Albufeira Tourist Information

Largo Eng. Duarte Pacheco Famous for its spectacularly beautiful beaches surrounded by colourful rocks and cliffs, Albufeira also has a great historic significance with archaeological sites dating back to the Bronze Age.

The Romans were the first settlers in Albufeira on the Cerro da Vila, a quasi-peninsula which provided an impenetrable fortress overlooking the sea.

Later conquered by the Moors, it was called “Al Buhera” from which its name is derived today. The Arabs established it as an important agricultural area with a port trading with North Africa. It evolved as a rich area with its own castle and defensive walls.

The first Christian occupation in 1190 brought Albufeira into the Algarve region, but without its Moorish trade links it fell upon hard times and suffered several devastating earthquakes in the eighteenth century when the town was engulfed by a tidal wave.

The Portuguese Civil War in 1833 saw it burnt to the ground, and it is only in more recent years that prosperity has returned to the area with the tourist industry.

Surrounded by countryside covered with almond, fig, orange and pine trees and with panoramic views out to sea, the original charm remains in the old town with its whitewashed houses, narrow cobbled streets filled with bars, restaurants and shops. The labyrinth of passages eventually lead you down to Largo Eng. Duarte Pacheco which is the central square where people sit and watch the world go by. The Tourist Information Office is located here, next to a tunnel which leads to Albufeira´s main beach. There is a fascinating small museum exhibiting fifteenth and seventeenth century Ming pottery and an art gallery which hold regular exhibitions. New additions are a Virtual Archaeological Museum and Marina on the west side of the town.

The new part of Albufeira is on the east side centred on the Arcias de São Joaõ which is known as “The Strip” and is a thoroughfare filled with cafes, restaurants and bars which stretches down to the Praia de Oura Beach.

A haven for sunbathers, full of historic attractions and offering excellent leisure facilities with its numerous watersports and excellent golf courses, Albufeira is an ideal resort which really does offer something for everyone.