The streets of Silves’ historic centre will be filled to the brim with stalls, tents and decorations, all of these being aided by the sights, sounds and smells to create the particular atmosphere of the famous Medieval Fair.

The Fair is meant to recreate in true-to-life form and function, the period between the first Christian conquest of the city – in 1189 – and the later conquest of the Moors – in 1191.

The Silves Council has been organizing the Fiar for the past decade and this year it will be open every day starting at 6 PM and ending at 1AM – exception being made for Friday – which this year will be open from 6 PM till 2 AM for the first time.

Every day will feature two re-enacted jousting tournaments, all of which imbued with loads of medieval-inspired music and dancing, all of which have become staples of the popular event.

The event promises to take visitors back in time and one cannot argue the fact that it offers a wonderfully unique alternative to the Algarve’s traditional pulls of sea, sand and nightlife.

For those who are so inspired to put on some medieval garb, costumes are available for rent starting at 3 Euros and foodies will simply have to enjoy the chance to sample some authentic medieval foot at the traditional daily banquet which is put on for 40 Euros per person – including drinks and desert.

The main meat dishes will include boar with chestnuts, goose, pheasant, deer with walnuts, partridge, black pig, hog roast and hare stew.

The daily entry fee to the fair costs €2 per person, or €3 for a ten-day pass if you buy it ahead of the event, €4 if you buy it during the event.

Tavira Castle

The current castle was built in the 13^th century after the Christina re-conquest of the region, it used to be a Moorish stronghold before that moment, and you can easily understand why once you get there. The stunning panoramic views that it offers of the surrounding countryside means that the defenders in the fortress could see enemy troop movements from afar, nowadays however the place features a wonderful garden inside with shaded benches, how the times have changed.

Roman Ruins in Vilamoura

Vilamoura is the location of a very well-preserved Roman Site with a dedicated Museum meant to privde a great insight into the area’s Roman past. Vilamoura actually started as a Roman fishing town and you can still see the ruins of the baths in which the mariners would bathe.

Roman Ruins in Faro

Staying in the Roman era, Faro is one of the central destinations for Roman-related ruins and history to be found in the Algarve. The old part of the city is actually still surrounded by the Roman walls which date to sometime around the 9^th century, however by that time the town would’ve already been occupied by the Moors so that’s a bit odd and interesting at the same time.

Actually most of the Roman ruins in the region aren’t exactly in Faro, but in Estoi, which is a smaller town located at eleven kilometers from Faro. This is where you can find Roman ruins dating from the first and second centuries AD with thermal baths, columns, mosaics, and a very well-preserved villa.

Keep some Algarve car rental services in mind when visiting the Algarve.

Tavira is described by many to be the prettiest city in the Algarve, and while that may or may not be a disputed notion, what cannot be disputed is its history, having been home to Phoenicians, Romans, Moors and then to many various Northern European settlers.

To the west of Tavira you’ll find Balsa, a large Roman-built town, unfortunately there was little to no political will to conserve its ruins, and allegedly the ruins were used as infill on a nearby road, a sad thought indeed.

Returning to Tavira however, it’s worth to mention that it acted as an important base for conquest and supply of Portugal’s North African garrison towns. This city also did not benefit from nature’s grace for long either, because the river silted up and as such the fortunes of the city changed since bigger boats could not access it any longer.

The place did become a major spot for tuna fishing, so much so that there is a Tuna Museum in the Vila Gale Albacora hotel to the east of Tavira. Then at the Barril Beach near Santa Luzia to the west of the city you’ll find the anchor graveyard, a truly interesting and slightly ominous place to visit. It came about when the fishing industry started declining during the ‘60s and hundreds of now useless anchors were buried here.

Employ our Algarve car hire services to take your own Algarve guide.

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.

Just like the rest of the region, Tavira spent quite a few centuries under Arab rule, in this case it was between the 8^th and 13^th centuries, after which it was conquered by the Knights of the Order of Santiago in 1242. Then between the 16^th and 18^th centuries, Tavira was the main trading port in the region. As you can plainly see, a very rich history, and we’ll try to give you a general overview on the place with this short Tavira guide.

What makes the town of Tavira stand out from most of the other Algarve towns is that it managed to somehow stave off the influence of mass tourism and preserve its unique traditions and handsome character. Part of this character is the seven arch bridge which spans the Gilao river; while its current appearance dates from the 17^th century, the bridge itself is believed to have been built by the Romans. Severe floods affected the bridge back in 1989 and ever since it has only been open to pedestrian traffic, so you can still get to cross it, only you’ll be doing it on foot and some might argue that this is a much better way.

The river is a major part of the town, Tavira’s river front being populated with a plethora of shopping, dining and other types of opportunities. For instance the market hall present here was re-vamped a few years ago and now plays host to many shops, cafes and restaurants with its central area being reserved for exhibitions and other special events.

The entire river front is a great place for a walk or for a sit at one of the cafes and enjoy the incredibly quiet and picturesque setting. The gardens located near the bridge are a particularly great place to sit down and relax in the shade and usually you’ll see quite a few groups of older men chatting away the day or playing some dominoes.

Before we go any further we should mention that the town isn’t very far away from Faro and in fact you can quickly reach it by using some Tavira transfer from Faro Airport services.

Back to what sets the town apart, the place has some of the finest churches that you’ll see in the entire region of the Algarve and that’s saying something. Not only are they very beautiful, but there’s also quite a few of them, more than twenty in fact, which can be found in and around the town.

The church that is usually mentioned to be the finest in town is the 16^th century Igreja da Misericordia; this might be largely due to its blue and white azuejos, and wonderful carvings and scenes from the life of Christ. Close-by you can find the older Igreja da Santa Maria do Castelo which dates back from the 13^th century; this is where you’ll find the tombs of seven Christian knights of the Order of St. James who were killed by the Moors during the many battles that raged in the region in medieval times. This church is called ‘do Castelo’ because it is located near the 13^th century castle which was rebuilt by King Dinis from what were Moorish fortifications. Nowadays it is used for tourist visits and to offer fantastic views across Tavira.

The churches, while there’s quite a few of them, are only a part of the architectural heritage of Tavira, the town showing signs of defensive structures dating from the Phoenician, Islamic and Portuguese eras of leadership and you can find out where yo look for these things in a booklet printed by the Tavira Municipal Council.

The have been only a couple of the major sights to keep in mind when visiting the town of Tavira, rest assured that there are many more than these, of a much greater variety as well. The best way of seeing the town and enjoying your vacation at the same time will be with the help of some Tavira car hire services, so make sure to keep those in mind when you budget for your trip to the Algarve.

The history of this once tiny hamlet isn’t very well known till around the middle of the 13^th century when the Moors conquered it and placed it under the control of the larger nearby Silves. The hamlet later become an official town, only for it to be mostly destroyed during the earthquake of 1755. however the settlement continued on, becoming an administrative town in the area which lived off agriculture, in the past. This is a very short Lagoa guide, meant to give you a better idea of the place’s history as well as present.

One of the main attractions of modern-day Lagoa comes from the start of the 19^th century when the parish church was inaugurated, however there’s an older church, the Igreja de Misericordia which dates to the middle of the 18^th century. The parish church features a very pleasant Baroque facade which is enhanced during the months of May and June when the surrounding jacaranda trees blossom. There also a war memorial erected nearby which pays tribute to the Lagoan soldiers who fell during the African colonial wars.

One other interesting building in the city is the Convento do Sao Jose which was built in 1713 and managed to survive the 1755 earthquake. Nowadays the building is used as a place to exhibit various art collections as well as house a small theater for cultural events. The building has an intriguing little feature in the style of a turn-box door, which was used to pass unwanted babies to the nuns in the convent. The mother would place the baby and any other small possessions on a shelf in the box and talk through a small aperture with the nun on the other side. The revolving door meant that the baby would reach the nuns without the mother having to show her face. Just a little piece of the curious history around this building and town.

During the month of August, the town plays host to a major commercial and rural produce fair named Fatacil. The fair exhibits products from all across the country, not just the region. This turns into a more major event because it offered something of an excuse for national bands and singers to do what they do best.

We mentioned earlier something about wine. During the months of September and October, the country lanes are packed to bursting with trucks and carts which shuttle freshly-picked grapes to the various wine-makers from the fields. The majority of the wine produced here is red and high in alcohol content, usually aged in a solera under a film of flor yeast which imparts a nutty character to the wine, making it taste something like a fine sherry.

The surroundings of the town are very interesting to explore as well, for instance the nearby town of Estombar is an even older settlement. This is where the famous 11^th century Arab poet “Ibn Ammar” lived and is a place of many legends related to subterranean passages stretching for up to twelve kilometers.

The nearby beach of Carvoeiro is located just a few kilometers south of Lagoa and its claim to fame being that it is amongst the most photographed and painted scenes in the entire region of the Algarve. This place too, used to be a simple and small fishing village, but thanks to investment from tourism development in recent years, it has grown into a fully-fledged holiday resort. It now features two golf courses, a tennis complex and even a riding centre nearby. Also close-by is Porches, a small town well-known for its very high-quality potteries and other hand-painted ceramics.

It should be noted that both these destinations can be relatively easily accessed from Lagoa with the help of some Lagoa car hire services. Also a near by is Portimao and Lagos that are very interesting to visit as they have many options for the shopping and for the night life.

Whether you’re planning to spend your entire trip here, or you’re just interested in visiting the place, our Lagoa transfers from Faro Airport can be employed to bring you here and back again, whether it’s to the airport or some other of our available locations, nothing could be easier.