1. Festival Do Orgao do Algarve (Organ Festival of the Algarve)

The festival is taking place between 03.11.2017 – 25.11.2017. It follows eight succesfull years in faro and has been expaded across the regios. This year, the festival will take place across four counties: Portimao, Faro, Tavira and Loulé.

You should’t miss this as you will enjoy many concerts and for sure you will have lot of fun.

2. St. Martin’s fair in Portimao

 The fair has taken place every year since 1662 and it is considered the most ancient event and also the most popular in the city.

Visitors will have the chance to browse through 84 stalls where you can find anything from food, clothes, shoes,household item, toys and so on.

Also this year a novelty it will be the exhibition of new and used cars, which represents nine car brands in the Algarve. The show will take place at Portimao Arena, locaed in the grounds of the Parque de Feiras e Exposicoes, from 15:00 to 23:00, each day until 18.11.2017.

3. Christmas and New Year’s Eve

Christmas celebration in Portugal traditionally start on December 8^th (“The day of “Our Lady of the Conception”) and end of 12^th night.

Christmas itself is celebrated on Christmas Eve night.

Did you ever imagined spending Christmas sorounded by decorations but somewhere where the weather is still warm? Algarve is the perfect answer.

New Year celebration can become very expensive but did you thought that you can get more with less money?

You can watch the firework displays on the river front in Lagos and get a view of Portimao’s display as well.

Many open air concerts will take place in Albufeira and all the bars and clubs across the Algarve will stay open until the early hours so everyone can celebrate.

If you need a car we suggest you to hire a car from Lagos Car Hire as they have very good prices and lots of discounts up to 30% this time of the year.

Hope we helped you with some ideas for this autumn and winter and we wish you to enjoy your time in Algarve.

Portimao is one of the most beautiful and prominent Algarvian cities and also a center of entertainment and (unofficial) capital of fun in the Algarve. Every week, there is something new happening here, especially in summer, though the cold season also has surprises in store.

The month of November is marked by St. Martin’s Fair, a traditional Portuguese celebration that brings everybody out on the street to celebrate with food and drink, fairground rides, games and music and roasting chestnuts. The first fair was held in 1662 and it only keeps getting better year by year. The location is due to take place between 7 and 11 November 2014 at the Parque de Feiras e Exposicoes.

The Mediterranean cuisine so popular throughout Portugal is often made into a reason for celebration. This November, the town of Sao Bartolomeu de Messines is going to host the Gastronomic Week, event which has come to its 7th edition. Between November 28th and December 2nd, prepare for a culinary delight, as numerous local restaurants compete in an extraordinary “tour de force”, wishing to serve and promote traditional dishes and beverages. Silves wine is going to be one of the “stars” of the celebration and we invite you to taste its sweet bouquet.

Portimao and Messines are not the only towns where fairs or markets are due to take place. Some of the other famous and equally beautiful markets in Algarve are: the markets in Aljezur, the Albufeira Gipsy / Flea Market, the monthly market in Estoi (near Faro), the traditional market and cultural center in Lagos, Tavira antique markets and Quarteira fairs.

This November, celebrate on the shores of the Atlantic and travel in Algarve anywhere your heart desires!

If the charm of Spain and Portugal attract you, be it through customs or especially music, there are quite a few music festivals and events that you should take into consideration. For instance, in Portimao, you can take part in Música Mundi: Tango and many more. If you wish to be lulled by the gentle and sad Fado rhythm of the Portuguese guitar, there are recitals by João Cuña almost every day in Faro Museum.

Portimao is also host of some quality classical music recitals: the Lagos Music Academy Chamber Orchestra comes on tour on the 21st of June, to give just an example.

All throughout the Algarve, there are markets with fun and artifacts and much joy: Lagoa, Lagos, Faro, Loule, Albufeira, Quarteira and Tavira are just a few of the cities hosting them.

If you thought the Portuguese were not fun people, you’ll change your mind when you find out they actually organize Festa do Frango no Churrasco – which basically celebrates the exquisite flavor of chicken barbecue and turns the whole cooking activity into a true ritual!

In August, Olhos de Agua hosts a traditional Sardine Festival, as ever since time immemorial, most of the Algarve cities thriving today used to be fishermen villages. The same town organizes a great folkloric festivity with even more music, food and fun.

Albufeira dresses in festive clothing on August 14th with the Festa da Nossa Senhora da Orada (the festival of Our Lady of the Oracle), who is patron saint of the fishermen, which is at the same time a religious and a popular celebration.

Last but not least, let’s not forget that Europeans love sports and the Portuguese are not an exception to this rule. All throughout the summer, in June, July and August, you will have the chance to see sporting events and activities on the beach, culminating with August 20th, when Albufeira pays homage to sports with a great fireworks display.

Could we make our invitation to Portugal clearer?

According to a statement from the association, a large number of olive trees would be planted on a piece of land that is part of the REN National Ecological Reserve. This land in turn, is above the deepest part of one of the region’s largest underground water reserves – the Querenca-Silves aquifer.

The association’s concern is that the project is wrongly labeled as being ‘organic’ – considering the presumable use of agro-chemical products and intensive water consumption – and that it might also serve as guise for a tourism project that has been on hold in recent years.

The environmentalists fear that this might be a test-run for something else to follow, saying that land-clearing work has already begun but was stopped by GNR police when local property owners complained.

The association continued to make its case saying that the destruction of legally protected scrubland – especially where there are juniper shrubs present – as well as of landscape characteristic to rural Algarve is plain to see. They’ve also criticized the ‘ungracious’ attitude of those entities who allowed for the project to go ahead.

Despite the somewhat alarmist and arguable assumptions that the Almargem association makes, what it is asking for is for full clarification of the situation from the authorities in charge and for these same authorities to embargo the project as well as obliging the project’s promoter to replace things as they were before the land clearing started. Whilst there is really nothing wrong with the first request, the second one seems a bit of an overreach, but environmentally minded associations aren’t always the most reasonable of entities when it comes to protecting nature, so it doesn’t really come as a shock.

However, the authorities in Albufeira have started a campaign to alert all beach-goers about the problem of possible cliff-falls, the campaign will be active till the end of August.

This campaign will be carried out across all the major Albufeira beaches so as to inform visitors about how to prevent accidents as well as warn them about various other hazards. The municipality authorities are distributing bilingual pamphlets and bracelets as well as organizing informative sporting activities in order to raise awareness about the potential dangers.

The authorities have been taking this problem very seriously for a long time, and they have been preparing the terrain long before the bathing season actually started. Quite a few controlled rock demolitions were conducted under the supervision of the environmental authorities in order to prevent as many possible accidents during the summer as possible.

The main alderman for the Albufeira civil protection – Carlos Quintino – stressed in a statement that despite the very active efforts of the authorities to minimize these risks, nature is still unpredictable – and so is human nature we might add – so respecting the warning signs is absolutely necessary.

We mentioned earlier that the Albufeira authorities have been looking at the problem for a long time, and 2013 will be marking the fourth consecutive year in which the ‘Proteja-se das Arrivas’ campaign will be organized by the Civil Protection of Albufeira.

For a bit of history, the campaign started because of the collapse of a part of a cliff on the Maria Luisa beach in Albufeira – four years ago – which killed five people, the gravest accident registered on Algarve beaches. If you want to visit Algarve beaches we suggest that you take an private Albufeira transfer so you can enjoy the best holiday.

We tend to talk quite a bit about the idea of seasonality on this blog, and in relation to it about the various hardships that the region of the Algarve has been going through in the past couple of years. Economic downturns influence pretty much any industry, with some being more affected than others, and it is a widely known fact that tourism is one of the industries that gets hit the worst.

It’s rather easy to understand, holiday spending, or simply going on a trip is seen as a luxury during economic woes, it’s a bit of a special event even in the best of times, people planning and saving money for their trip for the whole year. During such a general economic downturn, tourism suffers all-around, and since the Algarve’s main source of income is tourism it’s easy to understand that they have a valid interest in making themselves as appealing as possible.

In such an effort, Albufeira Mayor Joao Carlos Rolo said that the measure to increase the beach season is hoped to reduce the effect of seasonality while also boosting the regional economy somewhat. He continued to note that thanks to Albufeira’s particularities and conditions, they can make the most of their beach season.

The first official day of the new beach season in Albufeira has been set on the eighteenth of May, after a meeting between the Council, the regional Algarve Hydrographical Board and the captain of the Portimao port.

In the mayor’s opinion, the new increased season – which will now end on the 20^th of October – is mean to reaffirm that the county is a place of reference even between other Algarve destinations.

We’ll just have to wait and see what the results of this move will be towards the end of 2013.

Many holidaymakers return to Albufeira city Portugal when they’re looking for a specific type of atmosphere which mixes great climate, lovely beaches and a plethora of eating establishments.

There are some who call Albufeira the St. Tropez of Portugal, while one must maintain the proportions in mind when making such a comparison, one also has to acknowledge that there are some similarities between the two. Our Albufeira city guide won’t talk about all of them however we will focus on a general outlook of the city.

The ex-fishing village is situated in the central part of the Algarve region, at about a thirty minute drive from Faro Airport, thankfully there are many Albufeira transfers from Faro Airport available for those interested in getting there quickly and in safe comfort.

Albufeira city

For those who have visited a bit of North Africa, coming here will offer a very interesting experience seeing as how Albufeira looks quite a bit like a village from that region. The city is home to one of the greatest beach-side tourist developments in the entire country, not only the region, however you don’t have to stay here if you don’t want to, the nearby locations of Quarteira and Almancilalso offer some great accommodation options.

On the other hand you could have a wonderful vacation and never leave the town or its surroundings, in such a case considering some Albufeira car hire services might prove to be a great idea, especially if you’re planning on cooking your own meals and if you wish to have the same flexibility of movement that you have at home.

Being the largest resort in the Algarve, Albufeira didn’t get that reputation for nothing, the wide variety of attractions, sights and activities that the place offers is appealing to a wide range of travellers, of all ages.

The city is split into two entities, the ‘old’ and the ‘new’, the first offering history and tranquillity while the other a constantly humming nightlife. Add to this some of the finest beaches on the continent, and couple it with the great weather, plus the local culture, one can understand why the atmosphere here is much sought after by travellers and holidaymakers of different ages and backgrounds.

Of course, considering the resort’s size and the plethora of offerings it has, one cannot think that it does not cater to those who love to shop while they’re on vacation. For those looking for some ‘retail therapy’ after a few days of lounging on the beach, rest assured that Albufeira’s main shopping street of Rua 5 de Outubro has pretty much anything that you may want or need, from a new outfit that you can wear on a night out in Albufeira to presents for your family and friends back home.

The resort doesn’t only offer great beaches, and wonderful eateries, golfing enthusiasts will also have a chance to play a solid number of holes at the Pine Cliffs or again, can take a ride to one of the top notch courses around Quarteira, like the Vila Sol and Vilamoura Old Course.

Albufeira guide – Albufeira beach Art

As far as the more traditional idea of an attraction goes, Albufeira has a few interesting places that will be ideal for a large percentage of visitors. For instance those who are traveling with their children will surely have to visit the Zoo Marine and the variety of water parks which can be found in and around the city.

More adventurous adults may want to visit Monchique and Foia, which are the highest points in the region, the views from here amaze every time, without fail. While on this trip make sure to check out a few local specialties, such as Medronho – a traditional alcoholic beverage – and Honey Cake, both of which are worth trying.

This has been just a quick look at what Albufeira has to offer its visitors, rest assured that once you’re there, you will surely find many more things to see and do.