The main road that connects the East, Central and West Algarve is the A22 and it is along here that holidaymakers will drive after leaving Faro airport. It is generally considered that on this road, exit 6, the junction for Portimao and the Monchique, marks the start of the Western Algarve.
If you are planning an Algarve holiday break, read on to find out about West Algarve's tgwns: Portimao, Monchique, Ferragudo, Alvor, Lagos and Sagres
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Portimao
Portimao is the largest town in the area and is fast becoming THE place to shop in western Algarve. There is a huge selection of fashion outlets and a wide range of shops, some of which will already be familiar to you, offering gifts, souvenirs, electrical goods and general household items. There are also plenty of traditional shops selling the leather goods, handbags and belts that Portugal and the Algarve are so famous for. There are retail parks and shopping malls aplenty and supermarkets galore. Car parking around the town is plentiful and, for the most part, free.
Unlike many other parts of the Algarve, Portimão’s architecture is quite modern, mostly dating mostly from the late 19th to early 20th centuries. High rise apartment blocks in ice cream colours can be seen punctuating the skyline, whilst the ground level accommodates cafés, restaurants and trendy bars. Parts of Portimao are about sun bathing and relaxing but most of it is about shopping, bars, pubs, clubs and restaurants. As commercial as all of that sounds, you can still get away from it all and find relative peace and quiet in Portimao. For example you can take romantic boat trips to the caves, go dolphin watching or take a trip up the Arade river to Silves. There are also several golf courses nearby and at Portimão municipal aerodrome near Alvor, the adventurous can experience a parachute jump.
Monchique
The small market town of Monchique forms part of the Serra de Monchique, a woodland mountain range between the Algarve and the area known as Alentejo. A visit to Monchique is a journey upward - its highest point, Foia is 902 metres above sea level. There are two essentials to take with you when travelling up and through the Monchique; these are a camera and a jacket. There’s some quite remarkable scenery en-route and some ancient buildings, so you’ll want to take lots of pictures, but it can get quite chilly up here so be sure to wrap up warm.
If you are driving through, best advice is to pull over, park up somewhere and walk. A walk through the steep cobbled streets is rewarded with some views of the hills that you won’t want to miss. Glimpsed from between the white painted houses with their carved stonework, coloured apertures and delightful chimney pots, the Monchique Mountains are romantic in the extreme and their memory instils within you, a strong desire to return.
Into the town centre and the cobbled street theme continues. Narrow roads criss-cross one another dotted with pretty little cafés and restaurants, many serving the local liquor “Medronho”. An acquired taste, Medronho is made from the fruits of “arbutus unedo” or the strawberry tree which grows abundantly in the surrounding hills. The central square of Monchique boasts an attractive paved area with benches, trees and a lovely water feature. Monchique is a very quiet and relaxed place, a place to slow down which is ideal for pottering around and appreciating the breathtaking views.
Ferragudo
It’s rare to come across the authentic Algarve amongst the well developed resorts of the west but Ferragudo is just that. Ferragudo is a town of cobbled streets and whitewashed houses clustered around a small church. Smaller than Portimao and much prettier, Ferragudo is widely tipped to become one of the Algarve’s new property and tourism hotspots. The centre of this beautiful village is called Praça Rainha Dona Leonor, it is a picturesque cobbled square lined with cafés and restaurants serving a wide range of foods from a simple cup of breakfast coffee to more substantial lunchtime or evening meals. The square is a popular place in which tourists and locals alike, congregate to chat over coffee and sit and watch the world go by. Restaurants situated on the quayside afford lovely views over the Arade River and serve up some delightful fish dishes. Some cook their food on barbecues, filling the air with the most mouth-watering aromas.
Ferragudo has carried with it, its fair share of history and this is proudly displayed by the ancient and well preserved buildings in the village. Take a look at the Castelo de São João de Arade. Originally a 15th century lookout tower, it was extended 200 years or so later as part of the fortifications aimed at protecting the river mouth. A couple of hundred years later, at the beginning of the 20th century, it was turned into a private dwelling by poet, Coelho Carvalho. It remains a private house to this day, looking out over the river and the village’s main resort area of Praia Grande. Protected by a sea wall, this is a great spot for water sports, such as windsurfing. In the evening, the marina at Ferragudo makes for a wonderfully relaxing place to while away a few hours as you sample the catch of the day in one of the harbourside’s renowned fish restaurants.
Alvor
The site of a traditional Moorish village that was levelled by the earthquake of 1755, Alvor has become the ideal tourist resort and a great place to take a family holiday. There are still the reminders of its ancient historical and romantic past but today Alvor embraces tourism. It offers everything that you’ll need for a relaxing family holiday. The area has undergone a steady transformation since tourism first started here back in the sixties but they have shied away from erecting the multi-storey holiday apartments so popular in other parts of Europe. Here, as with most of the Algarve, they have concentrated on low rise development so as not to spoil the landscape. They have also retained the charm of the old town with its narrow cobbled streets leading down to the harbour and the river estuary.
The riverfront in Alvor has been given a facelift recently and is now fully paved and lined with palm trees and several beach bars, all of which have plenty of outside seating, perfect for those long summer days and balmy evenings. It has to be one of Alvor’s most idyllic settings, as you sit and watch the fishing boats come and go. As with Ferragudo, there is a collection of restaurants at the waterfront, tempting you with the aroma of freshly barbecued fish. The Praia de Alvor, the main beach in the village, is a lovely long dune backed, sandy beach, the eastern end of which features some large rock formations. Here you can shelter from the sun if you wish as you lay on the beach, enjoying the warm breeze. The really nice thing about the beaches at Alvor is that even at the height of the season, there is plenty of room for you to lie down, relax and enjoy it and the restaurants and snack bars close at hand, mean you don’t have to wander too far for a bite to eat.
Lagos
The town of Lagos in Portugal’s Algarve has something for everyone. Its appeal spans generations as does its history. Its roots can be traced back as far as 2000 years BC and there are many examples throughout the town, of architectures from these bygone eras. A popular trading post throughout the centuries, it has been fought over and visited many times in the past and has the landmarks to prove it. The Phoenicians and Carthaginians, the Moors and the Romans, they’ve all been here and left their calling cards. Lagos is full of history and today it is a vibrant town with lots going on. In the middle of town, at Praça de Gil Eanes, there are evening entertainments that are put on throughout the year; you’ll often see live bands or soloists on the guitar or violin, there may be a fair with a medieval theme going on and if Portugal are playing football, or there is a major football league competition on, the cafés will have big screens up in the square so everyone can enjoy the match.
Leading off the main square are several streets housing restaurants to suit all tastes. These streets are criss-crossed with many smaller ones so it can be quite confusing to the newcomer but, since it’s not a big place, it doesn’t take long to get to know your way around. If you do get lost and happen to ask for directions, you will probably be guided via a number of modern landmark roundabouts in the town. One features a ship and another, a large black ball. Still another unusual landmark and a well used signpost in the town, is a roundabout featuring 7 large Perspex chairs. This installation is lit up at night time making for a popular tourist holiday snapshot.
Lots of bars in the town stay open until the early hours especially in the summer when the town is a buzz with people of all ages. Whilst out and about, you should take a walk along Discovery Avenue which runs along the water front. This will take you to the modern Lagos Marina, an award winning 450 berth boat park with a variety of shops, bars and restaurants to enjoy, all with a great view of the boats. Just over the marina bridge is the harbouring point for the local fishing boats where you’ll find a number of fishermen and fishermen’s wives, selling some of their catch. The more enterprising among them even having set up their own small fish restaurants.
Sagres
The best surfing in the Algarve is to be found here at Sagres. During the summer months surfers from all over Europe flock here to ride the waves whilst soaking up the sun. It’s not just surfers that come here though and not just in the summer months either, Sagres attracts visitors all year round. The land here is breathtakingly dramatic, stark in places yes, but that doesn’t take away from the romance of the place. The main square in Sagres, Praça da República, is very pretty with lovely views, surpassed only by the views from the cliffs that tower above it.
Sagres is the perfect activity holiday destination. It’s the kind of place that appeals to your sporting side, not necessarily to play golf, you can do that at Parque de Floresta, a short drive from here, but to go walking, cycling, diving and surfing. Sagres offers a different side to the Algarve, its edgy, barren and hard but very cool. The local restaurants are renowned for the quality, variety and freshness of their fish and much of what appears on your plate, will have been line caught by a man perched precariously on a ledge in the rock face 2-300 hundred yards away from your table! Fish doesn’t get much fresher than that.
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