Top choice in Monchique
High up in the hills, this local secret has dining rooms with crackling open fires, farming implements and black-and-white photos, and a magical garden with tables amid the olive and cork trees. Daily specials cooked in the wood-fired oven or over coals might include cabrito assado (roast baby goat), ensopado de borrego (lamb stew) or pezinhos de porco (pigs' trotters).
There's a children's play area in the olive groves.
17.6 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…
11.11 MILES
This russet-coloured, Lego-like castle – originally occupied in the Visigothic period – has great views over the town and surrounding countryside. What…
17.16 MILES
Protruding 2.5km south of Lagos, Ponta da Piedade is a dramatic wedge of headland with contorted, polychrome sandstone cliffs and towers, complete with a…
11.13 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…
12.82 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:…
18.23 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…
27.56 MILES
One of the Algarve's most impressive beaches is this 6km-long strip of sand backed by stunning cliffs in several shades of ochre. Starting 8.5km east of…
Museu Municipal de Arqueologia
11.17 MILES
Built tight against the defensive walls, this archaeological museum has a mix of interesting finds from the town and around. The modern building was…
0.63 MILES
Dating from the 15th century and extensively restored after the 1755 earthquake, Monchique's church has an extraordinary, star-shaped Manueline porch…
1.67 MILES
The 902m Fóia peak, 5.5km west of Monchique, is the Algarve’s highest. The road to the summit climbs through eucalyptus and pine trees and opens up views…
3. Casa da Cultura Islâmica e Mediterrânica
10.86 MILES
Built with an art nouveau flourish in 1914, this wonderfully restored neo-Moorish cultural centre 600m west of the centre hosts occasional exhibitions,…
11.11 MILES
This russet-coloured, Lego-like castle – originally occupied in the Visigothic period – has great views over the town and surrounding countryside. What…
11.12 MILES
The exterior of the 16th-century Igreja da Misericórdia is plain apart from its distinctive, fanciful Manueline doorway hanging well above street level …
11.13 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…
7. Centro de Interpretaçao do Património Islâmico
11.16 MILES
This interpretative centre promotes the network of Islamic routes through Portugal, Spain and Morocco, with a small but interesting exhibition on…
8. Museu Municipal de Arqueologia
11.17 MILES
Built tight against the defensive walls, this archaeological museum has a mix of interesting finds from the town and around. The modern building was…