Alvor in the western Algarve
Travel advice for Alvor, the popular holiday destination with great beaches located between Praia da Rocha and Lagos on the coast of the Western Algarve in the south of Portugal: hotels & holiday apartments, golf courses, beaches & kite surfing, excursions by boat, water sports weather, surroundings, restaurants,…
- District: Faro > Municipality: Portimão > Parish: Alvor
- Population: 6.154
- Distances: Faro Airport 77 km, Lisbon Airport 285 km
- Tourist Info: Posto de Turismo de Alvor
Alvor is a parish (freguesia) in the municipality of Portimão in the Algarve, the sunny southernmost region of Portugal. The village (vila) is situated on a lagoon, in the nature reserve of Ria de Alvor between Praia da Rocha and Lagos.
Alvor can be accessed from the A22 motorway, the main road EN125, from the country road M531-1 and from Portimão or Praia da Rocha..
The old picturesque heart of the village is located on top of a hill overlooking the lagoon. The houses are grouped around the parish church, and narrow lanes lead down to the small harbour, where some excellent fish and seafood restaurants can be found.here is also the pier for boat tours to discover the grottos along the rocky coast or for dolphin watching.
Near Alvor there are several well known golf courses. Sir Henry Cotton, engaged by John Stillwell, designed the first modern courses in the Algarve, Penina and Alto Golf in 1966. Since then the Penina Championship Course has been the venue of many international PGA tournaments and helped establish the reputation of the Algarve as one of the leading golf destinations in Europe. The Penina hotel was the place where the so called Alvor Agreement was signed in 1975, granting Angola independence from Portugal.
Some of the most beautiful coastal parts of the western Algarve can be found between Praia da Rocha and Alvor. Long sandy beaches are set against the backdrop of miles of rugged rock formations. Several hotels, apartment complexes and holiday resorts are situated along the palm lined carriage ways leading along the coast from Praia da Rocha to Alvor. One of the best known is the5star hotel Pestana Alvor Praia, situated on cliff top overlooking the spectacular beach Praia dos Três Irmãos.
The fascinating lagoon landscape of the bay of Alvor makes for an interesting walk, offering great views from Alvor in the east across the Ria do Alvor with its mussel beds to the fabulous golf course Palmares Golf and the endless sandy beach Meia Praia near Lagos.
A small airfield is situated on the country road between Penina and Alvor at a place called Montes de Alvor.
