Algarve history travel guide
Today we’ll be starting a new series of articles in which we’ll be looking at the Algarve in the form of an Algarve history travel guide, we’ll talk about different locations throughout the region but with an accent on the history of each and the many historic sights that you should visit while on your trip there.
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 18th 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.
