A real slice of historic Portugal, this no-frills old-timers bar in the centre of town has a nicotine-stained interior and is so authentic you can forgive the gruff welcome. Drinks are limited to coffee, beer and house wine. Look for the vintage tiled Schweppes sign out front. Hours can fluctuate.
Snack-Bar A Velha
Olhão
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
5.34 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
5.27 MILES
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Igreja de São Lourenço de Matos
10.08 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…
9.03 MILES
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13.44 MILES
This huge white-sand beach at the island's eastern end, opposite Tavira, has operators for water sports (such as windsurfing and kitesurfing), beach bars…
5.28 MILES
Hour-long tours at this gold medal–winning olive oil producer take you around part of the 20-hectare estate showing you the five different varieties of…
8.08 MILES
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28.04 MILES
Fiesa is the world's biggest sand-sculpture contest. Artists are given 45,000 tonnes of sand to sculpt, and their truly amazing creations (up to 12m high…
Nearby Olhão attractions
1.28 MILES
Situated 2.5km east of Olhão is the beautiful 60-hectare Centro Educação Ambiental de Marim (commonly known as Quinta de Marim). A 3km trail takes you…
2. Centro Histórico Judaico de Faro
4.86 MILES
The last vestiges of the first post-Inquisition Jewish presence in Portugal are found at this small Jewish cemetery. In use between 1838 and 1932, and…
5.12 MILES
Three of the four halls at this worthwhile museum house exhibitions on rural life in the Algarve, including mock-ups of 19th-century shops and rooms, a…
5.14 MILES
The foundations of this monastery's church were laid in 1679 and it was enlarged during the 18th and 19th centuries. Behind its blinding white facade are…
5.24 MILES
You can leave the Cidade Velha (Old Town) through the medieval Arco de Repouso (Gate of Rest). Apparently Afonso III, after taking Faro from the Moors,…
6. Igreja de Nossa Senhora do Carmo & Capela dos Ossos
5.27 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…
5.28 MILES
While the exterior of this 16th-century church is unassuming, the tri-nave interior has magnificent 18th-century azulejos and intricately carved woodwork,…
5.28 MILES
Hour-long tours at this gold medal–winning olive oil producer take you around part of the 20-hectare estate showing you the five different varieties of…