Description Albufeira

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Albufeira is a Portuguese city belonging to the District of Faro, region and sub-region of the Algarve, with about 31 000 inhabitants.

It is the seat of a municipality with 140.66 km² in area and 40 828 inhabitants (2011), subdivided into 4 parishes. The municipality is limited to the west and northwest by the municipality of Silves, to the northeast and east by Loulé and to the south it has a wide coastline in the Atlantic Ocean.

Due to a vibrant nightlife (bars, clubs, renowned restaurants), frequent parties and some of the most beautiful beaches in Portugal, Albufeira has become one of the largest tourist hubs in the country, standing out as a consequence as the Portuguese city with greater number of resident foreigners, with 22.5% of the permanent population having been born abroad, namely in other European countries.

The streets of the historic center, formerly Cerro da Vila, still retain the picturesque white houses, the narrow and steep streets and the charm of a Moorish arch in Travessa da Igreja Velha, where there was an old mosque and the first church in the village, although progress has transformed Albufeira into a city dedicated to tourism and leisure.

In boats that dry on the beach, painted in strong colors that contrast with the blue of the sea, fishermen, oblivious to tourists sunbathing in the sun, continue, as for millennia, their task of preparing the nets.

A pedestrian path along the seafront along the promenade offers magnificent views of the city, beaches and rock formations, ending in the beautiful Xorino cave, which, according to tradition, was a refuge for the Moors, when the town was reconquered in the 19th century. XIII (1240).