost

134 Listings

room s have sea views. Lovely sm all pool. Reserve several m onths in advance. 17 room s.

H otel A lte € € Estrada de Sta Margarida, Montinho, tel: 289-478 523, www.altehotel.com. N ear the pretty hill village o f Alte, this modern 3-star hotel has lovely views o f the rural surroundings, good regional cuisine, swim m ing pool and tennis courts.

V ILA M O U RA

A LT E

D om P edro M arina € € € € € Rua Tivoli Lote H4, Vilamoura, Quar­tern, tel: 289-300 780, fax: 289-381 001, www.dompedro.com. Im­pressive hotel with a tropical feel - palm trees, wicker furniture, tile floors and bam boo shades - perched right on the edge o f the Vil­am oura marina. Nice gardens and swimming pool. Preferential terms for guests at local go lf courses. W heelchair-accessible. 155 room s.

Tivoli M arin ote l € € € € € Vilamoura, tel: 289-303 303, fax: 289- 303 345, www.tivolihotels.com. Sandw iched between the m arina and the beach, this newly renovated hotel is the perfect m etaphor for V ilam oura resort: m assive, slick and expensive. Like the resort, though, it also completes its aims very well. Great views, ultra-m od­ern lobby, very good restaurants, state-of-the-art facilities, tennis courts, indoor and outdoor pools and new spa to pam per guests. W heelchair-accessible. 170 room s.

V A LE D O LO B O

Le M éridien D o n a F ilipa € € € € € Vale do Lobo, tel: 289-357 200, fax: 289-357 201, www.starwoodhotels.com. A handsom ely ap ­pointed hotel th at’s a favourite o f A lgarve golfers. Set am id 180 hectares (450 acres), part o f the exclusive Vale do L obo resort, it has elegant trad itional room s and public areas, the San Lorenzo go lf course nearby, three flood lit tennis co urts, heated p oo l and Penguin Village for entertaining sm all guests. Wheelchair-accessible. 147 room s.

Recommended Hotels

Q U IN TA D O LA G O

H o te l Q u in ta d o L a g o € € € € € Quinta do Lago, Almancil, tel: 289-350 350, fax: 289-396 393, www.quintadolagohotel. com. O ne o f the stan d ard bearers for luxury and leisure in the A lgarve, this resort hotel is set am id 800 hectares (2 ,0 0 0 acres) o f garden s and w oods. R oo m s are tastefu lly and elegantly deco­rated . Three g o lf co urses w end their fa irw ays through the R ia F o rm o sa N atu re Preserve and are am on g the fin est in E urope . W ater sp o rts, state-of-the-art sp a , p o o ls and beach access across lovely w ooden bridge. Distinguished service. W heelchair-accessible. 141 room s.

FARO

H otel E va € € € - € € € € Avenida da República, 1, Faro, tel: 289-001 000, fax: 289-001 002, www.tdbotels.pt. The biggest hotel in Faro, the Eva is a large, m odern block on the edge o f the harbour 90m (100yds) from pedestrian shopping streets and the old town. Two bars and restauran ts, health club and ro o fto p sw im m ing pool. W heelchair-accessible. 134 room s.

H o te l F aro € € € Praça Dom Francisco Gomes, 2, Faro, tel: 289- 830 830, fax: 289-830 829, www.hotelfaro.pt. Rebuilt in 2000, this is now part o f F aro ’s sw ankiest shopping centre. The hotel is ideal­ly placed - just outside the old tow n and overlooking a lively plaza and the harbour - and appealin gly chic. W heelchair-accessible.52 room s.

SA O BRAS D E A L P O R T E L

P ousada d e S ã o B rás € € € € São Brás de Alportel, tel: 289-842 305, fax: 289-842 306, www.pousadas.pt. A quiet m anor house with m agnificent views o f both the surrounding m ountains and the sea a half hour away. This w as the first pousada built in the Algarve, in 1942, and the second in all Portugal. Restaurant, bar, tennis court and swimming pool. A good place to get aw ay from the sunbathing m asses to relax. 33 room s.

Listings

TAVIRA

C asa do Rio € € António Afonso, 39, Tavira, tel: 281-326 578, www.tavira-inn.com. Sm all and characterful bed and breakfast in a private home with a pool right on the river in historic Tavira. M in­imum stay three nights. N o credit cards. 5 room s.

Convento de São António € € Rua de Santo António, 56, Tavira, tel/fax: 281-325 632. This small, family-owned hotel was a monastery in the 17th century. The elegantly appointed room s are certainly much m ore com fortable than they once were as m onks’ cells. Attractive swimming pool and central patio. M inim um stay required. 7 rooms.

O Pequeno Castelo € Poço das Bruxas, Santo Estavão, Tavira, tel/fax: 281-961 692, www.pequenocastelo.co.uk. O n the outskirts o f the picturesque tow n o f T avira, ‘the little castle ’ is a quiet and friendly bed and breakfast with views o f the Atlantic from the ve­randa. Well placed for w alks in the countryside. Swim m ing pool. M inim um stay o f four nights. 4 room s and apartm ent (on request).

Pousada Convento da G raça € € € - € € € € Rua D. Paio Peres Cor­reia, Tavira, tel: 281-329 040, www.pousada.pt. The Algarve’s third pousada, which opened in 2006 , is one o f the m ost desirable places to stay along the entire coast. The hotel is a beautiful conversion o f a 16th-century convent, retaining the R enaissance cloister. G uest room s are elegant and com fortable (some occupy a new wing) and the restaurant is noted for locally sourced fish and seafood . Prices are wide-ranging. 36 room s, sw im m ing pool.

A LC O U TIM

Estalagem do Guadiana € € Bairro do Rossio, Alcoutim; tel: 281- 540 120; fax: 281-546 647; www.grupofbarata.com. The gardens of this whitewashed inn slope down to the placid w aters o f the River G uadiana, the boundary between Portugal and Spain. Sim ply fur­nished, modern rooms have good river views and the restaurant makes the m ost o f local ingredients, including fish from the Guadiana. Stays from mid-July to the end o f August are for a minimum o f 7 nights.

Recommended Restaurants

Recom m ended Restaurants

T h ere are plenty o f very good restauran ts in the m ajor tow ns and resorts, but there are also many that seem far m ore intent on sepa­rating tourists from their euros than offering genuine Algarvian and P ortu guese fo o d .T h e guide below should help you find m ore au­thentic eating experiences.

The prices indicated are for starter, main course and d essert, with half a bottle o f house wine, per person. (N ote that som e fish o r shell­fish dishes, charged by the kilo, will be m ore expensive than the aver­ages.) Service and value-added tax o f 12 percent are included, as they generally are in the bill. Except w here noted, all restaurants accept m ajor credit cards.

Prices normally include taxes and a serv ice charge, but it is cus­tom ary to leave an additional tip for good service.

€ € € € over € 5 5€ € € € 4 0 -5 5

€ € € 2 5 —40€ under € 2 5

S A G R E S

A T a sc a € € - € € € Porto de Sagres, tel: 282-624 177. O pen daily for lunch and dinner. T h is typical Portuguese restaurant is one of the best in Sagres for fresh sea fo o d . C hoose to dine on the sun- scorched outdoor terrace that overlooks the harbour or in the dark stone interior. Both serve the sam e g reat sea b a ss , lob ster and grilled squ id k eb ab s. G ratin ated Sagres oysters and m onkfish ‘T asca ’ are specialities.

V ila V e lh a € € - € € € Ponta da Atalaia, tel: 282-624 788. O pen T ue-Sun fo r lunch and dinner. Ju st dow n the road from the pou­sada, the husband-and-w ife team that operates this attractive rus­tic re stau ran t serve large p o rtio n s o f trad itio n a l P ortuguese dishes. The daily ementa, or fixed-price m enu, for tw o is a good deal.

L istin gs

LA G O S 1Adega de Marina € Avenida dos Descobrimentos, 35, tel: 282-764 284. H uge rustic dining hall near the m arina, packed with locals who come for the lively atm osphere and excellent value charcoal- grilled fish and meat.

A Lagosteira € € Rua 1 Maio, 20, tel: 282-762 486. Open daily ex­cept lunch Sat and Sun. This long-established sim ple restaurant is centrally located and serves good, imaginative seafood. The fish cat- aplana is particularly good. Some outdoor tables.

Dom Sebastião € € € Rua 25 de Abril 20-22, tel: 282-762 795. Open daily for lunch and dinner (closed Sun in winter). On L ago s’s main pedestrian thoroughfare, this very popular, rustic-style restaurant with dark beams focuses on live seafood. It also has outdoor tables.

M O N C H IQ U E-FO IA

Abrigo da Montanha € € - € € € Estrada da Fóia, tel: 282-912 131. O pen daily for lunch and dinner. One o f several g o o d roadside restaurants with terraces enjoying panoram ic views. Try the frango piri-piri ("spicy chicken), which com es in m ountainous portions to echo the view; or the cataplana.

PORTIM AO AN D EN VIRO N S

A Lanterna € € Rua Foz do Arade, Porchal, tel: 282-414 429. Open M on -Sat for dinner. On the Ferragudo side o f the Portim ão Bridge, this long-established restaurant has a reputation for high quality, with elegant dining in sm all, traditionally furnished room s. Specials include sm oked fish and some interesting desserts.

Dona Barca € - € € Largo da Barca, tel: 282-418 854. Open daily for lunch and dinner. This fish restaurant has an excellent reputa­tion for quality fresh food and typical Algarvian cuisine - it has even represented the region at various national gastronom ic festivals. The dining room is pleasant, with stone w alls and draped fishing nets.

Recommended Restaurants

O Charneco € Rua Dom Sancho II, Estômbar, tel: 282-431 113. Closed Sun. N o menu here, just large platters o f m eat and fish in a friendly, rustic setting. Fixed-price m eals. N o credit cards.

PRAIA DA ROCHA

Churrasqueira da Rocha € € € Avenida Tomás Cabreira, tel: 282- 417 452. O pen daily for lunch and dinner. Churrasqueira m eans grill, and you can get lots o f grilled m eats - including the fam ous espetadas, or kebabs - and the house speciality, chicken piri-piri, at this large place with good views o f the beach.

La Dolce V ita € Avenida Tomás Cabreira (opposite the Hotel Al­garve Casino), tel: 282-419 444. The Italians who run this pizzeria claim it’s the best in the Algarve. 26 different pizzas to choose from, along with hom e-m ade p asta and freshly prepared sa lad s. Live m usic nightly.

Safari € - € € Rua António Feu, tel: 282-423 540. C losed M on. This sea-view restaurant com bines good Portuguese cuisine with a dis­tinctive A ngolan flavour.

PRAIA DETRÊS IRMÃOS/ALVOR

Búzios € € € Aldeamento Turístico de Frainha, Praia de Três Ir­mãos, tel: 282-458 561. O pen daily for dinner. Ensconced in a beach com m unity o f white houses and condos, a short w alk from the shoreline, this chic restaurant has an appealing terrace and in­ternational menu (including traditional Portuguese cuisine). G ood wine list.

Restaurante Ababuja € € - € € € Rua da Ribeira, tel: 282-458 979. Open daily for lunch and dinner (except Wed lunch). Situated on the w aterfront, near the fish m arket, this family-run restaurant has simple décor and friendly service. N o t surprisingly, it’s well known for its fresh fish and seafood but does unusual specialities includ­ing stuffed squid and cuttlefish with beans. The catch o f the day is alw ays a good bet.

L istin gs

1 A LB U FE IR A |

A Ruina € € - € € € Cais Herculano, tel: 289-512 094. Open daily for lunch and dinner. A 19th-century, four-storey m ansion, ‘the R uin ’ features a basic dining room dow nstairs, rustic-looking restaurant on the second floor and roof-top dining with views over Praia dos Pescadores. N ear the fish m arket and ju st w est o f ‘Fisherm en’s Beach’, the speciality is well-prepared seafood . Try the caldeirada (fish stew).

La Cigale € € € Praia de Olhos d’ Água, tel: 289-501 637. Open daily for lunch and dinner. Excellent sea fo o d in a rustic, w hite­w ashed beachside restaurant with an attractive terrace. Perfect for lazy and inform al eating by day, La Cigale is elegant and rom antic by night. Try the mollusc a la cigale, a shellfish special.

Paulu’s P izzeria € Edificio Oura Claudios, Estrada da Santa Eu­lália, Albufeira, tel: 289-587 159. O pen d aily n o o n - l lp m . A good place for a fam ily m eal out with good pizzas and p astas and children’s m enus. A lfresco and con servatory dining. T ake-aw ay available.

Restaurante do Hotel V ila Joya €€€€ in Hotel Vila Joya, Praia de Galé, tel: 289-591 795. O pen daily for lunch an d dinner; closed m id-N ov-early M ar. The restauran t o f the m ost luxurious and sum ptuously designed sm all hotel along the A lgarve is, like the hotel, refined and elegant - and the only one in Portugal with tw o M ichelin stars. To suit its m ulti-national patrons, the kitchen prepares eclectic international dishes. R eservations for non-guests essential.

G U IA

OTeodósio € Estrada Algoz, Guia, tel: 289-561 318. Open daily for lunch and dinner. G uia is renowned for its chicken piri-piri dish­es and this hugely popu lar restaurant bills itself as ‘Rei dos Fran­g o s ’ (K ing o f C hickens). Be prepared for queues and crow ded, comm unal tables.

Recommended Restaurants

C asa Velha € € € € Quinta do Lago, Almancil, tel: 289-394 983. O pen M o n -S a t for dinner. The elegant resort th at’s grow n up around it has only recently caught up to the chic standards set by this restaurant for nearly three decades. In a renovated 19th-century farm house (hence the name, ‘old house’ ), this is about as elegant as dining in the Algarve gets. The French menu is sophisticated, the dishes artfully prepared and the service perfect, but it’s not at all stuffy. Excellent wine cellar.

Gigi Beach € € € Quinta do Lago, mobile: 964-045 178. O pen M a r-N o v daily for lunch. The setting is sim ple: a w ooden beach shack tucked in am ong the dunes and w etlands o f the R ia Form osa N ature Preserve, reached across a long w ooden bridge. The food is also simple: point to the fish o f your choice and w atch it taken di­rectly to the grill.

Pequeno Mundo € € € Pereiras (Almancil, just off Estrada de Quar­tern), tel: 289-399 866. Open M ar-N ov M on-Sat for dinner. A beau­tiful old villa is the setting for gourm et French cuisine. Two terraces for alfresco dining. Favourites are the fish stew and the Chateaubriand.

Restaurante Ermitage € € € € Estrada Almancil-Vale do Lobo, tel: 289-355 271. Open Tue-Sun for dinner. An ancient farmhouse-turned- elegant-restaurant popular with international clientele o f expatriates and affluent visitors to the Quinta do Lago and Vale do Lobo resort area. M odern M editerranean cuisine, fine wines and excellent service.

VILA M O U RA

Restaurante O Cesteiro € € € Estrada de Falésia-Vilamoura, tel: 289- 312 961. Open Thur-Tue for lunch and dinner. This terrace restau­rant overlooks the glittering Vilam oura m arina, so you can ponder the yachts as you sample charcoal-grilled fish and seafood items.

Restaurante Pier One € € € Clube Náutico, Marina da Vilamoura, tel: 289-322 734. Open daily for dinner; closed M on in winter. With

A RO U N D A LM A N CIL

Listings

a terrace that offers panoram ic views o f the m arina and, in the dis­tance, the sea, Pier One is a tem pting place for alfresco dining at sunset. Interesting selections, such as M ozam bican praw ns, m onk­fish lasagne and chicken, and bananas in a pu ff pastry.

FARO

A d e g a N ova € Rua Francisco Barreto, 24, tel: 289-813 433. Open daily n oon -11 .30pm . H earty traditional Portuguese fare served at communal tables with jugs o f wine. Great value and bustling, friend­ly atm osphere.

A T a sc a € € - € € € Rua do Alportel, 38, tel: 289-824 739. Open M on -Sat for lunch and dinner. This sm all simple restaurant serves unusual and authentic Algarvian fare. Excellent selection o f wines.

C a m a n é € € € € Praia de Faro, tel: 289-817 539. C losed M on. So­phisticated fish restaurant on Faro ’s beach serving delicious caldeiva- da de lagosta (lobster stew), risotto dishes and fresh grilled fish.

D ois Irm ão s € € Largo do Terreiro do Bispo 18, tel: 289-823 337. The Two Brothers restaurant has been a Faro seafood legend since as long ago as 1925. This simple bistro has an extensive fish menu, including nine types o f cataplana, and lots o f regional specials.

M esa d o s M ou ros € € - € € € Largo da Sé, tel: 289-878 873. Open M on -Sat for lunch and dinner. A friendly place with a terrace in the shadow of the cathedral in the heart o f Faro’s old town, ‘The M oors’ Table’ is a good place for a sightseeing break during the day and a simple lunch o f grilled sardines.

TAVIRA

Q u a tro Á g u a s € € - € € € Sítio das Quatro Aguas, tel: 281-325 396. Open daily for lunch and dinner; closed M on. This handsom e 18th- century building on the harbour is a fine choice for a seafood meal. Traditional Portuguese dining, with an em phasis on dishes such as arroz de marisco (seafood rice), cataplana and octopus chowder.

A bicada (ruins) 40 Albufeira 48 -9 , 52 Alcoutim 71 Algar Seco 46 Almancil 54 Alte 50 -1 , 90 Alvor 39Armação de Pêra 47

Barragem do Arade 45 , 82

Barragem da Bravura 34 Bensafrim 34 Burgau 29

C abo de São Vicente (Cape St Vincent)20, 28

Caceia Velha 69 Caldas de Monchique

40 -1 , 82 Carvoeiro 45-6 Castro M arim 14, 70

Falésia beach 48, 52 Faro 58-64

Arco da Vila 60 Convento de N ossa

Senhora da Assunção 60-1

Ermidà de Nossa Senhora do Repouso 61

Igreja do Carm o 63 Igreja de São

Francisco 61 Igreja de São Pedro 63 Jardim Manuel Bivar

61-2Jewish Cemetery 63 Largo da Sé 60

INDEXMuseu Arqueológico

Infante Dom Henrique 61

Museu Regional do Algarve 62

Paço Episcopal 60 Praia de Faro 63-4

Ferragudo 39 Fóia 42Fortaleza do Beliche 28 Fortaleza de Sagres 27 Fuzeta 66

llha de Tavira 69

Lagoa 45Lagos 19-20, 29-32, 79

Forte da Ponte da Bandeira 30

Igreja de Santo António 31-2

Mercado de Escravos 31

M useo Regional de Lagos 32

Lisbon 2 5 ,7 2 -7 Alfama 73 Bairro Alto 74 Belém 76-7 Centro Cultural de

Belém 77 Elevador de Santa

Justa 74-5 Mosteiro dos

Jeronim os 76 Museu Nacional de

Arte Antiga 76 Museu N acional do

Azulejo 73-4 Padrão dos Descobri­

mentos 76-7

Parque das N ações 77 Praça do Comércio 75 São Vicente de Fora 73 Sé 73

Loulé 55-7 , 88 Luz 29

Manta Rota 69-70 M oncarapacho 66 Monchique 41 , 88

Igreja Matriz 41 Monte Gordo 69-70

N ossa Senhora do Desterro 41

N ossa Senhora da Rocha 47

O lhão 20, 64-6 N ossa Senhora do

Rosário 64 Praça da

Restauração 65 Olhos d’Agua 51-2

Palácio de Estói 57-8 Parque Miniero Cova

dos M ouros 71 Ponta da Piedade 33-4 Porches 46 -7 , 88 Portimão 34-8 , 79

Colégio dos Jesuítas 35-6

dockside 36-7 Igreja de Nossa

Senhora da Conceição 36

Largo I o de Dezembro 35

Praia da Rocha 38-9 , 83

Index

Fortaleza de Ferragudo 39

Fortaleza de Santa Catarina de Ribamar 39

Praia do Vau 39 Praia de Três Irmãos 39

Quarteira 53 Quinta do Lago 54,

80, 84

Ria Formosa Nature Reserve 54

Sagres 25-6 Salema 28-9, 79

Salir 51São Brás de Alportel 57São Lourenço dos M atos

54-5Serra de Monchique

40 -2 , 85Silves 14-5, 42-4

Castelo dos M ouros 43 -4

Igreja daMisericórdia 44

Sé Velha 44 Torreão da Porta da

Cidade 44

Tavira 67-9 castle 67-8

Convento da Graça 68 Igreja da Misericórdia

68-9Igreja de Santa M aria

do Castelo 68 Rua da Liberdade 69

Vale do Lobo 54, 80, 85 Vila do Bispo 28 Vila Real de Santo

António 71-2 Praça do M arquês do

Pombal 72 Vilamoura 52 -3 , 79-81

Cerro da Vila 53 Villa Romana de

Milreu 58

pocket gu id e

AlgarveFo u rth E d it io n 2009

Written by Neil Schlecht Updated by Susie Boulton Edited by Alex Knights Series Editor: Tony Halliday

Photography creditsAll photography by Chris Godet except for: Chris Coe 10, 12,20,82; Mary Evans Picture Library 19; Shaun Botterill/Getty 22;Tony Halliday 73,74,75,77; Pictures Colour Library 89; Cro Magnon/Alamy 9 1,96; Glyn Genin 95; Stuart Abraham/Alamy 98

Cover picture: 4Corners Images

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Useful Expressions in Portuguese

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Bom d ia/ Boa tarde.

bawng deeer/ boaer tahrder

Please ... Por favo r ... poor fervoar

Thank you. O brigado(a). oabriggahdoo(er)

Yes/No. Sim /N ão. seeng/nahngw

Excuse me. Desculpe.. sidhkoolper

Do you speak English?

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awngder possoo ayngkawngtrahr/

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com prar...?

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Se faz favo r!/

Q u e ria ...

N âocom preendo.

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awngder eh

er ker dishtahngsyer

kwahngtoo tayngpoo

kwahngtoo kooshter

ser fash fervoar

kerreeer

nahngwprayngdoo

kwahngdooahbrer/faysher

What time is it? Q ue horas sã o ? ker orrersh sahngw

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