Portimão is the Algarve's second-largest town, at the mouth of the Arade river, in the heart of the western coast. It is a real town, with its harbour, neighbourhoods and markets, but also a handy holiday base thanks to nearby Praia da Rocha, the village of Alvor and its central position between Lagos, Silves and Carvoeiro.
The town and its sardines
For much of the twentieth century Portimão was one of the great centres of the sardine and tuna canning industry. This history is told by the Museu de Portimão, in the old Feu Hermanos factory on the riverfront, which won a European museum award, recreating the lives of factory women and fishermen. On the riverfront, near the old bridge, quayside restaurants cook grilled sardines, the town's speciality, celebrated every August at the Sardine Festival. The old centre, with the mother church and nineteenth-century squares, is pleasant for a stroll.
Praia da Rocha
Three kilometres from the centre, Praia da Rocha is one of the Algarve's most famous beaches: a wide stretch of golden sand below ochre cliffs, with sea stacks and coves. Above the beach runs a promenade lined with hotels, bars and nightclubs, and at the eastern end the seventeenth-century Santa Catarina fortress guards the mouth of the Arade. To the west come quieter coves, such as Praia do Vau and Praia dos Três Irmãos.
Alvor
The village of Alvor, a few kilometres away, has kept its fishing-village character, with white houses, a mother church with a fine Manueline portal and fish restaurants overlooking the lagoon. The Ria de Alvor, a nature reserve of dunes and salt marshes, is crossed by long wooden boardwalks leading to the beach, great for birdwatching and sunsets.
Around Portimão
On the opposite bank of the Arade, the village of Ferragudo, in the municipality of Lagoa, is one of the prettiest fishing villages on the coast, with the castle of São João do Arade on the beach. Inland, the Algarve International Circuit, in Portimão, has hosted Formula 1 and MotoGP races. Portimão also has a small airfield and a cruise port.
Getting there
Portimão is on the regional Algarve railway and has buses to Faro and Lagos; by car it is about 50 minutes on the A22 from Faro airport.