Alvor (Portuguese: freguesia) is a city in Portimão, in the southern Algarve region of Portugal.

Get in

By car

• Use the A22 motorway and the N125 road; Alvor is only 4 km away from these roads.

By train

• The train station is in Portimão, 7 km away from Alvor.

See

• Pool Complex of Prainha
• Castle of Alvor
• 3-km boardwalk between the river and the beach. A pleasant walk.

For an enjoyable day, start at one end of the boardwalk and stroll to the other. From the Three Brothers rocks westwards to the lighthouse at the harbour entrance, spend a few hours (and clock up the steps) stopping for drinks and lunch at the cafes along the way. Stock up on water before you hit the trail.

Between the beach and the harbour, a nature reserve is home to a large variety of wildlife - fish, birds, insects, turtles - and offers nice photo opportunities.

Eat

There are many restaurants in Alvor, from Mexican and English cuisine in the newly open Amigos to seafood restaurants on the harbour such as Ababuja, you will find steakhouses, Indian, Italian and Portuguese restaurants. In the harbour, of course the best dish is the fresh from the local fishermen.

O Arco da Vehla sits adjacent to the harbour, offering traditional family style Portuguese cuisine such as grilled fish, sardines, cataplana and charcoal meat skewers.

Drink

The village has many lively bars with a friendly atmosphere among locals and holiday makers especially on a Friday and Saturday night. The Sports Bar is popular with young people, there is Karaoke in Happy Nights mosts nights through the summer, and sometimes has live bands playing. There is also a selection of Irish bars with regular live music.

Mourisco Bar serves fresh fruit cocktails with style in a relaxed and classy atmosphere.

Sleep

There are many hotels and apartments in Alvor. A short walk away from the centre you will find the large apartment complex Alvorferias, for hotels there are many under the Pestana brand, for example Dom Joao and Delfim.

• Pestana Alvor Praia, Praia dos Três Irmãos, ☏ +351 28 240 09 00, fax: +351 28 240 09 75, alvorpraia@pestana.com. 

Go next

• Portimão— The second biggest city in the Algarve, Portugal, and famous for its fresh fish restaurants, grilled sardines being the most famous dish.
• Carvoeiro— More commonly known as Praia de Carvoeiro, represents a particularly atractive option when it comes to tourism (beaches, Golf and water sports)
• Lagos— City sculped with traditional architecture and colors from the region. Beaches vary in shape and style from long sandy beaches to almost private ones hidden by cliffs.
• Albufeira— Centre of a very touristic area.
• Vilamoura— Biggest touristic complex in Europe.
• Faro— A popular destination for sun-seekers from northern Europe and the UK
• Tavira— Great city to enjoy the Ria Formosa