The Algarve is a great place to relax, great beaches, weather, food and drink, but it is also a magnificent area to explore for those who are history enthusiasts. This region has been this wonderful for thousands of years, so one shouldn’t be that surprised to find out that it changed hands between a variety of cultures throughout human civilization including the Romans, Moors, Crusaders, pirates and explorers in general.

We’ll start this guide in the Eastern Algarve on the right bank of the River Guadiana, bordering Spain, in the town of Vila Real de Santo Antonio, also known as the ‘City of Enlightenment’.

The town was built in a famous grid pattern design during the late 18^th century, the focus of the town is a very wonderful central plaza, the Praca marques de Pombal, which is wonderfully lined with orange trees. Depending on how long you spend in this town you should consider taking the ferry across the Guadiana in order to visit Ayamonte, a very Spanish town, very different than Portugal.

Going north on the river you’ll find the Castro Marim which features a massive castle built here by Afonso III in order to defend the region from the Spanish. This castle later become the headquarters for the Order of Christ for three and a half decades.

Heading westwards you’ll find the small village of Cacela Velha, yet another settlement built as a deterrent, this one against the Barbary Corsairs who were terrorizing the southern coast of the country, and continued to do so for about three centuries.

We’ll stop our traveling here for now, we’ll continue in a future article, keep in mind our great Algarve car hire services, because they can help with your trip tremendously.

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.