The Algarve

Aerial photograph of the point in Sagres.
The fortress on the headland dates back to the 15th century, although it has been built a few times since.

Also on the headland is the 'Wind Rose', a compass wiht a 143 ft diameter marked out in stone on the ground. It is around the same age as the fort and was used for measuring the direction of the wind.

To either side are the beaches of Tonel and Mareta.

Silves is an attractive town with a rich history built on the banks of the River Arade. The river was navigable in historical times and represented an important link between the hinterland and the coast. The town, which is built on top of one of the largest underground aquifers in the south of Portugal, the Querenca-Silves aquifer, straddles the river and retains a medina-style gate, the Porta de Loule, and parts of the poured concrete walls that date back to the time of Moorish occupation.

Carvoeiro is an Algarve fishing village turned tourist hot spot located five kilometers south of Lagoa. Built into steep red sea cliffs, the once-attractive village has mushroomed since the 1960s to accommodate (mainly in self-catering apartment blocks) the hordes of tourists who come every Summer to soak up the sun and escape the more hectic pace of towns such as Lagoa, Albufeira and Portimao.

Aljezur is a small market town of whitewashed houses and cobbled streets located thirty kilometers north of Lagos near the border between the Algarve and the Alentejo in south west Portugal.

Olhao is a coastal town in the Algarve which grew out of the fishing industry in the seventeenth century. Olhão, located just ten kilometers east of Faro, is still one of the Algarve's main ports. It was here that the first canning factory was established in 1882, sparking a trend that was to spread in both directions along the coast, with canned tuna and sardines quickly becoming the Algarve's main source of income.

A fifteen minute drive from the main airport in Faro, the small town of Almancil is perfectly pleasant and typical of the Algarve. The neighbouring village of São Lourenço boasts a church decorated with characteristic blue tiles telling the life story of its patron saint, this example of azulejo work being particularly notable because of its age, it dates back to 1730, and the fact that it is attributed to one of the azulejo masters of the time, Policarpo de Oliveira.

Vilamoura is more of an area than a town in itself and has grown over the past couple of decades to more or less engulf Quarteira to the east. Located virtually in the middle of the Algarve coast, within 15Km of the main airport at Faro, Vilamoura's accessibility has helped it become one of Europe's largest beach resorts. The 20 square Km of purpose built resort are home to practically every form of sport, entertainment and amenity imaginable.

Located towards the western end of the Algarve, Portimão is one of the largest towns on this coast with a population approaching 40,000. As a tourist destination in its own right the town doesn't really jump out, as with much of south and west Portugal it was extensively damaged in the great earthquake of 1755.

Although Sagres is on the Algarve it doesn't have the same over-developed holiday town feel of some of those towns further east. Situated within a few kilometres of Europe's most south western point, Cape St. Vincent, the town has a rather windswept, remote feel about it.

Tavira is one of the gems of the eastern Algarve. Straddling the River Gilão and the River Segua, its gentle charm and predominantly low-rise architecture set it aside from other resorts in the region. Sometimes referred to as the Venice of the Algarve, it boasts a seven-arched Roman bridge, some fine Renaissance architecture, numerous churches, tree-lined squares and a certain romantic air.