Portugal Algarve

Albufeira, a coastal city in the southern Algarve region, is one of the area's largest and liveliest cities. Until the 1960's, the town was a sleepy fishing village, but, due to its stunning sandy beaches, natural beauty, quaint towns, abundant restaurants, and vibrant nightlife, it has become a popular tourist destination. In contrast to the calm and peaceful rural atmosphere of villages in the Algarve's interior, this coastal city provides a different, energetic, and bustling experience.

It is home to historic sites, including ruins, an ancient fortress standing atop a hill, a Roman bridge, and several Gothic churches from the Renaissance period. On a stroll through the town’s maze of cobblestone streets you’ll discover ancient gardens, shady squares, an active fishing port, and a new market. Boats from the town go to the islands of the Ria Formosa Natural Park which has some of the area’s best beaches.

Faro is located next to the Ria Formosa lagoon, a nature reserve of over 170 square kilometres (66 sq mi) and a stopping place for hundreds of different species of birds during the spring and autumn migratory periods. The beach is roughly seven kilometres (4.3 miles) from the city, and consists of a long sandy spit reached through a bridge The city has a public university, an international airport, a seaport, a marina, a railway station and complete inter-regional bus services. Its 30,000-seater stadium was one of the venues of the Euro 2004 and is also the temporary home ground of the Gibraltar national football team. The stadium is also used for concerts, festivals and other events.

Lagos, a small seaside town, is located in the Algarve region on the banks of the Bensafrim River and bordering the Atlantic Ocean. Its charming Old Town is surrounded by a 16th century wall, and the town is home to steep limestone cliffs, traditional cobblestone streets, picturesque squares, colorful houses, and medieval churches. The town also boasts great restaurants and a nightlife scene, though more than subdued than that in nearby Albufeira.

Quarteira is a Portuguese civil parish, in the municipality of Loulé in the Algarve. Quarteira is a coastal town, located along the southern extent of the Algarve fronting Albufeira Municipality to the west. The parish is the home of the largest private tourist facility in Europe - Vilamoura. In addition, the region accommodates various tourists with two hundred hotels and residences,including casinos, bars and discos. Quarteira also has five golf courses.

Silves is a municipality in the Portuguese Algarve of southern Portugal. Silves is the former capital of the Algarve and is of great historical importance. The municipality is crossed by the Arade River, which was navigable in historical times and was key to the prosperity of the city of Silves. The waters of the river form the dams of Arade and Funcho. The landscape of the municipality is generally hilly. To the south the municipality borders the Atlantic Ocean. Silves is built on top of one of the largest underground aquifers in the south of Portugal, The Querenca-Silves Aquifer and has many orange groves, a fruit introduced by the Moors.

Portimao is a town and a municipality in the district of Faro, in the Algarve region of southern Portugal. It was formerly known as Vila Nova de Portimao. In 1924, it was incorporated as a cidade and became known merely as Portimao. Historically a fishing and shipbuilding centre, it has nonetheless developed into a strong tourist centre oriented along its beaches and southern coast. The two most populous towns in the Algarve are Portimao and Faro. Being located on the South coast of Portugal, Portimao is well known in the sailing world for being an ideal location for sailing on the Atlantic Ocean, boasting much calmer seas and weather conditions than the Western coastline.

Olhão or Olhão da Restauração, is a municipality and urban community in the Algarve region of southern Portugal, along the coast of the Atlantic Ocean. All of the coastal littoral of the municipality belongs to the Nature Park of Ria Formosa, one of the more important humid zones in Europe, considered in 2004, by International Union for Conservation of Nature as a humid zone of world interest. Instituted with the objective of protecting and conserving this river system, The park spans an area of 18400 hectares with a great variety of habitats: barrier islands, marshes, banks of mud and sand, dunes, salt marshes, freshwater ponds and brackish waterways, forests and agricultural areas.

Vila do Bispo is a municipality in the Portuguese Algarve Situated in the extreme southwest corner of Portugal, surrounded on its southern and western frontiers by the Atlantic Ocean. Due to its geographical location, it is the unique municipality in the country with a western and southern coastline. The southern coast, which extends until Cape St. Vincent, includes several bays and sheltered coves, including the beaches of Praia do Burgau, Cabanas Velhas, Boca do Rio, Zavial, Ingrina, Tonel and Beliche. Meanwhile, to the west of the St. Vincent coast are the beaches of Telheiro, Ponta Ruiva, Castelejo, Cordoama, Barriga and Murração, that include many carved cliffs and rocky promontories.

Carvoeiro, or more commonly Praia de Carvoeiro, is a town and a former civil parish in the municipality of Lagoa, Algarve, Portugal. Formed from a picturesque fishing village, with a long history of settlement, the parish slowly developed into a tourist area in the municipality of Lagoa, owing to its number of sand beaches protected by cliffs. Algar Seco, a few hundred meters along the coast east of the main square and beach, is a popular nature site where ocean wave erosion has carved out grottoes, islets and water-spouts. To the west of the town is the site of an old ruined fort. At the same site is the Shrine of Our Lady of the Incarnation, a chapel overlooking the sea.

Due to its Atlantic frontage, the municipality has several kilometers of continuous sandy beaches. The topography of the municipality is diverse. Marshes are common, especially north of the city where a section of the salty wetlands became the Castro Marim and Vila Real de Santo António Marsh Nature Reserve. Several artists were born and/or worked in Vila Real de Santo António, providing a rich heritage in literature and visual arts. The native poet Antonio Aleixo was particularly prominent. Xylographer Manuel Cabanas stood out in the city's artistic panorama and was a fierce opponent of the Portuguese dictatorship.

Loulé is a city and a municipality in Faro District in Portugal. The town is well known for the sandy beaches, such as Quarteira. Inland, Loulé shows a rich geology, paleontology, and wildlife. A highlight of the summer months in Loulé is Noite Branca, the Festival of White Night held to celebrate the end of summer. Locals and tourists, all wearing white, converge on the town, where a dazzling display of music, dance and pageantry awaits.