A 10 kilometre drive inland from Faro town centre, the sleepy town of Estoi features some of the Algarve’s best preserved Roman ruins. The Milreu site, just off the N2 highway, was excavated in 1877. The oldest part of the Roman ruins are thought to date back to 1st or 2nd century A.D. with a large villa and temple being added later, probably in the third century.
The car-free sandbank island of Culatra is a popular destination for day-trippers who come here to get away from the crowds on the Algarve mainland and to enjoy the calm waters and stunning beaches on offer here.
The Ilha da Cultura is basically one huge beach on which you will always be able to find a quiet spot to throw your towel down. Nude sunbathing is not unheard of here so don't be surprised if you go wandering among the dunes!
Apart from tourism, the main economic activity here is fishing, and the small settlement of Culatra is a working fishing...
Awarded Natural Park status in 1987, the Ria Formosa is a coastal lagoon protected by a group of sandy barrier islands. It features marshes, tidal flats, waterways and some excellent sandy beaches and is rich in marine and birdlife.
Regular boat trips take visitors out to explore Cultura Island with its fishing community, lighthouse and beaches and the uninhabited Barreta Island - known to the locals as the 'desert island'. These trips provide a wonderful opportunity to escape the crowds and get close up to...
The 17th century whitewashed church of São Lourenço de Amancil is somewhat unusual in appearance having more features than most churches of its size. To one side there is a bell tower to which a long staircase rises from the front of the building. The corners of the roof are decorated with pinnacles and adjacent to the bell tower is a copula.
What really marks São Lourenço out though is the interior and particularly the azulejo work. These characteristic blue tiles are both noteworthy for their age and their quality - dating back to 1730 they have been attributed to one of the...
Situated around 2km inland from Quarteira is the Aquashow Park, a huge complex centred around one of Portugal's largest water parks.
Aquashow is home to a good selection of water-based rides suitable for a range of ages. From adrenaline-fueled free fall slides to just bobbing around.
The rides themselves are all various combinations of slides, chutes and flumes with or without inflatable tubes. Where they vary is how high, twisty and fast they are but all finish with you shooting out of the end into a pool.
At the fastest end of the scale are the White Fall and new...
Surrounded by fertile fields of trees bearing fruit, olives and the almonds for which the Algarve is famous, Faro is a large town of over 50,000 inhabitants, the administrative capital of the province, lies at the heart of the...
Albufeira
Cascais
