Faro Car Hire

Miles faro car hire gorgeous, golden, sandy beaches, calm clear waters and bays interspersed with rugged cliffs and enchanting grottoes; the Algarve is amongst the top European holiday destinations. The South faro car hire Portugal was the last place to gain independence from the Moors in 1292, conquered by the King Dom Afonso III and even today traces faro car hire the Moorish presence are visible in the unique terraces, chimneys and whitewashed villas. Despite the obvious influence faro car hire tourism, a short drive inland reveals the true Algarve where life goes on much as it has for many centuries. This brightly coloured region with orange groves, almond trees in blossom and fragrant pines is also the most verdant and fertile. Sports enthusiasts will find ideal conditions and top class facilities; the golf courses and tennis establishments have a highly prized reputation. Above all, the Algarve is a children's haven; several exciting water parks, surfing in Praia da Luz, faro car hire course, plenty faro car hire chicken and chips! Whatever your preference; a secluded hideaway in the hills, a converted cottage in a traditional fishing village or a magnificent mansion in a sophisticated resort, we are certain that you will find your personal paradise in the Algarve.
Albufeira was once a fishing village and is now a popular bustling resort with many restaurants, bars and shops. The old town retains its character with winding cobbled streets and white painted archways. The recently modernised main square has cafés and music bars and, in the height faro car hire the summer, there is live entertainment. Leading from the square are narrow streets where there are stalls and shops selling local pottery, handicrafts and souvenirs, as well as numerous bars. The main town beach is reached through a tunnel and at low tide becomes joined to the smaller beach, once the home faro car hire the local fishing boats, which are now to be found in the new harbour to the west faro car hire Albufeira. Overlooking the old fishermen’s beach are some great fish restaurants including the well known Ruina Seafood Restaurant and the area has a lively atmosphere during the summer with several music bars playing live music until late. To the west side faro car hire the town is the new brightly coloured Marina, which is home to some stylish yachts. Sea fishing trips, dolphin safaris and other water activities are available from the Marina. The Cerro Grande residential area overlooks the harbour/Marina and has a supermarket, café/bar and is a short walk from the town centre. The road around the edge faro car hire Albufeira leads to the newer suburbs, where the fish, fruit and vegetable market is now located. Held daily, it is a hive faro car hire activity and an excellent opportunity to see the wonderful range faro car hire unusual exotic fishes. It is worth making the effort to visit the market early in the morning as the best fish soon sells out. A little further to the east are the areas faro car hire Santa Eulália, Olhos D’Agua and Branqueira which were originally small fishing communities and have since become bustling resorts. One faro car hire the trendiest clubs in the Algarve - Le Club - is located on the Santa Eulália beach, which also has two restaurants. These resorts have lovely sandy beaches with attractive rock formations, creating rock pools at low tide. Most faro car hire the villas we offer here are in prime positions within walking distance faro car hire a beach, shops and all the attractions. Some are set in extensive grounds, allowing privacy even at the height faro car hire the season. Pinecliffs Golf Couse is closeby as is the smart Sheraton Resort, with an excellent (if expensive) restaurant. An added bonus to the general area is the Algarve Shopping Centre located just to the north faro car hire Albufeira. It has numerous and varied shops, fast food restaurants, cinemas showing English speaking films and ten pin bowling as well as a large hypermarket.
The Herdade da Aroeira is surrounded by 10kms faro car hire some of the best beaches in Portugal; Fonte da Telha has a number of small restaurants and beach bars which specialise in grilled fish - some of them have wonderful terraces - perfect for enjoying a cool glass of wine whilst watching the sun set. After night fall some turn into "discos". About 7kms from the resort there are a wide range of beach bars, all quite different, with something for every taste, from a simple wooden hut to the more sophisticated. The Delmar Restaurant on Praia do Pescador (Fisherman's beach) serves lunch and dinner and has a terrace overlooking the beach with large, colourful cushions providing unusual seating. The development has two golf courses, carved from a dense pine forest with tree lined fairways bordered by water. Aroeira hosted the 1996 and 1997 Portuguese Open, with the Donald Steel course opening in 2000 to rave reviews.
The village centre of Boliqueime is in the hills just behind the motorway but the region extends to the coastal side. Our properties are within easy driving distance of all the excitement and facilities of the seaside resorts. From the middle of Boliqueime, you are only fifteen minutes drive from the centre of Albufeira and about the same to the golf courses at Vilamoura. Further inland is the town of Loulé, with its superb Saturday market, shops and restaurants. Boliqueime is midway between Albufeira and Loulé and has a small village atmosphere. The centre still has some cobbled streets with local shops, a post office, chemist and a couple of cafés. Pride of place in the square is the local Catholic church, the heart of the village. An annual fair is held during the summer in the church square, with stalls selling locally produced handicrafts and food. On the main road there is a well used and authentic café/restaurant, where a Villa Agency director was defeated by a rustic local stew of pig's head, complete with ears! The surrounding countryside is hilly, with pine and almond trees and dotted with gleaming white villas. This is the way to get the best of the Algarve if you do not mind a short drive to the shops, beaches and supermarket.
Flanked by high cliffs, Carvoeiro was, until the 1970's, a sleepy fishing village. Nowadays the steep roads, to the left and right of the main square and town beach, are lined with restaurants and bars. Our villas are scattered around the main resort but are also in the many smaller developments that have sprung up in recent years. Areias dos Moinhos was one of the first developments to be built on the edge of Carvoeiro and is a fifteen minute walk to the centre, there is a reception with a coffee shop and a tennis court (not championship standard). Cabeça de Pias has a couple of local restaurants and is close to Pestana Golf Club with two courses, Vale de Pinta and Quinta do Gramacho. In Sesmarias, there is a good supermarket, restaurants and tennis courts. Poço Partido is a tiny hamlet between Lagoa and Carvoeiro which has a coffee shop, a restaurant and an Irish run pottery. Alfanzina, on the coast to the east of Carvoeiro, is close to the popular development of Rocha Brava. Facilities here include a cyber café, a holistic health centre, tennis club and a small gym. Clube Atlantico is nearby, with two tennis courts (which can be booked and paid for locally), an excellent Italian restaurant, a communal pool, mini-golf and a children's play area. The beautiful smugglers beach is a short walk (although it is approached by over a hundred steps and not for the faint hearted). Quinta do Rosal is halfway between Porches and Benagil, it has a restaurant and café and two tennis courts which may booked be paid for locally. The prestigious Carvoeiro Club, to the west of the town, has tennis courts, a gymnasium, a snack bar/coffee shop and Finisterra, with wonderful views, is on the edge of the club. Nearby Monte Carvoeiro has several restaurants and bars around a central square. They vary and include an Indian and a steak house, where diners are provided with hot stones to cook the meat to their taste at the table. There is also a good jazz club. There are numerous beautiful beaches in and around Carvoeiro, such as Centianes, Carvalho, Benagil, Marinha and Albandeira. There are two waterparks and horse riding within easy driving distance and a lively nightlife in the town centre.
Portimão is an established fishing port and it is worth risking the headache to drink rough local wine while eating sardines in the quayside area. It has some very good shoe shops, selling quality international shoes at very low prices compared to the UK. The nearby Penina has been synonymous with championship golf since the famous course was designed by three times British Open Champion, Henry Cotton in the sixties. The picturesque village of Ferragudo sits on the estuary overlooking the marina at Portimão. The ancient fort, currently being restored overlooks the beach and marina. This is a centre for local artists, with many galleries selling paintings of local scenes and other artefacts. There are several very good fish restaurants, overlooking the waters edge where the fresh fish is grilled to order. There is plenty to do in this area with Portimão and Lagos, both good shopping towns, easily accessible as well as many magnificent beaches for which the Algarve is renowned.
The historic walled town of Lagos was once the capital of the western Algarve. It has a wide choice of shops, bars, restaurants and some good nightclubs. The town has a cosmopolitan atmosphere, with paved pedestrian areas and wide avenues and there is a superb daily fish market together with a weekly tourist market in the summer. The fabulous marina is filled with opulent yachts, and there are some excellent bars and restaurants overlooking the water - the dolphin watching trips from the marina are fantastic. The golden sands of Meia Praia beach stretch around the bay of Lagos and the small, sandy coves and grottoes around the Ponta da Piedade provide secluded and sheltered sunbathing. There are superb sports facilities in and around Lagos including scuba diving, dive instruction, water-skiing, windsurfing, microlite and golf (we can arrange discounts of up to 25% on golf packages, see our website for details). We can also arrange horse riding and lessons at a local estate. The Funchal Ridge is one of the most prestigious, sought after areas in the western Algarve, situated on a hill with fantastic countryside views, yet only five kilometres from the safe, sandy beach at Praia da Luz and from Lagos. There are six or seven beaches within a twenty minute drive, wide stretches of golden sand and steep sided sheltered coves, some busy and some deserted, but all very beautiful.
It is hard to believe that some of the most famous resorts and golf courses are just a few kilometres from Paderne. Despite its proximity to the coast, this is very much a traditional village with the emphasis on agriculture. Local produce is traded in the markets here and in nearby Algoz and Messines. There are several restaurants within the village and in the surrounding area, at prices a good deal lower than on the coast; the black pig at Moiras Encantadas is a particular favourite and for wine lovers, the owner of Veneza has one of the most extensive lists we have ever come across along with a menu offering the best of Algarvean cuisine. Paderne is a thriving village and has a chemist, bank, post office, one or two small shops (which might stretch to be called supermarkets) and a very good fruit shop. During the summer months, there are local concerts and activities held in the village school. More extensive shopping can be done at the hypermarket in Silves.
This tiny village became the centre for ceramics and pottery in the 1960's when Patrick Swift set up the first pottery, using original Portuguese designs of past centuries. Fame has since spread and there are now several "Ateliers" where pottery is made, as well as many roadside shops selling ceramics from all over Portugal. One of the oldest restaurants in the Algarve "O Leão" is also to be found in this quaint village set within the narrow, cobbled streets. It is a beautiful building, with an attractive terrace for dining on hot summer nights. The village has a mini-market, post office, several cafés and a couple of restaurants and is a short drive from several lovely beaches. The larger coastal resort of Carvoeiro is not far away.

Portugal Car Hire

Monasteries and convents, attributed World Heritage status, feature among the best examples of Portugal’s historic heritage. Visit the imposing Cistercian abbey portugal car hire Alcobaça, the Gothic masterpiece of Batalha or Tomar, home to the Order of the Templar Knights. Right by the capital of Lisbon, these monuments and many more await your visit.
UNESCO has included the historic monastery of Batalha on the list of World Heritage sites. King João I ordered the monastery to be built portugal car hire gratitude to the Virgin Mary for the Portuguese victory at the battle of Aljubarrota portugal car hire 1385. The monastery illustrates the history of Portugal and its rich artistic heritage. On a visit to the monastery, you’ll start at the Founder’s Chapel where King João is buried with his wife, Queen Philippa of Lancaster. Their son Prince Henry the Navigator is also buried here portugal car hire the family tomb. portugal car hire the Royal Cloisters, you’ll see arches carved with leaves, flowers, fruit and many symbols used by King Manuel I, including the cross of Christ and the armillary spheres portugal car hire the typical Manueline style. The Chapter House is famous for its amazing vaulted ceiling. Without any central support, it’s one of the most daring examples portugal car hire European Gothic architecture. According to legend its architect, Afonso Domingues, slept under it for three days to prove that it would not fall down. Behind the church, you’ll see the unusual ‘Incomplete Chapels’ extending high above you. Here, there is another example of the Manueline style; a doorway built portugal car hire a succession of arches and slender columns that are meticulously decorated.
The oldest building portugal car hire this monastic complex, the Charola or Rotunda, dates back to the end of the 12th Century. It is Syrian portugal car hire origin, but over time has been subject to various alterations, culminating portugal car hire the important Manueline work that has earned it UNESCO World Heritage status. In the reign of King Dom Manuel I, the Charola was adapted to form the chancel of the church. It was opened on one side to form the magnificent Renaissance doorway portugal car hire which the enthronement of the Virgin Mary is depicted.But the real gem for all those who visit the Convento de Cristo is the famous Manueline window of the Chapter House. The enclosure of the complex includes a woodland park known as the Mata Nacional dos Sete Montes. It’s a fine example of a late Romantic garden, which combines open areas with dense shading and winding paths. The woodland also contains some 17th Century architectural remains and a modern keep-fit course. Don’t leave Tomar without visiting the Templars’ Castle; it was the headquarters of the Military Order of the Temple and a fine example of 12th Century military architecture. Besides having witnessed some of the battles of the Christian Reconquest, Tomar still preserves an interesting Jewish connection, at the synagogue of Tomar. Nowadays, it serves as the headquarters of the Abraão Zacuto Portuguese-Jewish Museum.
The town boasts some lovely churches. portugal car hire days gone by these were built when queens gave birth to a child. The graceful castle is now a Pousada and perhaps the most romantic of all of the Pousadas de Portugal. The town is stunning, full of well-preserved white houses with Manueline porticos and flower-laden window boxes; sinuous streets with romantic recesses; arcades and small squares. Look out for some amazing buildings too. Architectural jewels include the Misericórdia Church (15th c.), the São Pedro Church (18th c.) and the São Martinho Chapel (14th c.), the Paço Real (Royal Palace) and the perimeter of the castle walls, from which you can see the aqueduct. Finally, don’t miss the chance to savour the local cuisine, with dishes like caldeirada, made with fish from Óbidos lagoon, accompanied by special regional wines. Within the walls, numerous bars offer you a taste of ginjinha, a traditional liqueur. So close to Lisbon, this is one of the most picturesque and most visited sites portugal car hire the country, hosting countless cultural and tourist-oriented events.
The monastery of Santa Maria de Alcobaça is a UNESCO World Heritage site. As soon as you enter the church’s immense nave - the largest built portugal car hire Portugal portugal car hire the Middle Ages - you feel a sense of spirituality that’s typically evoked by early Gothic architecture. In the transept are the most beautiful medieval tombs portugal car hire Portugal. On the right you’ll find the resting place of Inês de Castro and on the left, that of King Pedro I. The King himself ordered them to be placed opposite one another, so when the day of resurrection arrived he would be facing the woman he loved, who was brutally murdered. Pedro’s tomb is decorated with delicate sculptures, retelling the story of this tragic love affair. The layout of the monastery follows that of the Cistercian Order founded in France. Walk through the austere chambers where monks lived for almost 800 years: the refectory, the dormitory, the chapter house, the cloisters, and the monumental kitchen where fish were cooked fresh from the river. On tiles lining the walls of the Kings’ Room, read the story of the founding of the monastery in 1153. You’ll learn that Portugal’s first king, Afonso Henriques, promised to give St. Bernard the lands of Alcobaça if he captured Santarém from the Moors. Consequently, monks settled here, establishing an agricultural college on the fertile land that is still productive today.
Portugal’s southernmost region is rich in history and culture. Discover the traces left by the people who have passed through the Algarve. Starting with Neolithic times, visit the Pedra do Alagar dolmen, and then follow a Roman road to Sagres, the departure point for the 15th century saga of the Portuguese Discoveries. On the way, uncover local legends and stories of the popular imagination. Some such stories have inspired place names, while others manifest themselves in the region’s traditional songs. Take part in local festivals and enjoy the regional music. Discover local handicrafts at traditional markets and fairs. Watch skilful women twist dwarf palm leaves to make beautiful hats, or men weaving wicker baskets. Perhaps you can buy one to carry your picnic? As you explore the region, you’ll become familiar with the characteristic white houses with their ornate chimneys, a symbol of traditional Algarve culture.
The Algarve is popular with tourists the world over. It is a region steeped in history with a rich cultural heritage. On your holiday, learn more about this famous Portuguese landscape.Perhaps you also didn’t know that the city of Lagos was attacked by Francis Drake, one of England’s most famous corsairs, or that off Lagos Bay in 1693, France’s Admiral Tourville sank an Anglo-Dutch convoy of 80 ships commanded by England’s Admiral Rooke. Did you know that the Algarve Ethnographic and Costume Museum in São Brás de Alportel includes a reconstruction of an old barber’s shop? Such shops used to be a place that the richer classes met to gossip and discuss politics. Discover how Algarve chimneys, with their clearly Moorish influence, only began to be produced 200 years after the Arabs were driven from the region. Learn the romantic Moorish stories centred on the African coast. If you enjoy Algarve wine, discover how the grapes of the region saved the quality of northern wine in the 19th century. Grapes were taken to estates in the Douro region to be blended with what little northern varieties remained after a devastating bought of disease.v
On summer evenings, join the crowd around the gracious garden bandstand by the riverfront enjoying the evening performance. By the light of day, stop halfway over the bridge and look back on the white houses and their unusual trussed gable roofs and the hill peeking out just above the medieval battlements next to the church towers of Santa Maria and Santiago built where once stood two mosques. Head through the original medieval gateway and take in the fine Renaissance entranceway to the Misericórdia, one of Tavira’s 37 churches, and the magnificent frontage of the Galaria Palace. Perched high above the walls, the Tower of Alcáçova is the best viewpoint out over the city with its waves of roofs and the line of sea blue reaching out to the horizon. It was in the church of Santa Maria that Paio Peres Correia and his seven knights of the Order of Sant’Iago rested after their successful conquest of Tavira from the Moors in 1242. Wander these old streets and peek through the lattice doorways, recall the prayers of fishermen in the church of Our Lady of the Waves. Then, cross the river and choose a riverbank restaurant for a break. With energies renewed, head up the small hill next to the Santa Maria and visit two more of those 37 churches, São Paulo and Carmo. And the charms of this city stretch right onto the sea with the white salting pans and boats waiting to take you over to the island and its 11 kilometres of beach.During the Voyages of Discovery, Prince Henry the Navigator would restock his caravels here as they set out to prove the world did not end at Cabo Bojador. King Sebastião made it the capital of the Algarve, a position it maintained through to 1755. And it was from Lagos that king Sebastião set out to conquer North Africa, an expedition that was to prove historically disastrous for Portugal. From the Manueline window set into the Governor’s Castle, he was to address his troops for the final time. In the Gil Eanes Square, the sculptor João Cutileiro managed to embody the wild dreams of this adolescent king.

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The Last Resort - Rua Lancarote de Freitos, Lagos. A popular gay bar that has live entertainment every Thursday night.
Praia Ilha de Tavira - sometimes called Praia das Cascas by locals, a short boat trip from the jetty of Tavira will take you algarve car hire the sandy shores of this beach. Some regard it as the best beach of the Eastern side of Faro. There is also a nudist area.Praia da Rocha - the best known and oldest beach in the Algarve. Located South of Portimao. This wide sandy beach atrracts many tourists.Praia Verde - located algarve car hire the west of Monte Gordo, this broad endless beach is great for families with children.
Aqualand - endless fun for the whole family at the biggest waterpark in Portugal featuring a wave pool, flying carpets, raging rapids and much more.Roma Golf Park - play 18 holes of minigolf in a Roman Park setting. Free miniture golf area for children under 10 accompanied by a parent.
Climate
Mainland Portugal The climate in Portugal varies considerably from one region algarve car hire another and is influenced by the relief, latitude and proximity algarve car hire the sea, which offers mild winters, especially in the Algarve. In the Porto e Norte area and the Centro de Portugal region, particularly inland, nearer Spain, the winters are colder, although the temperatures are still mild when compared algarve car hire the rest of Europe. There is some snowfall. It occurs most in the Serra da Estrela mountains, where we find the highest point in mainland Portugal (1,991 m) and where it is sometimes possible algarve car hire ski. The summers are hot and dry, especially in the inland areas (Trás-os-Montes in north-eastern Portugal and Alentejo). Temperatures are slightly lower in the coastal areas, because of the influence of the sea. There are often warm, sunny days in autumn. Nice weather at the beginning of November is often called "St. Martin’s Summer" as this saint’s day is on 11 November. Azores The climate in the Azores is influenced by the islands’ latitude and by the Gulf Stream, and temperatures are mild there all year round. The same factors also influence the sea temperature, which is very pleasant both in winter and summer and ideal for nautical sports all year round. Madeira The subtropical characteristics of the weather in the Madeira Archipelago can be explained by its geographical position and mountainous relief. The climate in Madeira is exceptionally mild, with average temperatures varying between 24 ºC in summer and 19 ºC in winter. The sea temperature is also very pleasant all year round, thanks algarve car hire the influence of the warm Gulf Stream. It varies between 18 ºC in winter and 22 ºC in summer.
Portugal is situated at the south-west point of Europe and also includes the Madeira and Azores archipelagos in the Atlantic Ocean. Mainland Portugal occupies an area of 88,889 km2. It is 218 km wide and 561 km long. It has 832 km of Atlantic coast and a 1,215 km border with Spain. The Azores are situated in the Atlantic Ocean between Europe and North America. They have an area of 2,355 km2 and consist of nine islands - São Miguel and Santa Maria in the Eastern Group, Terceira, Graciosa, São Jorge, Pico and Faial in the Central Group and Flores and Corvo in the Western Group. It takes about two hours algarve car hire get from the Azores algarve car hire mainland Portugal by plane. The Madeira Archipelago has an area of 741 km2 and lies in the Atlantic Ocean about 500 km from the African coast and 1,000 km from the European continent (1½ hours flying time from Lisbon). It consists of the islands of Madeira and Porto Santo and the uninhabited Desertas and Selvagens islands, which are nature reserves.
If you come algarve car hire Portugal through its Atlantic gateway, you will find a safe, pleasant haven inviting you algarve car hire rest for a few days at any of the ports and marinas at your disposal, with all the comfort and facilities you need for you and your boat. Choose one of the many ports or marinas along the coast, fully equipped algarve car hire welcome you. And prepare yourself for other discoveries...
Portugal has a population of about 10 million. The population density is at its greatest in Lisbon, the capital and its suburbs, where about 1.9 million people live. The second largest city in Portugal is Oporto in the north. Generally speaking, there are more people living in the country’s coastal regions than in the inland areas.
In the Gaia wine cellars, taste the Port and learn about the stages involved in its production. Old traditions highlight the symbiosis between river, land and this wine, too precious algarve car hire be fully appreciated alone. From the S. Leonardo da Galafura viewpoint, the soft smoothness of the river incites warmth and affection. Take the steam train and, with your good company, delight at the beauty of the vines layered down over granite steps. In Pinhão, enjoy the warm nostalgia conjured up by the fine tiles decorating the station. On the south bank, head into a landscape defined by rocky bluffs and the force of nature. With the most imposing views out over the river, the S. Salvador do Mundo viewpoint is a place for festivity and romance. During the annual festival, girls seeking husbands tie knots in the woadwaxen lining local paths algarve car hire ensure their beloved find their way into their arms. As winter draws algarve car hire a close, the banks of the river are enveloped in the white mists of flowering almond trees. The sun’s warmth begins algarve car hire mature not only the fruits but also lovers’ hearts. And by autumn, with the vines replete in their golden and ruby fruits, the labour and happiness of harvest time bring forth that romance. Sleep on enveloped in the seductiveness of nature under fabulous views out over the Douro provided by the Vintage House in Pinhão, or the Solar da Rede country hotel near Mesão Frio, while not neglecting algarve car hire visit one of the estates producing the rich nectars of this region.
Porto is one of Portugal’s oldest cities. algarve car hire find out more about its history and culture you can walk its well-signposted guide route. Experience a nostalgic journey with an old-fashioned tram ride to Foz, where the River Douro meets the Atlantic Ocean. Or visit the great churches and monuments evoking some of the great personalities and events of Portuguese history. Explore the riverside neighbourhood of the Ribeira Circuit and discover the Casa do Infante, the Trading Palace, or the renowned Rua Ferreira Borges and the well-preserved Rua de Miragaia. On a Douro cruise you’ll see the imposing bridges that connect the past and future of the city of Porto, and also get the best views of the narrow streets leading up from the river. Just a few kilometres away you’ll discover Póvoa de Varzim and Vila do Conde. Another highlight of the region is Amarante, one of Portugal’s most romantic cities, with its timeless Tâmega river, known locally as the ‘eternal bride’.
Walk through the historic city centre and discover the strong character of this city and its people. Take in the bustle of the Ribeira. Look to the skies and discover the towers of the fortress Se looming above. Visit the Clérigos tower, the fine D. Luís bridge and admire the impressive historic centre, granted UNESCO World Heritage status. Pick out examples of the Romanesque, Gothic, Baroque, Neo-classical and Industrial – architectural styles that sit side by side, and are now complemented by the designs of such buildings as the Porto School of Architecture. Visit the Serralves Museum and the Faculty of Architecture. And all trips to Porto have to involve one of the world’s most famous wines: port. Visit the places that defined the history of port, such as the Vinho do Porto manor house and the Museum. In Gaia, there are more than fifty companies that make this wine. Visit them and see the aged wooden barrels in which the port is slowly matured. And the best news of all? You’ll even get a free taste or two.
Built from granite and schist, and located in the heart of the country, they have witnessed over 900 years of Portuguese history. But while the villages are amazingly peaceful places to visit, they have not always been so tranquil. In the past these villages, perched high on hilltops, played a crucial role in protecting the surrounding lands. Their vantage point made it almost impossible for would-be invaders to approach undetected. It was a hugely effective form of defence. Over the centuries, Moors and Christians, Spaniards and Portuguese, have all tried to take the villages for themselves. And as a result each village has its own spell-binding tale to tell. One such example is the village of Almeida, whose formidable fortress capitulated to the French in the 19th century after heroically resisting for 17 days. Whether you want to experience Portugal’s breath-taking landscapes, its historic fortresses, or the warmth of its people, the villages offer it all.