From this 17th century fort built at the entrance to the Ria de Bensafrim, visitors can enjoy a magnificent view. It is built on a quadrangular floor plan, is surrounded by a moat and has an impressive gateway with a drawbridge which provides access to the inside. There, a 17th century chapel covered with tiled […]
Built between 1623 and 1629 to defend the mouth of the Arade river, it has a small chapel on the inside and provides a magnificent view over the water.
The old part of Faro, known as the Vila Adentro, is surrounded by a wall that is oval in shape and dates back to the Roman period about two thousand years ago. The wall underwent major alterations and enlargement between the 9th and the 11th centuries during the period of Arab occupation, and it has […]
At the top of the hill known as the Zambujal Rock, to the east of the town of Castro Marim, stands the Ravelin of Santo António, a 17th century military fortification. Inside the ravelin walls are the chapel Capela de Santo António (St Anthony), a traditional mill and the local Intepretation Centre, which serves as […]
This fort was built in the mid-17th century with the aim of reinforcing the defences of this border town during the wars of the restoration. Irregular in shape, the walls of this military structure have five defensive bastions.
Built in the 13th century by King Afonso III, Castro Marim Castle has an interesting stretch of wall that is semi-circular in shape, on the inside of which stand the Old Castle, the Church of Nossa Senhora dos Mártires (Our Lady of Martyrs) and a number of ruins, including the old governors’ palace. This major […]
The economic importance of tuna fishing (known as almadrava) in Beliche Bay led to the construction of a fortress which was mainly intended to protect the fishermen from attacks by pirates and corsairs. We do not know exactly when the fortress of Santo António de Beliche was built; what we do know, is that it […]
An Arab military building dating from the 10th century, located on the top of a hill. It has a long stretch of wall with two towers, and on the inside a vaulted cistern of Arab origin, as well as the remains of houses and barracks. Aljezur Castle was taken by the Christians in the 13th […]
At a place called Laranjeiras, near Alcoutim, there is an interesting archaeological site which was uncovered during the 1876 floods. It is an ancient Roman villa, built in the 1st century and remains can still be seen of a pars fructuaria, a storeroom where farm produce was kept. Equally interesting are the archaeological remains of […]
Pena National Palace The fantastic Palácio da Pena is one of the best examples of 19th-century Romantic revivalism in Portugal. Situated at the top of the Monte da Pena, the palace was built on the site of an old monastery belonging to the Order of St. Jerome. It was the fruit of the imagination of […]
Situated close to the coast, in the far west of the peninsula of Peniche, this chapel forms the basis for a shrine devoted to the cult of the Virgin Mary. The date when this church was founded is not known, although it is believed to have been built in the 16th century. According to legend, […]
This church dating from the beginning of the 17th century belongs to the charitable institution known as Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Peniche. Annexed to the former hospital of this institution, the inside of the church boasts an exceptionally beautiful decoration, which can be seen in the 17th-century tile panels, the oil paintings, some of […]