In Portimão, the summer months are pure fun for any type of tourist: from the tourist who likes to spend the whole day at the beach to the one who prefers to enjoy the nightlife until the sunrise. From the tourist who likes to feel the adrenaline caused by the most adventurous water sports to the one who prefers to play golf. From the tourist who likes a boat trip through the caves to the one who prefers to know the local history and culture. Well, in our Portimão Tour Guide, all types of travelers find something to do in this holiday destination!
Lying on the extensive sandy beach of Praia da Rocha. Swimming in the sea. Practicing windsurf. Taking a walk in the riverside area. Eating roasted sardines. Visiting a museum... With so many points of interest, we have to admit that it was complicated to write this Portimão Tour Guide. But for you - who wants to come on vacation, or even live in the south of Portugal - we do everything, including putting together a series of proposals with various possibilities for a full day in Portimão!
1. Portimão Tour Guide | Enjoy the Parish Church, the Jesuit College, and the local sweets
Ready for what will be one of the best days of your life? Great! Start by taking advantage of the morning breeze to take a walk through the center of Portimão and appreciate the Church of Nossa Senhora da Conceição, built in the 15th century. Recovered after the 1755 earthquake, this Church, also called Mother Church of Portimão, presents itself today in white and yellow, with gothic traces, a baroque-style bell tower, and an interior with an altar in golden woodcarving.
Nearby, there is another ancient building that also deserves a photo, the imposing Jesuit College! And going a little further down Rua Direita, you can find a pastry shop where you can have breakfast and even try the local sweets... before heading to the destination of choice: the beach, that's right!
2. Portimão Tour Guide | Sunbathing and swimming at Praia da Rocha
After breakfast, head for Praia da Rocha, one of the most popular beaches in Algarve due to the fantastic rock formations that surround it (and gave it its name). But also because of its 1,2 km long beach that leaves a promise to thousands of tourists like you: there will be no shortage of places to spread your towel because, in addition to its length, the strip of sand reaches 200 meters in width!
As soon as the heat starts to get to you, take a dip in the crystal-clear waters of Praia da Rocha or enjoy the wide range of water sports: a ride on a seagull if you are a more contemplative tourist, an hour of windsurfing, or jet-skiing if you are a more energetic tourist... or a paragliding experience if you are a daring tourist!
3. Portimão Tour Guide | Find inspiration for lunch at the Miradouro dos Três Castelos
Now it's time to put on your t-shirt, shake the sand off your towel, and head for the viewpoint located between Praia da Rocha and Praia dos Três Castelos. There you can admire the view of the rocks sculpted by time, which are home to hawks, gulls, and swifts, among other birds.
4. Portimão Tour Guide | “Boa sardinha no pão come-se em Portimão”
If you read this sentence on the mural next to the old road bridge in Portimão, which connects the city to the fishing village of Ferragudo, and started to feel hungry... you're on the right track! You're right at the beginning of Portimão's long riverside area full of good restaurants serving grilled sardines, the local specialty, which are usually accompanied by baked potatoes and Algarvian salad. But that doesn't stop you from trying other fresh fish and seafood as well: from horse mackerel to fish stew, not forgetting the famous clams.
5. Portimão Tour Guide | Visit to the Portimão Museum
After lunch, walk a little further along the riverfront until you reach the Portimão Museum, in the former premises of a canning factory. Don't miss the opportunity to learn about the production process of the Algarve canning industry, on a journey through time and local history.
6. Portimão Tour Guide | Discovery of the Megalithic Monuments of Alcalar
If you want to continue enriching culturally your afternoon, we suggest a visit to the Megalithic Monuments of Alcalar, which occupy more than 10 hectares, and where you can visit an important Neolithic necropolis that lifts the veil of habits and hierarchies in prehistory.
7. Portimão Tour Guide | Tour to the Benagil Cave
Now it's time to venture out on a boat trip along Algarve's most exotic beaches and visit the breathtaking Benagil Cave. Many say it is one of the most beautiful places in the world, and if the weather allows it, you can confirm it live and in color: get off the boat, enter the cave, take incredible pictures of its opening to the sky and cool off with a dip in the sea.
8. Portimão Tour Guide | Golf match at Sir Henry Cotton Championship
Instead of a boat trip, would you rather use the afternoon to play golf? You are in the right place! There are several golf courses in Portimão, but we will advise you to look for the Sir Henry Cotton Championship Golf Course. That's because it was the first golf course to be built in Algarve, precisely by Henry Cotton, a visionary who recognized the city's great potential as a destination for golfers. It includes three fabulous courses within a no less fabulous resort (Penina Golf), with very flat, well-manicured fairways, strategically placed water hazards, and deep bunkers. And please, don't miss the opportunity to hit the best-known hole of all: the 13th, Par 3. A hole that requires a long shot over a large lake and an elevated green.
9. Portimão Tour Guide | Enjoy dinner, gamble and watch a show at the Casino
The twilight arrived to announce the end of the day, but the night, as they say, is still young! Make the most of it with dinner at the Casino de Portimão and then take your chances at the slot machines and gaming tables or watch a show.
10. Portimão Tour Guide | Nightlife
And finally, if you have the breath, don't miss out on the nightlife in the areas of Alvor and Praia da Rocha, known for having the best bars and clubs in Algarve... and bringing together a large number of people! Even if you have children with you, you can still go out at night in Portimão! In this case, you have to skip the bars and discos, of course, but nothing stops you from taking a family stroll along the waterfront where there are several summer attractions and plenty of places to enjoy an ice cream.
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