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Almost everyone, when they go on vacation abroad, chooses Europe. It's usually cheap, it's close, and it's beautiful and comfortable. Who needs more than that? But if you had the opportunity to go on vacation in a place that Europeans themselves dream of, in a place that they would like to see, Surely that would have been better, wouldn't it?
Algarve region (Algarve) is located in the south of Portugal, and it extends over its entire southern border. Starting from the Atlantic Ocean in the west, to the border with Spain in the east, and all along the southern coastal strip of Portugal, in the Straits of Gibraltar. This region of the country is known all over the world as ideal for vacationers, as the weather is excellent and its tourism infrastructure is especially developed. Due to the fact that it is the preferred holiday destination for many Europeans, Portuguese and non-Portuguese alike, you can be sure that it has everything to suit tourists of any budget.
In addition, due to the strategic location of this region of the country, you will find in the Algarve a variety of activities for all ages, activities that will suit any style of travel. It doesn't matter if you prefer to lie on the beach doing your back abs all day, switch between extreme water sports and extreme land sports throughout your vacation or visit museums until you get cold from the air conditioner, you can be sure that the Algarve region will be able to fulfill your wishes.
In addition to the nature that stuns the senses of the Algarve region, it also excels in impressive cities that have more than technical infrastructure for tourists. The Algarve is a historically very rich region, and its cities have seen many faces throughout the hundreds and thousands of years of their existence. It is highly recommended not to miss out on visiting the historical sites and points of interest that the cities, towns and villages in the Algarve are full of. Here we will review examples of such sites in several large cities, in order to give you an idea of what it is all about.
Faro is the capital of the Algarve region, which overlaps with the Faro district. It is an extremely ancient city, and evidence of settlement has been found in it since the Early Stone Age. Already thousands of years ago Faro (in its previous incarnations) was an important city, which became even more important under the rule of the Roman Empire. The city also has a glorious Jewish history, as Jews settled there at the invitation of the King of Portugal starting in the eighteenth century. In the middle of the XNUMXth century, the community dwindled due to the migration of its members to other cities until it disappeared completely, and there remains a museum and a cemetery testifying to its history.
The gate on the seaward side of Faro is of great historical importance, and has been in place since the time of the Moors (that is, more than a thousand years ago). At the beginning of the nineteenth century, the gate was redesigned by a famous Italian architect, in order to create an impressive welcome for those arriving at Faro from the sea (and these were many of the visitors). The gate, designed in a neo-classical style and decorated with turrets and a large bronze bell, definitely creates an atmosphere of entering an important place.
During the passage where you can see the remains from the Moorish period to this opening, which has been fixed in the wall since their time. Faro's strategic location led to a wall surrounding it from all directions, a wall that can still be seen today. The wall was built even before the Roman period, and has undergone several renovations throughout the thousands of years that have passed since then.
The most built part of the Faro Walls (Muralhas de Faro) can be seen in the area of the Arch of Rest (Arco do Repouso) built by Caliph Almohad. This arch, along with the City Gate Arch and the New Gate Arch (Arco da Porta Nuova) formed the three main entrances to the old city.
On the shores of Faro is the protected nature reserve Raya Formosa, which stretches along about sixty kilometers of beach. This nature reserve is a primitive wonder, and you can see a huge variety of animals in it (with an emphasis on birds). In addition, it is an excellent place to experience the traditional life of the region. Here you will find fishermen using traditional fishing methods in order to hunt the fish of the reserve (in a controlled manner of course), in addition to a farm for growing oysters and other seafood.
Arriving at the nature reserve is done by organized sailing from the beaches of Faro. During the cruise you can sometimes also get explanations about the natural life in the reserve and the traditional ways of life you will see, according to the offer of the tourism company organizing the cruise.
This museum was founded at the end of the nineteenth century (1894 to be exact), and is the second oldest in the Algarve. In the middle of the last century, it was moved to its current location, a building from the sixteenth century that was previously used as a monastery.
The lion's share of the museum is dedicated to archaeological finds from the Roman period, when Faro was a particularly important city. Here you will find thousands of years old mosaics, statues of Roman emperors (Hadrian and Agrippa) and more. In other parts of the museum you will find exhibits dedicated to different subjects, including a collection of items collected from churches and monasteries that were destroyed or closed in Paro.
This palace from 1840 will remind you that Faro was the residence of nobles and wealthy people. Although it was built in a later period, the palace was designed in the Rococo style (the post-Baroque style that dominated Europe for a short period) and is full of frescoes and halls of matching design. Upon entering it, you will immediately pass from the touristy and sunny atmosphere of the Algarve beaches, to the heaviness characteristic of European noble palaces.
This palace stood as a near-ruin for a long time, until a few years ago it underwent a comprehensive renovation and became one of the heritage site hotels scattered across the length and breadth of Portugal. If you want to feel like European aristocracy, you can rent a hotel room and thus enjoy both the big city in the Algarve and the pleasures of high society life.
This museum, which used to be one of the two synagogues used by Portugal's small Jewish community, was named in 2007 after Yitzhak Biton, who was one of the founders of the community. The museum contains many items related to the community that has been here for more than one hundred and fifty years, including furniture, books, sacred utensils and more. At the reception desk you can purchase souvenirs, videos and even kosher wine.
Adjacent to the museum is the Jewish cemetery of Faro, where Jews were buried for about a hundred years and which underwent extensive renovation until it was opened in its current form in 1993. The tombstones in the cemetery are designed in a Spanish style, and there is also a funeral home where the purification of the dead was conducted.
Albufeira is one of the most famous cities in the Algarve, although it is not the biggest or the most impressive. It is a magnet for crowds of tourists every season, mainly due to the fact that it is in a rather ideal location between Faro and Agus, on the southern coast. The main entertainment area of the city is the Areias de Sao Joao (Areias de Sao Joao), where many of the hotels are concentrated and where Albufeira's nightlife takes place. The second part is the old city, where the residents of Albufeira live and where the ancient and authentic Arab architecture of the place is concentrated.
If you want to enjoy a leisurely walk in a historical atmosphere and narrow and magical alleys, the old town of Albufeira is the right place. It is not a long trip, as the old city is modest in size and you can walk it for a little over an hour, but it is definitely a nice pastime after a whole day of trips and attractions.
In the various alleys you can be exposed to the daily life of the residents of Albufeira, and they themselves are paved with Portuguese design typical of small towns like Albufeira. In addition, due to its proximity to the ocean coast, a blind wander through the alleys will eventually lead you to the amazing view of Albufeira's beaches (and especially Praia do Peneco). A short path passing through a large rock will lead you from Rua 5 de Outubro straight to the beach.
This museum is located in the historic part of the city, next to the beach, and is housed in a building that was once the town hall. This is a must visit site for those interested in the rich history of the Algarve in general and Albufeira in particular, as it displays a wide variety of items from countless historical periods. Here you will find exhibits from the historical period, from the time of the Roman Empire, from the Muslim conquest of Portugal, the Middle Ages and more. Among the most impressive exhibits are Neolithic vessels, archaeological finds from a Roman villa discovered in the city and religious items brought from the ancient church of Albufeira.
An interesting detail about the museum is that almost all the exhibits in it were collected by one and only one person, priest Jose Manuel Samado, who was the head of Albufeira's tourist agency in the middle of the twentieth century.
If you are interested in archaeology, you will definitely want to visit the ruins of a medieval castle, many of which are impressively preserved. The castle is located in a classic Mediterranean landscape, which includes olive and carob trees. It was originally founded by the Moors in the twelfth century, and was conquered by the Christians not long after in a battle that included mass slaughter.
In order to illustrate the importance of this castle in Portuguese history, it is said that Padran Castle is one of the seven castles represented in the red ribbon of Portugal's coat of arms.
Lagos is a small city in the Algarve region, located very close to the southwestern tip of the European continent (and Cape St. Vincent, see above). Similar to other cities in Lagos, Lagos was also an important city throughout history, and many armies fought over it. There are evidences of Phoenician, Carthaginian and Roman settlement, and of course throughout later periods as well.
The old town is full of classic white houses characterized by arches and columns, and between them alleys paved with stones in various patterns that you can find in many towns in Portugal. The city wall built in the sixteenth century still stands in some places, and surrounds different parts of the old city. The best preserved areas of the wall can be seen in the area of the Constitution Garden (Jardim da Constituicao) near the water. This part of the wall preserved the nearby House of the Governors of the Algarve, which was used during the period when Lagos was the capital of the province (for almost two centuries, between the mid-sixteenth and mid-eighteenth centuries).
A very important historical site, which will remind you of the less beautiful aspects of the city and the period, is also located near the Constitution Garden. It is about the slave market of Lagos (Mercado de Escravos), which operated for about 250 years starting in 1444. On the other hand, one of the heroes of this period is Enrique the Spaniard, who was a fifteenth-century Portuguese prince who was considered one of the most important figures in the Age of Discovery. The home port of Enrique's expeditions was in Lagos.
This 17th century fort is located next to one of the main roads of Lagos, very close to the marina. It was used to protect the port and anchorage of the city, which naturally were subject to threats and attacks many times throughout history.
It was built as one of dozens of forts and ramparts built during the Guerra da Restauracao between Spain and Portugal, which lasted about thirty years. Since at this time armies already had artillery capabilities, not much thought was put into its design and style. It is relatively low, and is mainly intended to protect the fighting forces that were in it.
This is a highly recommended site for those traveling with children, as the large selection of animals that this zoo contains, as well as its proximity to the city, make it an ideal destination for a half day to day trip. It lies a few kilometers outside the city itself, so it can be reached relatively easily.
A very large part of the zoo (almost half of the items) is dedicated to birds, which live in clean and well-maintained pens. The zoo's parrot population is particularly impressive, and includes a wide repertoire of species. In addition to birds, you can find in the zoo more than a dozen species of monkeys, wild cats and predators, rare turtles and a variety of other animals. For the children, an animal corner was set up that includes various farm animals, such as sheep, goats and more. You can also enter a cage with them where they can play with lemurs, but entry to this cage is at an additional cost.
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