Portimão
We would suggest a visit to Portimão Museum, which exhibits the collective memory from the very dawn of humanity to the present day, and to Portimão Municipal Theatre, which offers a quality artistic and cultural programme featuring a huge selection of events that can be enjoyed by visitors.
If you would like to spend some time perusing the written word or simply keep abreast of what’s going on in the world, the Manuel Teixeira Gomes Municipal Library is the ideal meeting point, and also offers access to the new information technologies.
In the historical part of the city, the alleyways so typical of a community of fisher folk are packed with surprises at every turn. Taking pride of place, the Main Church (Igreja Matriz) and the Colégio Church deserve a lengthy visit, both for their architecture and their rich collection of religious artefacts.
Inland, it would also be worthwhile spending some time at the Centro de Interpretação de Alcalar. Here, the visitor takes a trip back in time, as a culture over five thousand years old unfolds before the eyes as though it had happened only yesterday.
If you’d like to rub shoulders with the locals, who descend from races from all over the world, there’s no better way to do so than by taking a trip to Portimão Municipal Market, where you’ll find tastes and flavours shaped by millennia. Colourful and lively, with typical recipes and genuine products, the entire market is a portrait of a kind and friendly folk.
Offering top quality hotel accommodation to suit every taste, Portimão has another attribute that visitors never forget – its wonderful cuisine, with dishes mostly comprising the freshest fish, served with the best quality vegetables and vitamin-rich fruit.
Excitement abounds in Portimão: excitement that engulfs us as we watch one of the many shows or events that are held here throughout the year; when we stroll around town and discover the municipality’s vast wealth of culture and history; when we savour the delicious grilled sardines and other local specialities; when we feel the beat of the busy, cosmopolitan nightlife; and when our eyes drink in the immensity of the ocean as it intertwines with the river.
Step into an excitement-filled world and set off to discover Portimão.
USEFUL LINKS
Sports leisure
The wonderful sunny climate, the calm sea and the inviting year-round temperatures make Portimão the perfect host for unique moments of leisure.
In autumn, nearly every day is spring-like, as the competitors will be able to discover for themselves, enjoying a thousand and one different opportunities between sporting activities, culture, delights such as the enticing cuisine and other simple things in life.
Young-at-heart sports lovers have no end of top quality choices, from golf to horse riding, swimming, water sports, rambles and more.
Golf lovers are spoiled for choice, with many world-class greens, in wonderful settings, on which to play all year round.
There are several pedestrian routes that cut along the coast around the cliffs, with the immensity of the ocean as a backdrop, or you could take to the country trails, packed with tradition, irresistible for any keen explorer. Cyclo-tourism is another very healthy and enjoyable way to discover Portimão and its natural beauty.
For Sun Worshippers
Portimão has a huge variety of beaches, all with different characteristics but all sharing the same fine, golden sand, clear, calm waters, and hours and hours of sunshine.
The prestigious European Blue Flag symbol attests to the environmental quality of the beaches. Various support facilities and disabled accesses ensure that the beaches can also be enjoyed by the less able.
The only difficulty is choosing between the vast sands of Alvor, the smaller, more secluded bays, the family-friendly beaches or the unrivalled beauty of the recently upgraded Praia da Rocha, where the Sports Area offers year-round activities.
The stunning coastline, which offers an immense variety of water sports, from sailing to rowing or surfing, can be explored by boat, following routes that allow the visitor to appreciate a close-up view of the works of art that the sea has carved in the cliffs over time. Another option might be to take a peaceful boat trip along the Arade River, which links Portimão to the historical city of Silves, the region’s capital during the time of Arab domination.
Unrivalled natural beauty
There’s always somewhere to breathe in pure, fresh air in Portimão, whether you choose the estuary or the countryside, the ocean waves or the beach: when you go for a ramble through the natural landscape of the Alvor Estuary and try to spot the unique species of animals and plants; or when you visit Mexilhoeira Grande with the imposing Monchique Mountains as a backdrop. Portimão’s nature trails are waiting for you to come and discover them.
Portimão Museum is a polynuclear museum
Centre for the Welcoming and Interpretation of Megalithic Monuments of Alcalar
Evocative space of Manuel Teixeira Gomes
Alvor Lifeguards Interpretive Center
Alvor Village
The picturesque town of Alvor, near Portimão, represents a connection between history, heritage and natural beauty. Taking a walk through the streets of Alvor is a true workout for your senses.
Here, the Arab presence can be seen in many of the buildings or in the marabouts, as well as in the name itself: Alvor or Al-Bûr (as it was known).
We invite you to walk up and down the streets in search of the best view over the houses and to one of the most impressive landscapes of the Algarve: the Ria de Alvor (Alvor Estuary).
In Alvor, the fishing boats contrast with the calmness of the salty air and the various shades of red in the sky at sunset.
Mexilhoeira Grande
This is the most rural civil parish in Portimão and the one which most contrasts with the urban setting of the city, not only because of its small population but also because of its whitewashed houses with coloured borders around the windows and the traditional Algarve chimneys.
The site where the megalithic monuments of Alcalar are to be found is one of the most impressive testaments to those who passed through here about five thousand years ago, and is not to be missed when touring this “small big” parish.
Nowadays, we can classify Mexilhoeira Grande as the most exciting parish in terms of speed as it is here that the International Motor Racing Circuit of the Algarve is located, a venue which hosts major international events.
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