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The district of Albufeira |
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The municipality of Albufeira is comprised of the parishes of Guia and Olhos d'Agua on the coast and Ferreiras and Paderne inland. The area is 140,7 km2 in size and has 31 543 residents (2001).
During the high season this figure increases manifold, when guests from all over the world stay at the many holiday hotels and resorts, making Albufeira Portugal’s most important tourist centre. |
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Please feel invited to a virtual tour around the district of Albufeira:
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| The parish of Guia is situated west of Albufeira on the EN125. It spans many holiday complexes and beaches as well as the Salgados golf course. Guia was founded during Roman times, and was named Alfontes by the Arabs, which means "beyond the spring". A large shopping centre is located directly on the EN125 on the left hand side when driving from Faro, just before entering the village of Guia. More than one hundred shops and a supermarket occupy two storeys. Upstairs several restaurants offer food and beverages for every taste and budget. Daily opening hours: 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. |
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| Over the last few years this former fishing village to the east of Albufeira has undergone far-reaching changes in the structure of its economic activity and presently the holiday complexes almost seamlessly merge with the outskirts of Albufeira. Nowadays Olhos d'Agua is one of the largest tourist centres within the municipality of Albufeira. The name means "Eyes of Water" and is derived from the fresh water springs, which rise in the sea and nearby shores. The Torre da Medronheirawas erected during the reign of D. Joao III as a lookout point to warn people on the coast of approaching corsairs. |
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| This is a small village located 5 km north of Albufeira. Ferreiras was a site of Roman occupation, and there are remains from this period dating back to the 2nd century B.C. Previously known as "Lagoas" (lagoons) owing to the lagoons that formed during the rainy season, the present name is derived from the presence of a family with the name "Ferreira" which settled in the area in the mid-19th century. Ferreiras has the only railway station within the municipality of Albufeira along the single track "Linha do Algarve" connecting Lagos in the west with Vila Real de St. António next to the Spanish border. |
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| Paderne is situated 12 km from Albufeira in the countryside. Today only a few ruins are left from the Moorish castle, built by the Arabs on a rock and overlooking the valley of the Quarteira river. Paderne was finally taken from the Moors in 1248. After the 1755 earthquake, the village was moved from inside the walls to its present location, two km to the north. The parish church, built in the 16th century and combining late Renaissance with Manueline elements, is worth a visit. |
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