About ten kilometres east of Faro, Olhão is the Algarve's main fishing port and one of the most genuine towns on the coast. It has no famous monuments or big hotels, but an old town full of character, some of the liveliest fish markets in the country and, in front of the harbour, the sandy islands of the Ria Formosa Natural Park, a few minutes away by ferry.
The cubic houses
The heart of Olhão is the old fishermen's quarter, with its flat-roofed white houses, the açoteias, terraces used for drying fish and catching the breeze, and the mirantes, little towers from which families watched for the boats' return. The houses' cubic look, reminiscent of North Africa, is often attributed to trade with Morocco. Wandering the lanes of the Levante and Barreta quarters is the best way to get to know the town; from the bell tower of the mother church, the Igreja Matriz, the view over the rooftops is superb.
The markets
On the waterfront stand the two municipal markets, twin red-brick buildings with corner turrets, opened in 1916: one for fish, the other for fruit, vegetables, cheese, cured meats and local produce. In the morning, especially on Saturdays, when a big open-air market is also held around them, they are a spectacle of colour and noise. Around them are restaurants serving grilled fish, clams and cataplana. Olhão is also a capital of canned fish and lagoon seafood.
A little history
Olhão began in the seventeenth century as a fishing settlement and became an independent town at the end of the eighteenth. It is remembered above all for the 1808 revolt against Napoleon's troops: the townspeople drove out the French garrison, and a group of fishermen set off in a small boat, the Bom Sucesso, crossing the Atlantic to Rio de Janeiro to bring the news to the Prince Regent. For this the town received the title "Vila de Olhão da Restauração".
The islands
Ferries run all year from the pier near the markets to the islands of the Ria Formosa: Armona, with a very long beach and a village of little houses, Culatra, with its fishing village, and Farol, with the Santa Maria lighthouse and holiday cottages. They are quiet beaches of fine sand, facing the ocean on one side and the lagoon on the other. Boat trips to watch birds and see oyster beds are also available. To the east, the village of Fuseta has another lagoon beach and a fishing-village feel.
Getting there
Olhão is on the regional Algarve railway, a few minutes from Faro and its airport, and half an hour from Tavira.