Algarve is one of the most beautiful places in Portugal, where you have so many treasures to discover and so many locations to admire and enjoy. This is the most wonderful time of the year to visit Algarve, due to all the sparkling special festivities, the heart warming customs and traditions and the welcoming people which will definitely amaze you and win your heart.

Situated to the west of Algarve, Carvoeiro is one of the most beautiful places to visit in Algarve. Originally a fishing village, Carvoeiro is now a very popular destination with a wide range of visitors and it’s considered to be one of the most remarkable destinations with the most picturesque beaches.
Algar Seco, Carvoeiro, is famous for the Carvoeiro boardwalk, a picturseque cliff top starting from Nossa Senhora da Encarnacao fort until the Algar Seco rock formation. This destination is the accurate definition of an astonishing, cheeerful and abolutely breathtaking afternoon together with your family and friends.

For history enthusiasts and lovers, an extraordinary attractive location in Algarve is Alcoutim, an almost unchanged village which preserves its authenticity and ancient charm, situated on the banks of the river Guadiana. The steep cobbled streets seem to lead to the riverside through a mix of low, whitewashed cottages and little squares.
Although it has lost the walls that for centuries surrounded it, and despite some modern constructions, Alcoutim’s steep and narrow streets still maintain much of the calm atmosphere, typical of an algarvian hill town.
This incredibly enchanting location is worth visiting especially in the holiday season, you will definitely find it exceptionnally magical.

Salema is situated on one of the most unspoilt coastal regions of Algarve, the Southwest Alentejo and Costa Vicentina Natural Park.
Situated at the top of a cove that features magnificent rock formations and a beautiful sandy beach that is lined with the old houses that formed the original village, this location is as both scenic and tranquil – the ideal place to take unforgettable strolls and to simply seize the moment.
Another charming aspect about this place resides in Praia da Salema, where you will find gold and orange limestone cliffs typical of Algarve. Some of the oldest sections actually date to the Lower Cretaceous period, so they’re around 150 million years old!

There are a lot of activities and events around Algarve during Christmas holidays, from festive concerts and parades to nativity scene.
Come and enjoy this special holiday in Algarve, Portugal, with your family and friends, surrounded by the most beautiful landscapes and unique atmosphere, always counting on Faro Low Cost Transfers and Lagos Car Hire, which provide excellent transfers and car rental services, whenever you need!

The dig started back in 2008 and it barely concluded this summer, when the ruin was unearthed alongside a plethora of Roman artifacts.

At the current time the site is covered with plastic sheets meant to protect the walls of what is the ground floor of the ruin. These walls have survived for more than two millennia and measure almost 2.5 metres in height, so it would truly be a shame if modern times would do them in.

The team of archaeologists also had an Alcoutim council member in its midst, Alexandra Gradim, who worked alongside researchers from Innsbruck University, Austria. According to the preliminary analysis this building would have had more than three floors, which means another two floors would’ve been supported by the 2.35 meters high ground floor walls. The building would have looked simply colossal to whoever came across the river, at its probable height of tem meters and width of 13.5 meters.

The building was located on top of a hill, which made it difficult to reach even by modern standards, so the building would’ve been very imposing on the landscape and a clear sign of the economic power of its owner. Considering the size and location of the building it is easy to correlate with Alcoutim and the commercial relationship that arrived via the Guadiana River. The link to the commercial aspect can be inferred from the fact that no remnants of a possible military past were found. What they did find were pieces of pottery and outline of pitchers that came from other places in the Mediterranean, such as Italy and the bay of Cadiz.

The site won’t be available for public visiting any time soon, due to the difficult to reach location as well as the high cost of preserving it for show purposes.

Those who will be heading here will notice how easy it is to get around the town thanks to it having been built on a grid system, which is something that not many other Algarve settlements can boast. With the help of our small Vila Real de Santo Antonio guide you should get a better idea of what it is that the town can offer you and whether or not you should seriously consider vacationing here.

The town’s grid system was designed by the Marques de Pombal who was rather keen on testing this new type of town planning after all the original settlements in the area were eroded by the beginning of the 17^th century. The Royal charter founding the town was signed on the 30^th of December 1773 and by August 6^th of next year, the Town Hall, Customs House and the barracks were already completed.

Towards the end of the 19^th century, the town was a major player in the canning industry, especially for sardines and tuna, and the port was constantly busy with the ships that sailed the river. As a sign of this very industrial focus of the town, Vila Real de Santo Antonio was the first town in the Algarve to be lit with gas, back in 1886. Nowadays the town thrives on a combination of fishing, agriculture and of course, tourism.

The main road of the town and of the region pretty much, runs straight from Monte Gordo to Vila Real and the Avenida da Republica runs along the front of the town, parallel with the Guadiana River. The river-front is very well developed featuring well laid out trees and water features as well as a marina which is great for watching boats.

The town’s grid system was designed to feature a large town square and the Praca marques de Pombal is truly a sight to see, being surrounded by orange trees and populated with low buildings, shops, cafes and outdoor restaurants. Behind the square you will find the Centro Cultural Antonio Aleixo – this used to be the old market, but the space is now used for temporary exhibits and various events. Nearby there’s a museum dedicated to Manuel Cabanas a local painter and wood engraver.

What it all comes down to is that Vila Real de Santo Antonio is a very relaxed and quiet town, an ideal holiday destination for those looking for a relaxing and peaceful type of vacation. Just like Monte Gordo the town is very flat, and this makes it idea for walking and cycling around it, however getting here can be arranged with the help of some Vila Real de Santo Antonio transfer from Faro Airport if you’re planning to spend your entire holiday around these parts. Otherwise you may want to consider some Vila Real de Santo Antonio car hire services.

The town features an absolutely lovely open sandy beach which is a couple of kilometers long, actually stretching close to Tavira.

Vila Real de Santo Antonio is part of a larger region, the Baixo Guadiana region, a place characterized by wonderful environment where the sun, sea, river, mountains and friendly inhabitants create a wonderful atmosphere to live and thrive in.

Related to this very laid-back approach to life, you can enjoy a boat trip along the Guadiana to Alcoutim for a special way of seeing the surroundings because it passes through some beautiful countryside and you’ll get to see the change in geography from very flat plains to rolling hills and lush vegetation.

Obviously this has been just a very short description of only some of the characteristics of Vila Real de Santo Antonio and its surroundings, rest assured that simple words and images can’t really do it any justice, once you’re there you’ll know that you’ll never be bored while on your trip here so you might as well focus on taking in as much of the place as possible.

Situated in the eastern part of the Algarve and in the south of Portugal, it is one of the relative few inland resorts but despite this it still features a beach, thanks to the river. The city proper offers a lot of interesting features including accommodations, gastronomy and various events. The city’s surroundings are also very rich with opportunities thanks to places like the Vila Real de Santo Antonio and Castro Marim to name a few of the major ones.

This part of the region is great for those holidaymakers who are interested in the region’s history, but not exclusively, as the traditions, sights and outdoor activities can appeal to almost anyone, so this is our little Alcoutim city guide, to give you an idea of what to expect.

Alcoutim city Portugal is located at about forty kilometers distance of Vila Real de Santo Antonio and there has been some type of establishment around these parts for about four thousand years, thanks to its rich deposits of copper, iron and manganese.

The settlement grew in importance during Roman times thanks to these resources and it continued to do so during the Medieval period; the remains of a 14^th century castle which overlooks the city can be visited, they house now a small archaeological museum.

The geography in this region is very hilly, and Alcoutim is itself a hillside town. It retains many of its more Medieval characteristics, in the sense that there are small squares and cobbled streets, but there’s also a paved promenade along the river front which is in turn populated by restaurants and cafes.

The church that you can fin near the river front was initially built in the 16^th century, however it required several reconstructions throughout the intervening centuries. The river is also quite narrow here which allows for a lot of sailing boats and other river craft to float gently.

Even if you will not be staying in Alcoutim you should still consider visiting it, and thankfully there are many Alcoutim city transfer from Faro Airport available if you’re interested. Of course the other option would be to employ some Alcoutim city car hire services and just drive in and around the place at your own leisure.

The town itself is worthy of a visit, but if not for that, then at least to see the unspoilt countryside that you’ll pass through on your way here. The region as a whole is quite different from the general view of what the Algarve is, but yet it is part of the Algarve, and is part of the wide range of diversity that the south of Portugal offers its visitors. It’s a very peaceful place and the green hills make it a wonderful area to walk around. It is interesting to note how completely different it is from the south coast beach resorts, even though it is only at a bout half an hour’s drive away. The rolling, green hills create quite a different type of Algarve experience.

The places around described in this Alcoutim guide are quite interesting as well, Pereiro and Martinlongo being two of the other destinations, and the picturesque town of Mertola can all prove to be interesting places to visit.

Towards the south of the town you’ll find the historically important town of Castro Marim which features the ruins of a Moorish castle as well as those a 17^th century fort, both of which were built in order to protect the border with Spain as well as to guard the ships which used the river. The castle now offers some great views of the salt pans, the Castro Marim Nature Reserve and of course Spain.

It is clear by now that the north-eastern region of the Algarve is quite different from what the general idea bout the region is, however this doesn’t make it any less interesting or alluring; it’s a wonderful place to visit and roam around the countryside and small towns – keep in mind that a rental car might be a good idea.