Culture

Discover the Beauty of the Algarve, Portugal

For those visitors looking for more than sun bathing the Algarve has much more to offer:

• Historical monuments going back to the roots of Roman and Moorish culture.
  
• Testimonies of the glorious past.
  
• Breathtaking cliffs at the coast of the Atlantic Ocean with hidden creeks.
  
• Peaceful countryside in the mountains still almost untouched by tourists.

Milreu Ruins: A Roman treasure in the heart of the Algarve

Milreu Ruins Algarve

Situated only a few kilometres from Faro, close to Estói, Milreu Ruins are amongst the most important remains of the Roman presence in the Algarve and now form an imposing archaeological site, which has been classified as a national monument.

Its important historical heritage has been recovered and today the Casa Rural das Ruínas (the Country House of the Ruins) has been transformed into a visitors’ centre, allowing us to have a real idea of how the Romans spent their days, during the period when they chose the Algarve as a place to both live and rest.

Cacela Velha

Cacela Velha

Little old village at the coast with no car traffic. Parish church of the 13th Century with renaissance porch, picturesque small houses and a little fortress.

Picturesque village on the Ria Formosa between Tavira and Vila Real d.S.A.

Cacela Velha is situated directly on the Ria Formosa lagoon between Tavira and Vila Real de Santo António. This picturesque little village is only a few miles from the EN 125 main road. Access by car is allowed only to residents - visitors can park the car at the village entrance and easily explore it by foot.

Cacela Velha’s few buildings are surmounted by the church and an impressive castle, that was part of the border fortification against neighbouring Spain. Today a toll authority resides there, and thus the castle is not open to visits. There is, however, a route called "Itinerário de Castelos do Baixo Guardiana", on which you can follow the former fortifications on the lower Guadiana river.

Ferragudo at the Rio Arade estuary

Ferragudo at the Rio Arade estuary

Scenic fishing village at the estuary of the Rio Arade

Ferragudo is one of the six municipalities in the district of Lagoa. The fishing village is situated opposite Portimão and Praia da Rocha at the estuary of the Rio Arade.

Places of special interest are the fortress of São João de Arade, built in the XVII century and the church of Nossa Senhora da Conceição.