City breaks: The second largest city in the Algarve, Portimao holidays are just a little to the north of the better-known coastal holiday resort Praia da Rocha. This vibrant city shouldn’t be overlooked however, as it has lots to interest you in its own right. Being on the edge of the Arade Estuary, Portimao is also in a beautiful location along the waterfront.

Cultural holidays: As well as the famous old Fort of Santa Catarina which sits at the mouth of the estuary, there’s also a number of beautiful churches to feast your eyes upon during Portimao holidays.

Attractions in Portimao

Fort of Santa Catarina: Built in 1621 for King Phillip III (who was also King Phillip IV of Spain at the time). In its strategic position overlooking the sea, it was used to defend the town and the mouth of the river Rio Arade. Just opposite, on the other side of the opening of the estuary, you’ll see a similar fort named Fort de Sao Joao do Arade in Ferragudo.

Chapel of St Joseph: This understated, elegant church has been standing for over 200 years. It almost looks like another of the pretty whitewashed houses in the old part of Portimao town. But look closer and you’ll see the curved pediment which welcomes you into its rustic wooden interior.

Parish church of Portimao: This grand church dates back to the 15^th century, although it required extensive rebuilding due to the earthquake of 1755. The exterior has high reaching bell towers and an elaborately ornate interior that’s well worth a look during your holidays in Portimao.

Activities in Portimao

Aqualand Algarve: Located in Alcantarilha, this well-equipped water park is around 20km away from Portimao holidays. So in just a short taxi ride you could be enjoying all the exciting slides and rides like kamikaze, corkscrew and Congo River.

Alto Golf Country Club: At less than 1km away from Portimao holidays, this golf course is perfectly placed if you fancy a quick 18-hole round on your all inclusive holidays. The last course to be designed by the famed Sir Henry Cotton, the Alto boasts lush greens and winding fairways as well as the longest par 5 hole in Europe.

Golfe do Morgado: One of the newest golf courses in the Algarve, this large 980 hectare estate provides plenty of challenge to all levels of golfers. There are also free-running streams, olive trees and herb gardens to make golfing holidays here even more enjoyable.

Beaches in Portimao

Praia da Rocha: Just a little to the south of Portimao holidays, an enticing feature of this stretch of the Algarve coastline is the fact that so many of the beaches are enclosed by beautiful rock formations. This is certainly the case with Praia da Rocha (‘Rock Beach’), which has terracotta coloured cliffs and a seductive golden beach. In fact, the beach is so good the entire resort is named after it!

Praia do Vau: This spectacularly sunny cove is one of the most popular beaches on Portimao holidays. It’s largely thanks to the multi-layered tiers of rocks which encircle this particular stretch of coastline. But then, the crystalline waters are incredibly calm and shallow and there’s a whole range of restaurants nearby, so that’s clearly another advantage to holidays near Praia do Vau!

Praia do Alemao: To the west of Praia do Vau, Praia do Alemao is another beach which can count all manner of rock formations as part of its principal attraction. Children on Portimao holidays will love this beach, as there’s so much to explore, from shallow little rock pools to cool, shady caves.

Restaurants in Portimao

As Aves Restaurant & Smokehouse: Here’s a rather unusual (and rather old-fashioned) concept for a restaurant – to smoke almost everything! There’s an amazing range of tasty smoked dishes, from classic smoked salmon and mackerel, to more unconventional smoked cuts of meat such as ham, chicken and beef. It’s certainly an interesting dining experience to try during your Portimao holidays.

Jacaranda: This warm, friendly restaurant offers a particularly diverse menu, ensuring you’ll find something you’ll like. Desserts are a real speciality here, so try the home made sticky toffee pudding or the deliciously sweet pancakes.

Casa da Rocha: If you’re having your holidays in Portimao then you need to try the Portuguese cuisine at least once! Fortunately, Casa da Rocha is here to help you fulfil your wishes with tasty helpings of the country’s classic dishes like spicy peri peri chicken and flavoursome grilled sardines.

Nightlife in Portimao

Coastal nightlife: When the night time comes upon people having their holidays in Portimao, they head to Praia da Rocha! That’s simply because the nightlife there is far bigger and better. There are several bars, karaokes and cabarets within Praia da Rocha, so you’ve plenty of choice for where to go on nights out here. If you fancy a enjoying a little glamour on your holidays, head to the marina. It’s here you’ll find cool cocktail bars like Bar Capicua and loud clubs for partying until the early hours. It attracts an upmarket crowd though, so prices certainly aren’t as cheap as in the town itself. Aside from that, there’s the casino in Hotel Algarve, which is just as ideal for drinking as it is for gambling on the variety of card games! The main town street Avenida Tomas Cabreira also has a few action-packed clubs, including Babylone (which plays chart hits from every era), and Katedral (Cathedral in English) which is certainly a shrine to pumping dance music! Prices are generally pretty cheap, so even if you’re having all inclusive holidays here it’s worth venturing out to the marina’s bars.

Shopping in Portimao

Modelo Mall: This large shopping centre has almost sixty shops to choose from, spread across four levels. It’s clean, fresh, and modern inside and has a number of international brands that you’ll recognise. In fact, it’s so well equipped; it even has a food court with a Pizza Hut and a six screen cinema. The Modelo Mall makes shopping a real pleasure on your Portimao holidays.