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Algarve
Look beyond its busier beaches and you’ll find
southern Portugal has plenty more to offer in
historic forts and churches, irresistible villages,
dramatic rural landscapes and tasty local food.The wild beach at
Praia da MarinhaHistoric architecture
Outdoors activities Eating
CORK ROUTE
The quiet town of São Brás de
Alportel lies in a valley wooded
with olives, figs and almonds, but
its most significant trees are the
cork oaks whose bark is harvested
every nine years or so – part of
an industry that has helped
preserve a unique landscape.
Guided walks of varying lengths
include visits to plantations and
a traditional cork factory
(algarverotas.com; 1½-hour tour
US$18.50).SURFING
Along the western coast, you’ll
find unspoiled beaches, backed
by beautiful wild vegetation.
The Parque Natural do Sudoeste
Alentejano e Costa Vicentina
protects the area, and is home
to otters, wild cats and some
200 bird species (natural.pt).
The coast also has some of
Europe’s finest surf. Amado Surf
Camp is one of several outfits
around the village of Carrapateira
offering surf and accommodation
packages (amadosurfcamp.
com; from US$352 for two per
week in a bungalow).BEACH TRAILS
The Percurso dos Sete Vales
Suspensos (Trail of the Seven
Hanging Valleys) runs along the
clifftops east of Carvoeiro for 3½
miles, beginning at Praia de Vale
Centianes beach, continuing past
the sands at Benagil and ending at
the limestone rock stacks of Praia
da Marinha. The final beach is no
secret, but its towering cliffs are
emblematic of the Algarvian coast
and make a natural backdrop for
beach lounging, away from the
resorts; the sand and water are
perfect (cm-lagoa.pt).CASTELO DE SILVES
This russet-coloured, Lego-like
castle has great views over Silves
town from its chunky sandstone
parapets. It dates mostly from the
12th-century Moorish era, with
significant modern restoration.
Just below it is the medieval Sé
(cathedral) – one of the Algarve’s
most impressive examples, with
a substantially unaltered Gothic
interior (cm-silves.pt; castle open
daily; US$2.85).IGREJA DE SÃO
LOURENÇO DE MATOS
A Baroque masterpiece, this
church’s inside is wall-to-wall
blue-and-white azulejos
(painted tiles), with beautiful
panels depicting the life of the
Roman-era martyr St Lawrence
and his grisly death-by-
barbecue. The church is off the
N125 highway, a mile east of
Almancil town centre (Rua da
Igreja; 10am–1.30pm &
2.30pm–5.30pm Mon–Fri,Sat
morning, Sun afternoon; US$2).CASTRO MARIM
Slumbering in the shadows of its
hilltop castle, this picturesque
village sees few foreign visitors,
but deserves to have more. The
Castelo’s medieval walls, bulked
up in the 17th century, look out
over the nearby border with
Spain and marshes that are home
to flamingos. A medieval fair is
held here around the last
weekend in August (cm-
castromarim.pt; castle open
9am–5pm Oct–Mar, to 7pm
Apr–Sep; US$1.20).MERCADO MUNICIPAL
DE LOULÉ
The charming town of Loulé is
famed for its market, housed in
a surprising neo-Moorish
building. It’s open every day
except Sunday, but on Saturdays
stalls spill out onto the streets.
Tastings are always on offer
somewhere; look out for
flame-red piri-piri chillies and
homemade hot sauce, along
with local ceramics (Praça da
República; 7am–3pm Mon–Sat).
VENEZA
This rural restaurant six miles
north of Albufeira is well worth
a trip. It’s famed for serving
what many consider to be the
Algarve’s finest cataplana
(seafood stew) – here, a
delicious pork and clam
combination. The bean and
pork soup is a meal in itself, and
the wine cellar, partly on
display, is brilliant
(restauranteveneza.com;
Estrada de Paderne 560A, Mem
Moniz; lunch Thu–Mon, dinner
Wed–Mon; mains from US$10).PASTELARIA
TAVIRENSE
A good pastel de nata (custard
tart) is a thing of beauty and a
taste of Portugal that will long
live in the memory. Pastelarias
can be found all over the Algarve,
but this one is a local institution
in the cobblestoned historic town
centre of Tavira. It serves up the
best pastries, plus good soups
and snacks for those on a budget
(Rua Dr Marcelino Franco 17;
8am–midnight; snacks from
US$1.50).Portugal’s cork oaks produce
half of the world’s cork supplyAzulejo tiles in the 18th-century
church of São Lourenço de MatosCome early to get the best pick
at Loulé’s Mercado MunicipalFold 2MINI GUIDE