Once you’re atop of the hill you’ll see the town becoming you to wander its beautiful streets and keep in mind that Ferragudo has only been an official town since 1999, so lots of the rural atmosphere is still here.

Ferragudo is quite a popular destination for many locals because of its Sunday flea market, set along the river Arade. But for those settling in for a few days or who want to take in the typical atmosphere, there’s always the large cobbled square – Praca Rainha Dona Leonor – which is full of cafes and a general great place to just sit, relax and watch the people buzz around you.

Sitting on the Arade and offering views dirreclty across to Portimao, the local port can be an attraction in itself when you see big cruise liners moored across the river almost as big as the buildings. Ferragudo was once a rather thriving fishing village and some of that activity is still there especially when it comes to the riverfront walkway where several restaurants offer great seafood dishes.

One attraction that you shouldn’t miss is the Sao Jao de Arade fort  which you can see in its full glory from the beach nearest the village – Praia da Angrinha. The fort originates from the 15^th century and has benefit from later additions during the 18^th century.

Then you can head towards the lighthouse and you’ll see many villas overlooking the coast and in case you’re into walking, the furthest beach is the Praia dos Caneiros which has some great coffee, but a bit expensive.

Keep in mind some Algarve car rental services for your visit to Ferragudo.

As opposed to most other potential visiting places that you’ll find in the Algarve, Silves is set on the banks of the Arade River, a charming town peppered with orange and lemon trees and deeply steeped in history.

Actually the town was a very affluent Moorish capital in the past, it was known as Xelb back then, and it was so important because it was the main access to inland Algarve, thanks to the river. Unfortunately that did not last very long because the river is now too silted up to allow for large vessels to use it.

In any case, what you definitely must take away from visiting this town is its most prominent monument, the Castelo de Silves.

This is now the best preserved castle in the entire region – so just for that you should schedule an Algarve low cost transfer to Silves, but that is not all.

The castle sits upon the hilltop, overlooking the town, and beside it you’ll find the local Cathedral. Going up to the castle will offer you some spectacular views from the battlements. The castle has eleven towers, two of which are barbicans, and somehow the thick walls have survived, enclosing an area of 12,000 square meters. Four of the eleven were rebuilt during the 14^th and 15^th centuries feature Gothic doorways. During the Moorish period, the castle was the residence of the lord of the city.

The nearby Cathedral of Silves is one of the few remaining Gothic monuments in Algarve that still have ancient tombs.