Loulé's most impressive piece of architectural heritage is its art-nouveau market, a 1908 revivalist neo-Arab confection with four cupolas at the four corners and Moorish features picked out in raspberry-red against cream-coloured walls. Inside you'll find a fish market, cheap cafes and local produce such as orange-blossom honey, fig 'cheese' (not cheese at all) and Cliff Richard's Algarve-produced wine.
Mercado Municipal
The Algarve
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
22.47 MILES
One of the Algarve's – and Portugal's – most emblematic sights, this huge natural seaside cave has a hole in its ceiling through which streaming sunlit…
9.89 MILES
The centrepiece of the Cidade Velha, the sé was completed in 1251 but heavily damaged in the 1755 earthquake. What you see now is a variety of Renaissance…
Igreja de Nossa Senhora do Carmo & Capela dos Ossos
9.49 MILES
One of the Algarve's most dazzling churches, this twin-towered baroque masterpiece was completed in 1719 under João V. After the 1755 earthquake, its…
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23.25 MILES
This russet-coloured, Lego-like castle – originally occupied in the Visigothic period – has great views over the town and surrounding countryside. What…
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Igreja de São Lourenço de Matos
3.97 MILES
This baroque masterpiece was built on the site of a ruined chapel after locals, while digging a well, implored Saint Lawrence for help and then struck…
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23.27 MILES
Just below the castle is the sé, built in 1189 on the site of an earlier mosque, then rebuilt after the 1249 Reconquista and subsequently restored several…
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28.29 MILES
Housed in a 19th-century fish cannery, the ultramodern, award-winning Museu de Portimão is the city's number-one draw. The museum focuses on three areas:…
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7.58 MILES
Encased in azulejos, this beautifully maintained museum occupies a former cork magnate’s mansion, which retains its original kitchen. It displays an ever…
Nearby The Algarve attractions
0.1 MILES
Situated opposite Loulé's castle, the mid-17th century chapel of Nossa Senhora da Conceição possesses three impressive elements: a heavily gilded baroque…
0.11 MILES
Loulé's restored castle is the setting for its municipal museum. The archaeology section's homo erectus kicks things off, and via dusty collections of…
3. Igreja de São Lourenço de Matos
3.97 MILES
This baroque masterpiece was built on the site of a ruined chapel after locals, while digging a well, implored Saint Lawrence for help and then struck…
4.57 MILES
On the village square, this small museum has a model of a waterwheel as well as information panels (in Portuguese) on water use. There's also a tourist…
7.19 MILES
Situated 900m west of Estói, these Roman villa ruins are so large and grand they were originally thought to have been a town. The villa, inhabited from…
7.31 MILES
Within the area encompassed by what remains of Salir's ruined castle, this little museum has a glass floor above the 12th-century Moorish foundations…
7.4 MILES
Built in 1587 and renovated several times after the 1755 earthquake, this church has three naves separated by Tuscan columns, 17th-century paintings and…
8. Calçadinha de São Brás de Alportel
7.46 MILES
Constructed during Roman times, this ancient road is thought to have linked Faro (Ossonoba) with Beja (Pax Julia). It was used by mules and shepherds…