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| Vilamoura |
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| It's
fun watching the steady transformation of Vilamoura, particularly the huge
new marina, with berthing for over 600 craft.
It's
best in the evening when the quayside restaurants throw open their doors.
Vilamoura lies at the heart of golfing country of course, but there are
also pleasant beaches, dramatic clifftop walks and all manner of
watersports.
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| The
Land's End - Cape St Vincent |
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Here
stands Europe's most south westerly point, the "Land's End" of
Portugal. The cape is still an important shipping landmark and the
lighthouse (sometimes open to the public) is visible 50 miles away.
It's
an awe-inspiring place, packed with tourists in summer, but if you venture
away from the coaches and kiss-me-quick souvenirs piled high at the
entrance you'll find some lovely windswept beaches and quiet corners
where you can contemplate the end of the world!
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| The
stunning view of the Serra de Monchique |
Monchique
village is in a class of its own. And it's a little cooler up
in these mountains too!
The village, some would say town, has genuinely retained much
of the old world Algarvian charm which has evaporated in too many
others.
Here you will find potters, shoemakers and basket-makers eager to
introduce you to a traditional way of life.
The
highlight of the village is undoubtedly the stunning view of the
Serra de Monchique, which makes an unusual base for an overnight
stop.
At an altitude of 902m (just under 3,000 feet), this is the highest
spot in the whole of the Algarve, some days you can see all the way
to Cape St Vincent and Sintra |
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| Sagres
- The fortress of Henry the Navigator |
| If
you manage to head out towards the far western tip of the Algarve
you won't be able to miss Sagres - the most unmistakable landmark is Ponta
de Sagres, the fortress of Henry the Navigator. |
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It's
a foreboding, somewhat daunting place, where one can imagine the
great Henry gathering the greatest minds of the day behind closed doors -
astronomers, astrologers, mariners and shipbuilders.
The Town of Sagres however, has some pleasant laid-back cafes and
restaurants, where you can relax and idle the day away in the
cooler breezes of the west. |
| Silves
- the Old Moorish Capital |
| Silves,
picturesquely silhouetted above the River Arade, its castle looming large,
dates back to the Romans. The castle is the Algarve's finest
and dominates an old Moorish capital with cool shady streets. |
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Historically -
minded tourists will appreciate the city walls and four-arched bridge as
well as the castle's interior and archaeological museum.
Photographers
may get their best pictures from the beautifully resorted castle
ramparts, or, perhaps, from the Cathedral next door, a largely Gothic
building. |
| Tavira
-The Town of Churches |
If
you want to escape the 'modern resorts', Tavira's architecture provides a
pleasant surprise. It is probably the most elegant of the Algarvian
towns.
Often described as the 'Algarvian Rome', and more fancifully 'the Venice
of Algarve', Tavira stands on two hills on either side of the River Gilao,
the two sides of the town linked by a seven-arched bridge. |
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Tavira
is known as the Town of Churches, since a remarkable 22 churches and other
places of worship lie within its boundaries.
The late Irish author and artist Patrick Swift, who lived in the Algarve
for many years, visited the town and wrote:
"Tavira was like a combination of a pocket Dublin and pocket Venice.
I was sorry to leave it. If it stays as it does - but what does - I should
one day like to retire there."
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| Lagos |
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Lagos is a major
port and historically one of the region's most interesting cities.
It has style, with its sleek boats, designer boutiques and paved
promenades. Prince Henry the Navigator made Lagos his headquarters but his
palace was lost forever in the Great Earthquake of 1755.
Fabulous
beaches and coves, an historic town with great shopping in its quiet
cobbled back streets combine to make the town one of the
most sought after resorts on the coast.
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