Portugal

Portimao Destination Guide

Trivia: Portimao, is a city and a municipality located in the Algarve, on the southern coast of Portugal. The area already attracted people in prehistoric times.The Conii, influenced by Tartessos and Celts, were established in the territory of the Algarve for a long time.

The mouth of the River Arade provides a safe, natural harbour and was a small trading point for Phoenicians, Greeks and Carthaginians, the latter founding here Portus Hanibalis — known today as Portimao — about 550 BC. Later it was the Romans who occupied the predominantly celtic region.

Transport I Car Hire I Hotels I Entertainment I Food & Drink I Tourist Tips 

Transport:

By Car:

This is the most popular mode of transport as there are so many beautiful places to explore in this area which are not accessible by public transport and your own car gives you total freedom.

Getting There:

Faro International Airport (FAO) is about 45 mins from the resort by car. The excellent Faro-Lagos motorway makes this area in the western Algarve easily accessible. Other travel options are bus, train, taxi, private transfer or car hire.
 

Car Hire:

Our Car Hire department can organise any type of vehicle you require, please call 01903 83288 and speak to Isie, or alternatively you can email us your request.

Hotels:

5 Star Options:

• Le Meridien Penina Golf Hotel & Resort

4 Star Options:

• Hotel Algarve Casino
• Hotel Tivoli Arade
• Casa Tres palmeiras
• Bella Vista Hotel
• Vito Plaza Aparthotel
• Vale Del Rei Suite and Village Resort
• Pestana Alvor Prair Hotel
• Hotel Oriental

3 Star Options:

• Pestana Delfim Hotel
• Hotel Oriental Portimao
• Mar a Vista Aparthotel

Entertainment:

Golf:

With its exceptional climate and beautiful countryside, Portugal has become a golfer’s paradise. The Algarve region in particular is an extremely famous and popular area where you can tee off all year round.

• Penina Golf Course: 5km west of Portimao. Completed in 1966, it was one of the first courses in the Algarve and the universally acknowledged masterpiece of the British designer Sir Henry Cotton.
• Morgado Golf Course
• Alto Golf Course

Museums:

• Municipal Museum - housed in an old sardine canning factory where different art, history and general culture exhibitions are held on a regular basis.

Parks:

• Aquabus - Various trips in a floating submarine with a glass hull from Lagos Marina to Salema, the underground museum or the grottos to discovering fascinating underwater worlds.
• Atlantic park - Enjoy this veritable paradise of tropical gardens and water features which include twisting slides, twin kamikaze, Rio Grande and diving and children’s pools.
• Jeep safari - Safaris to small inland villages using traditional agricultural equipment and farming methods. Fantastic landscapes.
• Krazy World - Mini golf with 36 holes running through a mysterious world; an alligator swamp with live shows and a snake pit
• Slide & Splash - Aquatic park
• Zebra Safari - An exhilarating day out with teams in jeeps trying to keep on the right track with sections of the safari being covered in canoes and mountain bikes in search of the treasure.
• Zoomarine - A water fun park with dolphins, seals, sea lions, sharks, tortoises and exotic and marine birds. Spectacular shows, swimming pools, restaurants and shops are all here with a single ticket providing your key to the whole park.

Shopping:

Portimao is an excellent place to purchase many Portuguese traditional crafts with century old designs which local traders still translate into palm and rushwork items, various objets d´art in copper and tin, baskets, lace and footwear. More modern items for sale include painted textiles and tapestries which are often decorated with regional motifs.

Food & Drink:

Portimao is famous for its fresh fish restaurants, grilled sardines being the most famous dish. The aroma of the noble Portuguese sardine permeates every street. Portimao is the leading fish-canning centre in the Algarve. For a change of pace, this town, on an arm of the Arcade River, makes a good stopover for its fine dining.

Complete with gilt and crystal, the 100-seat air-conditioned Titanic is the most elegant restaurant in town. Its open kitchen serves the best food in Praia da Rocha, including shellfish and flambe dishes.  Despite the name, it's not on - or in, the water, but in a modern residential complex. You can dine very well here on such appealing dishes as the fish of the day, pork filet with mushrooms, prawns a la plancha (grilled), Chinese fondue, or excellent sole Algarve. Service is among the best at the resort. 

Tourist Tips:

The Algarve’s 300 days of sunshine make the destination ideal for outdoor activities all year.

Although it lacks great monuments and museums, Portimao is worth exploring. Just wander through its colourful streets, stopping at any sight that interests you. The once-colourful fishing boats used to unload their catch here at the port but have moved to a terminal across the river. High-rise buildings ring the area, but the core of the old town is still intact.

A new marina has just been built adjoining the popular tourist area of Praia da Rocha and with this has come a plethora of new bars and restaurants to while away the hours watching the yachts and what seems like the rest of the world go by.

As you approach Portimao from Faro you will be offered a choice of two bridges to cross: the old one runs along the harbour and the new one is one of the most attractive to be built in Portugal during the last century.

Portimao is surrounded by many beautiful places to visit, but some you might like to consider is Armacao de Pera with its small 18th century fortress or the small beach village of Alvor. Across the river is the unspoilt fishing village of Ferragudo, with the fort of St John of Arade built during the 17th and 18th centuries and which was Portimao´s primary defence against pirates.

Ferragudo:

This small unspoilt Portuguese fishing village is situated on the east bank of the Portimao river, with beaches both on the river and the coast. The village centre is delightful, and unchanged for many years. There is an ample selection of restaurants and shops, and the coastline between Ferragudo and the neighbouring Carvoeiro is dotted with many sandy coves and restaurants. Portimao is within a few minutes drive for more serious shopping.

This fishing village on the other side of the estuary from Portimao has two areas of interest, the pretty square with a range of cafes and the fish quay which is about half a mile away. This fishing area is found by following the stream down towards the estuary and is well worth a visit as it appears real rather than tarted up for the tourist. At the far end of the fisherman's paved area, a fort and the long Portimao boom can be seen when looking down the estuary towards the sea.

Other suggestions for sightseeing:

• Praia da Rocha beach
• Nature reserve Rio de Alvor
• Bio Park Monchique
• Castelo de Sao Joao
• Fortaleza de Santa Catarina
• Alvor fishing village
• Silves Cruise
  

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