VisitAlgarve - Portal de Turismo do Algarve

Culture and Tradition

Culture and Tradition

A unique way to do, feel and celebrate!

More than just magnificent beaches and a blessed climate, the Algarve offers a rich folk heritage which is worth appreciating along with the pleasures of the sun and the sea.

Devote some time to discovering it because there are old customs, living traditions and heritage buildings which can be enjoyed throughout the year.

Algarvians across the centuries have left such a rich heritage which deserves to be explored: from the unique celebrations of festive occasions (such as Easter, Christmas or spring); to the historical buildings of ancient and recent times; to the irresistible delicacies making up the regional cuisine.

Caravel Boa Esperança

Caravel Boa Esperança

Before you board to sail to unknown seas, like our navigators did in the sixteenth century, it’s good to know that the vessel you are going ...

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The Mediterranean Diet

The Mediterranean Diet

Influenced by various civilisations and different levels of knowledge and practices, from the most traditional to the most cutting-edge, the ...

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Popular and religious festivals

Popular and religious ...

When the almond trees burst into bloom, Carnival time brings decorated floats and parades across most of the Algarve. Loulé, in ...

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Typical Houses

Typical Houses

The most obvious symbol of traditional architecture in the Algarve is undoubtedly the chimney, which translated house owners’ individuality ...

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Arts and crafts

Arts and crafts

All across the region, you will find artisans who make blankets, table runners, tablecloths, fine linen and rugs, using traditional materials and ...

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The Language of the Algarve

The Language of the ...

As is the case in other regions of Portugal, in the Algarve too the sayings, expressions and accents show marked differences from standard ...

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Folk music

Folk music

The corridinho, the baile de roda and the baile mandado are danced in pairs and are directed by the mandador. The origin of these dances, which ...

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Legends

Legends

In the Algarve’s legends, the Moorish maidens are either incredibly beautiful or are dangerously seductive princesses, who promise ...

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Sagres

Sagres

On the Sacrum promontory, the sailors made promises before setting off on their long voyages. Sagres had been a place of worship since the ...

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Archaeology

Archaeology

The beauty of the natural setting further enhances the megalithic monuments, which can be admired in many places across the Algarve.The ...

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Lighthouses

Lighthouses

It was in the Algarve, at Cape St Vincent, off the coast of Vila do Bispo, that Portugal’s first ever lighthouse entered service in 1515. ...

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Churches and chapels

Churches and chapels

In 1266, work began to build Silves Cathedral on the site of a former mosque. The cathedral is built in Gothic style and the high altar was ...

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Museums

Museums

In Faro, the Municipal Museum is housed in the Convent of Nossa Senhora da Assunção (Our Lady of the Assumption), in the historical ...

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Castles and Fortresses

Castles and Fortresses

Standing out on the west coast of the Algarve is Aljezur Castle, an Arab military construction dating from the tenth century and consisting of ...

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Cultural Routes

Cultural Routes

THE WAY OF ST. JAMESThe origin of the Way of St. James as a pilgrimage route, with the aim of venerating the remains of the apostle St. James the ...

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Guide to the Cultural Heritage of the Algarve

Guide to the Cultural Heritage of the Algarve

Holidays in the Algarve are about heritage and culture too.