Alvor
A former fishing village by the Ria de Alvor estuary, with a long dune beach, boardwalks and good birdwatching.
Alvor is a coastal village in the Portimão municipality, at the edge of the Ria de Alvor, an estuary of salt marsh and sandbanks protected as a Natura 2000 site. Its old centre has a 16th-century parish church with Manueline features and the remains of a castle wall.
A wide sandy beach stretches along the coast, backed by dunes crossed by wooden boardwalks. The estuary is a favourite with birdwatchers, and walking trails follow its shores. Alvor keeps some of its fishing-village character, with a waterfront facing the boats, and makes a relaxed base between Lagos and Portimão.
