Albufeira Old Town

Albufeira Old Town sits on a bluff above the main beach, and it is the part of this busy resort that still feels like a settlement with a past. The name comes from the Arabic Al-Buhera, usually translated as the castle or lagoon of the sea, a reminder that the Moors held this stretch of coast for centuries before it passed to the Portuguese crown in the 13th century. The Romans had a settlement here before them, and fishing remained the town's livelihood into the twentieth century.

What you find today is a tight grid of lanes with calçada paving, whitewashed cube-shaped houses and doorways painted in blue and ochre, a look that visitors read as Moorish because of the flat roofs and clean white walls. Many buildings were rebuilt after the 1755 earthquake, so the old town is a layering of centuries rather than a single period. The central meeting points are the Praça Miguel Bombarda and the small squares around the parish church, with the clock tower and the municipal buildings close by.

The quickest way down to the sand is through the pedestrian tunnel cut through the rock, which brings you out onto the main beach, once a place where fishermen hauled up their boats. Pescadores Beach, the fishermen's beach, is the stretch beside it, and it is from here that small boats still go out. By day, the old town is quiet enough for a stroll and a coffee, and the shops sell ceramics, cork products, linens and the usual souvenirs. At night, the character changes. Bars and restaurants fill the lanes, there is live music in many of them, and the area becomes lively late into the evening. The big nightlife strip in the newer part of town is a short taxi ride away, so the old town tends to be the gentler of the two.

Plan your visit around the time of day. Mornings and early evenings are best for photographs, when the light catches the white walls and the sea view opens at the ends of the streets. The streets are steep and cobbled in places, so wear flat shoes. The old town is free to wander and open at all hours, as it is a public space. It suits couples, families who want a short evening stroll and anyone who wants a taste of the Algarve beyond the beach resorts. Seafood restaurants line the lanes behind the main beach, and grilled sardines, cataplana and fresh fish are the usual orders. Keep in mind that in July and August the old town is crowded, and prices rise accordingly.