Things To Do in Portimao
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Portimao Attractions
Although it lacks great monuments and museums, Portimão is worth exploring. Just wander through its colorful streets, stopping at any sight that interests you. The once-colorful fishing boats used to unload their catch here at the port but have moved to a terminal across the river. High-rise buildings ring the area, but the core of the old town is still intact.
Try to be in Portimão for lunch. Of course, you can dine at a restaurant, but it's even more fun to walk down to the harborside, where you can find a table at one of the low-cost eateries. The specialty is chargrilled sardines, which taste like nothing you get from a can. They make an inexpensive meal accompanied by chewy, freshly baked bread; a salad; and a carafe of regional wine. If you're in town in August, stay for the Sardine Festival (dates vary), where the glory that is the Portuguese sardine is honored, lauded, and, finally, devoured.
If you'd like to go sightseeing, you can visit Ferragudo, a satellite of Portimão, 5km (3 miles) east and accessible by bridge. The beach area here is being developed rapidly but remains largely unspoiled. The sandy beach lies to the south, and kiosks rent sailboards and sell seafood from a number of waterside restaurants. In the center you can see the ruins of the Castelo de São João, which was constructed to defend Portimão from English, Spanish, and Dutch raids. There's no need to return to Portimão for lunch.
At Praia da Rocha, 3km (1 3/4 miles) south of Portimão, you can explore the ruins of the 16th-century Fortaleza de Santa Catarina, Avenida Tomás Cabreira, which was constructed for defensive purposes.
Portimao Shopping
The fishers unload their boats by tossing up wicker baskets full of freshly caught fish Monday through Saturday between 9:30 and 10:30am. Fish, fruit, and vegetable markets are held every morning (except Sun) until 2pm in the market building and open square. On the first Monday of every month, a gigantic daylong regional market sells local artifacts, pottery, wicker, and even snake oil. Boutiques offering the Algarve's best selection of sweaters, porcelain, and pottery abound.
You'll find modern, Pan-European commercialism in this once-sleepy fishing village -- most noticeably on such busy shopping streets as Rua Comerciale and Rua Vasco da Gama. Goods include hand-knit sweaters, hand-painted porcelains, and tons of pottery from factories and individual artisans throughout Portugal. Some of the best of it is available from two connected stores, Aquarius I and II (Rua Vasco da Gama 42 and 46; tel. 28/242-66-73). Look for knitwear, ceramics, pottery, leatherwear, and woodcarvings.
Portimao Nightlife
The town center has about a dozen tascas (taverns) and bodegas, but you might be happier with the glossier after-dark venues in internationally minded Praia da Rocha. Many bars and pubs, as well as the resort's casino, line Avenida Tomás Cabreira. Depending on your mood, you might enjoy popping in and out of several of them -- a ritual akin to a London pub-crawl. The most active and intriguing hangouts include Farmer's Bar, Rua António Feu (tel. 28/242-57-20), which serves wine, beer, and cocktails. It's open daily from 10am to 4am. Danceaholics and devoted night owls appreciate the shenanigans at Disco Pé de Vento, Avenida Tomás Cabreira (no phone). It gets going after midnight every night in high season and remain open until the last person staggers off the next morning. The cover charge is 10€.
Casino Praia da Rocha is on the glittering premises of the five-star Hotel Algarve Casino, Avenida Tomás Cabreira (tel. 28/240-20-00). Its gaming tables and slot machines open every night at 4pm and shut down at 3am, or later if business warrants. Its entertainment highlight is the cabaret show, featuring lots of dancers in spangles and feathers, magicians, and a master of ceremonies telling not-very-subtle jokes. Dinner, served beginning at 8:30pm, precedes the show and costs 40€. If you skip dinner, the entrance fee of 10€ includes the first drink. Showtime is 11pm. Also look for other forms of entertainment, such as live concerts or fado.
