Algarve - full day
Program options (choose one of these 4)

Alte
Alte exists since the period of the Roman occupation and is the most typical village of Algarve. With their whitewashed houses,
windows and facades edged with colorful borders, ornate chimneys and pervasive air of tranquility, the streets of Alte's historic center
have retained much of their original charm. The area around the main church is a delightful snapshot of the real Algarve.

Silves, Monchique, Foia
Silves - slightly inland from Portimão was once on a par with Lisbon as a strategic Portuguese location. Silves Castle reveals some of the
details around its history as an important Moorish capital, particularly from the 11th the 13th Century. A huge red sandstone castle,
a choice of historic museums including the renowned Museum of Cork, a mix of chic cafes, restaurants and bars and local golf and
horse riding are a few things you can expect in beautiful Silves.
Popular with the day trips, Silves bustles in peak season and should be on everyone's Algarve itinerary. Monchique is a small village in
the heart of Monchique mountain, called by some people as the " Algarve’s Glorious Eden ". Fóia is the Algarve’s highest peak, where
we get to 900m altitude, watching the coast outlined against the blue sky and sea…this luxuriant vegetation contrasting with the rest of
the province, shows us a bit of Algarve’s beauty.

São Vicente, Lagos, Sagres
We go until “the end of the world”: The São Vicente’s cape which is the Europe’s most southwest place. 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. Lagos…This town is one
of the most beautiful and historical of the Algarve, because here started the great adventure of the Discoverers. Sagres: the ancient
fortress which was once a school of navigation and has now magnificent views over the ocean. We 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.

Castro Marim, Tavira, Alcoutim
Going to the interior we still have some places which are incredibly beautiful: Castro Marim, Tavira (the Algarve’s most ancient city),
Alcoutim (also a very typical village). Castro Marim - The first settlements in this area date back to approximately 5000 BC, possibly
situated on the hill where the castle now stands. Phoenicians and Romans where present here.
Due to the strategic position of the town on border with the kingdom of Castile , Castro Marim became the headquarters of the Order
of Christ after the Christian reconquest. Tavira - is one of the gems of the eastern Algarve. Straddling the River Gilao and the River Segua,
its gentle charm and predominantly low-rise architecture set it aside from other resorts in the region. Sometimes referred to as the Venice
of the Algarve, it boasts a seven-arched Roman bridge, some fine Renaissance architecture, numerous churches, tree-lined squares
and a certain romantic air. Also, along the Travessa de Dona Brites you will find fine examples of medieval houses complete with Gothic
windows and doorways. However, it is also a lively trading town with a vibrant fruit and vegetable market just beyond the riverside park
where many stop to drink a coffee and catch up on the local gossip. An important place on the map throughout Portuguese history often
used by travellers to Africa due to its proximity to Morocco and, in fact, once the most important port beyond Lisbon, this once thriving
tuna- fishing town now depends largely on tourism. A nod to the town’s significant past are the ruins of a Moorish castle, the battlements
of which can still be visited and from where one gets the best view of the town, its many church spires, ornate rooftops and balconies
and indeed the river delta and beyond to the sea. At only 3 kilometres from the Atlantic coast, a handful of pleasant beaches are easily
attainable from Tavira, not least the two beaches to be found on the island of Tavira. Alcoutim - The blue river framed by cool greens of
the riverside vegetation, of fertile orchards and gardens. The dark ochre of the hills, flecked with colour by cistus plants, holm, oak and the
occasional olive tree. Houses with walls of schist or baked mud white with the dazzle of lime, huddled together in hamlets lost among the
hills. Such contrasts are to be found in the Alcoutim municipality.