Environment
Albufeira is located in the south of Portugal - in the region of Algarve. Here you will find 205 km of
coastline with the finest golden sandy beaches along the Atlantic Ocean.
Crystal clear waters, clear blue skies and vivid green grass - a paradise for all kinds of watersports.
Algarve is, above all, most famous for it's championship golf courses - some of the worlds best ranked golfcourses lies in Algarve.
Some distances of interest
The closest airport is Faro Internationale Airport, located 30 km away.
It is 40 km to the mountains and more than 50 km to the nearest river.
In Portugal the Atlantic Ocean is always "close by" - distances from estern inland border will
maximum be a two hour drive. The closest beach is less than 1 km away.
Climate : Ocean clima with nice hot humid summers and with a cool breeze from the sea in wintertime Town character : Leasure Primary Industry : Tourism
Population in Albufeira: 19.500 inhabitants. In Faro municipality: around 35.000 inhabitants.
Tourism and commerce are the main activities in Albufeira. The city is an ideal tourist-resort which offers something for everyone: a haven for sunbathers as well as full of historic attractions. Albufeira offers excellent leisure facilities with its numerous watersports and excellent golf courses.
The frenetic summer season now extends into the rest of the year, and the population expands to an estimated 300,000 in the summer and New Year's. Albufeira is one of the leading tourist resorts of the region, famous for its spectacularly beautiful beaches, colourful rocks and cliffs. Facilities include a marina, golf courses and innumerable hotels, restaurants and bars. A further addition to the town is a new Virtual Archaeological Museum.
The architecture of the town ranges from typically Algarvian narrow streets with pale white and sometimes tiled houses, to modern tourist developments. The apartments near the newly built Marina are a collorful sight with a unique mix of pinks, blues and yellows - called "Legoland" by the locals.
Albufeira also has archaeological sites - dating back to the Bronze Age. The Romans were the first settlers in Albufeira, followed by the Moors (who called it "Al Buhera"="The lagoon"). The Christian occupied the town in 1190.
In 1532 and in 1755 the town was badly hit by earthquakes. The 1755 earthquake whitch was followed by a tsunami destroyed the towns castle, established by the Moors. Most of the old parts of the town luckily survived and are carefully mantained.
There are a fine selection of good beaches in and around the town. Praia de Balaia, Praia de Castelo, Praia de Falésia, Praia de Galé, de Olhos d'Agua, Praia de Maria Luisa, and Praia de São Rafael, being the principal ones. Albufeira is also a good base to explore the regions many smaller and less well known beaches.
Albufeira has a lively and social nightlife; once the sun sets the centre of the town comes alive with bars, restaurants and shops. Nearby, in Vilamoura, you will find a casino.
Golf in Albufeira Albufeira has three main golf courses: the Balaia, Salgados and Pine Cliffs Golf - offering some of the finest golf in Europe!
The Pine Cliffs Golf Course is one of the country's most original golf courses, built in a pine wood at the edge of spectacular cliffs, overlooking the Atlantic and beautiful beaches.
Salgados Golf Course is a "picture postcard" - different to other golf courses in the Algarve. The variety of lakes make this a very interesting course to test your golfing skills!
Wine from the region of Algarve
Portugal produces some of the world's finest, oldest, unique and highest value-added wines.
The country has a large variety of native breeds - about 285 - producing a very wide
variety of different wines with distinctive personality.
