Private tours in Lisbon & surroundings
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Algarve - full day
Personalized booking
Program
We take the motorway towards south, to cross the biggest cork tree region in the
world, where 50% of world production of cork comes from.
Our first stop will be Silves, the most historical castle in Algarve. Standing proudly
on a hill, the origin of the town traces back to existing some 1.000 BC. Already a
notable place in Roman times but it really became an important place during its
occupation in the early 11th Century by the Moors. Giving it the name of Xelb,
they constructed lavish palaces and it became the cultural centre. The impressive
remains of the castle dates back to Moors. Under the control of the Portuguese
Kings it continued in its importance. The city’s earlier 13th Century Cathedral was
built on the site of a Mosque. Free time to taste the delicious local pastry.
We pass by Portimão for a quick sightseeing, to admire its impressive and typical
fishing harbor, with the local and typical fishing boats.
Next is Lagos, with a very nice seaside resort, the most historically interesting
coastal town in the Algarve. Its fame derives from its association with Portugal's
14th-and 15th-century Age of Discovery. It’s here that we’ll have free time for
lunch, near the ocean, opportunity for you to try the fresh and delicious fish of
the coast coming straight from the ocean.
We’ll proceed to Sagres, to visit the old fortress of the Portuguese school of
navigators "who brought new worlds to the World". It can be a powerful sensation
to sit quietly anywhere along the cliff tops here and look out to sea and ponder
the extraordinary adventurers who have passed this way.
Finally we arrive to Saint Vincent cape, the south westernmost point of Europe,
“the end of the world”, as it was called before America was discovered. The cliffs
rise nearly vertically from the Atlantic to a height of 75 meters. The cape is a site
of exuberant marine life and a high concentration of birds nesting on the cliffs,
such as the rare Bonelli's eagle, peregrine falcons, kites, rock thrushes, rock
pigeons, storks and herons.
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...The first people in the Algarve were traders and Estate stewards that established their
colonies on the coasts, like the Phoenicians and the Carthaginians.
The Algarve was once part of the Roman province of Lusitânia, later becoming part of
the Visigoths' jurisdiction.
One of the most important facts in the Algarve's history: the five centuries of Arab
occupation, visible in the regions architecture (lattice chimneys, tiles, whitewashed houses,
labyrinthine streets, etc.)
Since 1249, and until the Republic proclamation, the Portuguese monarchs were entitled
"King of Portugal and of the Algarves".
The Algarve became a lot more important during the Discoveries, being used as one of the
main departure ports. Nothing stops the “algarvios” – people of Algarve -, who despite
all the adversities made it what it is today: a wonderful resort by the sea!...
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