Portimao

Ships sail into the river mouth before docking. On the approach, the Algarve beaches reveal massive sandstone cliffs and wind-sculpted rock formations. Recently upgraded cruise facilities mean all ships can now dock alongside the wharf, with an up-to-date terminal building that includes a Duty Free Shop and Tourist Information Office.

For the biggest cruise vessels anchored alongside the Port of Portimão, the terminal also provides tender services.

Minibuses link the port with the main tourist sites every 15 minutes. As the quay is about 1,5 km from the town center, there is also a pleasant boulevard walk past many cafes into the town centre.

Between 1930 and 1950, a group of English writers and intellectuals settled in Praia da Rocha; since then, the little town has developed into one of Portugal's largest and most famous holiday resorts. The old bridge across the Arade river was built with iron left over from the Eiffel Tower (1900).

This lively fishing port on the Algarve, Portugal's sunny southern coast, is good for shopping, with leather goods, handmade copper items and beautiful painted porcelain as treasured finds. Alternatively, sit in the sun at one of Portimao's outdoor cafes for an excellent lunch of fresh sardines, a local specialty, grilled quayside and washed down with superb local red wine.

Portimao began as a Phoenician, Greek and Carthaginian trading port. It has a natural harbor at the River Arade's mouth and, in the past, was linked with many famous pirates and smugglers.

The Arade gives sea access to the ancient city of Silves, capital of the Algarve during the Moorish occupation. Called Porcimunt in that period, it was recognised as a town in 1504, renamed Vila Nova de Portimao and ruled by the Castelo Branco family until the seventeenth century.

Dating from 1476, the hilltop town church of Our Lady of Conception was much altered from 1717 onwards. Its three naves lead to an impressive altar decorated with carved and gilded Baroque work.

The municipal museum occupies an old sardine canning factory and regularly hosts exhibitions of art, history and general culture.

Adjoining Praia da Rocha's popular tourist area, the recently built new marina has brought a plethora of new bars and restaurants. Spend the hours watching yachts, and what seems to be the rest of the world, go by.

The best thing to do in Portimao is simply wander through the relatively unspoilt old center, with its two-storey houses, wrought-iron balconies and ornate stonework around windows and doors.

The tourist office is in the town center, on a unique square with a tiled fountain and all trees wrapped in colorful embroidery: a "Kodak" moment.

Walking into town from the ship brings you along a pleasant waterfront promenade. Several tour vendors on the Promenade sell all kinds of tours, by boat and otherwise. Many kayak tours, generally 2.5 hours, let you paddle beneath arches and into caves and sinkholes, as well as swim.

Boat trips to caves, including Benagil, are also available, as is scuba diving.

You can take a taxi to Praia do Vau (~10min from the terminal) and spend a whole day on the beach. Its couple of restaurants would probably be good for grilled sardines with a glass of wine or a Sagres beer, while a westward walk along the cliffs leads to small beaches and caves. Easy, safe pathways run along most cliffs, making it straightforward to explore alone without even needing a map.

Portimao's public transport.

Inland, 13 km away, Silves has the castle, archaeological museum and Cruz the Portugal. Monchique is the Algarve's highest situated village. Cabo São Vicente is mainland Europe's most southwesterly point. Omega Parque, on the road to Monchique, is a zoo holding only threatened species.

Next to Portimão, Praia da Rocha is a cosmopolitan beach resort where you can take part in a wide range of activities, dine at one of many excellent national and international restaurants, and afterwards enjoy the vibrant nightlife for which the Algarve is famous.

Rua Comerciale and Rua Vasco da Gama are the main shopping streets, known for hand-knitted sweaters, local hand-painted porcelain and pottery.

Look out for colorful azulejos tiles, available in several shops.

Outdoor fish restaurants surround the harbor.

It would be sacrilegious to discuss Portimão's gastronomy without first mentioning the fat, tasty sardine: charcoal-grilled, seasoned with coarse sea-salt, eaten from a slice of bread and washed down with a measure of red wine. Its shrine and gurus are in the restaurants beneath the iron bridge across the Arade River. Grilled sardines do not rule cookery in Portimão alone; as a rule, first see what the sea has to offer.

Currency: Euro.

Emergency telephone number: 112.

Ask the tourist office at Largo 1 de Dezembro about internet cafés.

Across the Algarve:

Banks usually open from 0830 to 1500 and close at weekends and on public holidays. Although this may be part of the charm of Algarve tourism that has not yet been lost, you still do not want to be caught out without enough cash!

Mainly, shops operate 0900 to 1300, reopening 1500 to 1900. There is no Saturday afternoon opening, and many do not open for business on Sundays at all—not even to exploit the income Algarve tourism offers!

Tourists in the Algarve accustomed to longer trading hours may be relieved that shopping centers are more attuned to the needs of disorganized holiday-makers, and can often be open until 2200 hrs.

The local saint's day will be observed as a local holiday.