The Algarve is the name of the area that forms the southern coast of Portugal on the Atlantic Ocean
The Algarve is hilly with rich valleys. The Algarve has several cities and towns: Faro, Albufeira, Lagoa, Lagos, Loulé, Olhão, Portimão, Quarteira, Silves, Tavira, and Vila Real de Santo António. It also includes some islands and islets. The region is also the home of the Ria Formosa lagoon, a nature reserve of over 170 square kilometres and a stopping place for hundreds of different birds.
The length of coastline is just under 100 miles. Beyond the westernmost point of Cape St. Vincent it stretches a further 30 miles to the north. The coastline is notable for picturesque limestone caves and grottoes, particularly around Lagos. There are many other beautiful and famous summer places such as Albufeira, Vilamoura, Praia da Rocha, Lagos, Armação de Pêra, Alvor, Monte Gordo, Tavira, and Sagres.
Well-known beaches in the Algarve range from Praia da Marinha to Armação de Pêra. A well known spa town is Caldas de Monchique.
The maximum temperatures in the Algarve fluctuate between 15 in winter and 31 in summer°C, with the temperature never usually falling below zero in the winter months. The winter of 2008/2009 was exceptionally cold and wet. Temperatures below 0C were recorded for the first time in many years.
Click the following link for detailed Algarve Weather
The Algarve is home of the Ria Formosa lagoon, a nature reserve of over 170 square kilometres and a stopping place for hundreds of different birds.
The Algarve has an international airport at Faro (FAO) with connections to many major European cities.
See the following link for more info on flights and carriers serving airports in the Algarve
The currency is the Euro.
Electricity is 220v
Reports on marinas, harbours and anchorages on the Algarve can be found in our Cruising Guide
History of the Area - The Phoenicians had established trading ports along the coast around 1000 BC. The Carthaginians founded Portus Hanibalis, known today as Portimão, around 550 BC. The Romans in the 2nd century BC spread through the Iberian Peninsula, and many Roman ruins can still be seen in the region, notably in Lagos. Roman bath complexes and fish salting tanks have been found near the shore in several locations, for example the ones near Vilamoura and Praia da Luz.
In the 5th century the Visigoths took control of the Algarve until the beginning of the Moorish invasion in 711. Faro, which the Christian residents had called Santa Maria, was renamed Faraon, which means "the settlement of the Knights." For several years, the town of Silves was the capital of the region under Moorish rule.
In the mid-12th century, the Moorish occupation ended in the region due to successful military campaigns of the Kingdom of Portugal. Under Christian domination, the "Al-Gharb" was known since then as the Kingdom of Algarve. It was not until the 13th century that the Portuguese finally secured the region against subsequent Moorish attempts to recapture the area
In the 15th century, Henry the Navigator based himself near Lagos and conducted various maritime expeditions which established Portugal as a colonial power.
