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Cacela Velha

A tiny whitewashed village on a low cliff above the Ria Formosa, with a fort, a church and a beach below.

Cacela Velha is a small village of whitewashed houses on a low sandstone hill above the eastern end of the Ria Formosa. It has Roman and Moorish roots and was taken by the Knights of Santiago in the 13th century. The fort, rebuilt after the 1755 earthquake, is not open to visitors, but the square beside it and the parish church give wide views over the lagoon towards Manta Rota and Spain.

Below the village, a boat crosses the channel to the beach on the sandbar, known as Praia de Cacela Velha or Praia da Fábrica. It is a calm place to wander and look at the view.