The secretary of state for environment – Paulo Lemos – said that the undertakings shows the government’s ‘permanent awareness’ related to the country’s coastline which is very closely surveyed to avoid any and all risk situations.

This statement was made during a visit to the Algarve to approve the construction of a boardwalk on the Carvoeiro coastline. The segment of coastline will lie between the Algar Seco area – which features some stunning rock formations – and the Forte de Nossa Senhora de Encarnacao, which is near the town’s church.

The Portuguese Environmental Agency – APA – by the end of the year is expecting to start three actions meant to reduce risks associated to the Algarve cliffs, and also start public tenders next month to replenish sand supplies on those beaches.

The work at Algar Seco for instance – valued at around 212,000 Euros – is expected to conclude by the end of the year, while the renovation work to the access routes to Albufeira and Praia da Rocha beaches will also begin.

As far as the earlier mentioned boardwalk is concerned, it will be 570-metre long and it will extend along what is considered to be some of the most beautiful pats of the Algarve coastline, the goal being to afford extra safety to hikers and tourists. Access routes to the boardwalk have been contracted and signed to represent a 134,000 Euro investment.

Lemos continued to say that next year will include sand replenishment of seven beaches, four of which in Lagoa, two in Albufeira and one in Lagos.

A group of property owners from Ericeira – north of Lisbon – is contesting an ancient law which concerns waterfront properties being transferred to the Portuguese State unless one can prove in court that the land has been in private hands for at least 150 years.

Now if you think a little back, we talked about a controversial ruling which obliges owners of property in waterfront locations – such as those along the entire Algarve coastline – considered by the State as ‘hydric land’ in the public domain, to prove the public ownership of said land for at least a century-and-a-half in court before January 1, 2014, or it would revert to the ownership of the state.

The properties affected by this ancient law are those located on land within fifty metres from the sea or clifftop edge and within thirty metres in the case of a riverbank.

In the case of Ericeira, it is a coastal town – like so many in Portugal – with a history that goes back many hundreds of years and clifftops lined with very old properties, but not that many legal documents proving the ownership for such a long period of time.

The Ericeira group was formed back in 2005 – when this old law was reviewed – and comprised of twenty property owners.  The group is now made up of more than 80 owners who with the assistance of lawyers and historians, meet regularly to discuss their actions against this preposterous measure.

Earlier this year the group sent a formal letter to the Ministry of the Environment, which apparently has dismissed the subject by passing it onto the Secretary of State for the Environment and no satisfactory reply to the letter was ever received.

Several political groups have also contested the complexity of the process for property owners to legalize their situation, but haven’t really said anything about completely abolishing this old law.

We’ve talked about, and most likely we’ll continue to talk about the wonderful weather, beaches and culture of the Algarve in the future, but today we’ll focus on things that are less obvious, although just as popular once you get there.

Boat trips

Considering the size of the coastline and the weather, one should think these are a given but you’d be amazed how many people just think of the beach as their main go-to activity – or lack of activity. You can take a variety of pleasure boat trips from many of the resorts and towns on the coast. This way you can get to see some of the wonderful cliffs and hidden beaches and grottos.

Fishing trips

Yet again, those who are interested in fishing will head for the Algarve for this reason, rather than the beaches and great weather – although the weather helps with their pass-time as well. This is a region rife with big game fishing, and Portimao hosts daily fishing trips between June and September.

Check out a colorful Algarve market

Across the entire region there are regular market days and times being held. They all depend on the town or village that you’re in or near to because there is something quite wonderful about seeing one of these markets live. There are even tourist markets held in some places, such as the one held in Loule on Saturday mornings.

Golf

The Algarve is one of the best destination for golfing enthusiasts of all ages and experience level. The large number of sunny days combined with the large number of top-notch golf courses makes the region a Paradise for golf players.

This has been just a quick introduction to what the Algarve really is, for more information check out the rest of the website and don’t forget to consider our Algarve car rental services when you’re planning a trip to the region.

There is a very well delineated difference between Algarve in the summer high-season and the winter low-season.

During the summer, at least half of Europe seems to shut down and run either for the mountains or for the coastline – and in the case of the Algarve, it seems like those who prefer the coastline all come here. This obviously means a spike in all prices and obviously very crowded resorts.

Now visiting the region in the low-season is a completely different type of experience, both from the financial point of view but also from other perspectives as well.

But let’s start with the financial one because that is ultimately the one that will matter most to your bottom line. The thing is that everything will simply be cheaper in this period, from rooms to food to anything else. It’s a great option to still vacation on a smaller budget, or for those who couldn’t afford it otherwise to adventure a bit.

From a completely different stand-point, there’s the climate. The Algarve during the summer is scorching hot, and not everyone is made to enjoy that – there are some people who will love it of course, but there are many visitors, especially from colder countries who find it hard to breathe in those types of temperatures. The Algarve in the winter is a far cry from the winters in the rest of the European continent, in this place even at it coldest is maybe goes close to zero Centigrade at night, whilst during the day, on a sunny day it can get up to fifteen or more. ‘Winter’ here is a relative concept.

One thing that does stay the same though, is the need for some Faro Airport transfer services if you wish to explore the region in depth, however even their prices will be lower during the low-season, so keep that in mind as well.

While most people will be familiar with the coastline of the Algarve and its many great beaches, there is much more to the region than just that. In fact the large majority of the Algarve is not made up of coastline, it is a landscape made up of rolling hills and valleys, all of which are dotted with almond, fig, olive and orange trees.

But the huge length of the coastline cannot be ignored when it comes to food, and this is where you can see how the Algarve cuisine has developed in two distinct directions. One is based heavily on using fish and shellfish, and the other focuses more on using a variety of meat, game and other local grown ingredients.

The Algarve culinary scene is still based a lot on traditional home cooking, with recipes being passed down through generations, but at the same time Portugal is the country through which a plethora of plants and spices were introduced to Europe, including pepper, tea, tomatoes and potatoes, just to name a few.

There are some foreign influences that have left their mark however, the oldest probably being the Goths who introduced stews to the region, and they still are a major part of Portuguese cooking.

Regardless of what you talk about when you talk about the Algarve, the Moorish influence has to have a say in it, and of course the culinary spectrum isn’t an exception from it. The Moors introduced a variety of cakes and sweetmeats, as well as a range of new plants.

We haven’t gone into detail yet as to particular recipes just because we felt that a general idea of what it is to eat in Algarve was a better choice, but stay tuned for future articles, and keep in mind that Faro Transfers services are a great way of experiencing as much of it as possible.

One of the main reasons why Portugal is such a popular holiday destination is its absolutely wonderful climate. The average summer temperature hovers around thirty degrees Centigrade and while that may not sound like anything special since in the summertime it’s hot in most temperate zones and most of Europe.

The great weather is just part of Portugal’s popularity

There are so many other factors which make it a great holiday destination

Portugal Beach

It deserves mention that in those regions the average temperature might jump well over thirty and that makes for a solid amount of discomfort so an average summer temperature of thirty is great. Also coupled with this is the average winter temperature in Portugal which never falls below fifteen degrees Centigrade very often, and while that may not sound like anything special, one has to consider the average temperature in the rest of Europe during the winter months in order to truly appreciate it.

Now the great weather would be enough of a pull to visit a foreign country but that’s hardly the only thing that attracts people to Portugal, its other great feature is its eight hundred and fifty kilometers of coastline which offer some of the best beaches and resorts on the globe.

While the entire country has many attractions and interesting sights, when it comes to the best combination of weather and geography, that would be the Algarve region, which is situated in the southernmost part of the country.

The Algarve itself is possibly the most visited region in Europe, if not the world, and for good reasons because it features the most spectacular beaches possibly on the entire Mediterranean coast.

There are several places where you can start your Portugal adventure, however some of the more popular arrival destinations are Lisbon, Faro and Madeira. Their airports are very accessible from pretty much anywhere else in Europe or the rest of the world so that is part of why they are popular. The other part has to do with the fact that they themselves are interesting places to visit on their own, Faro for instance being used as something of a gateway to the Algarve for many tourists but it is also an attraction on its own.

The whitewashed buildings and cobbled streets coupled with plenty of museums make for a great introduction to the country as well as a good stepping-off point for other destinations in the Algarve region.

Portugal offers a lot of holidaying option to its visitors and it has something for everyone, it all depends on what it is that you are looking for when traveling to a foreign country. If you’re interested in lounging on a beach, soaking in the sun and enjoying some water sports then surely you can find it here; if you’re interested in having a more family-oriented relaxing trip in which you can explore the country’s culture, traditions and history, Portugal has that as well; if you happen to be a golfer, the Algarve region especially has over thirty world-class golf courses which await your swing.

Whether it’s summer or winter in your home country you can rest assured that the weather in Portugal will be at least fair and depending on what your goals and preferences are you can surely find a region or a particular place in the country that satisfies them, so make sure to strongly consider Portugal as the destination for your next holiday.

Portugal Related Link List

Portugal Car Hire

Find low cost, quality Portugal car hire services.

Portugal Low Cost Transfers

Cheap and quality Portugal airport transfers.

Algarve2U Blog

Read more facts and articles about the Algarve.

Visit Portugal