Mexilhoeira Grande
A rural village and parish in Portimão, home to the prehistoric tombs of Alcalar and close to the Ria de Alvor wetlands.
Mexilhoeira Grande is a village and parish in the north of the Portimão municipality, with whitewashed houses and a largely agricultural landscape. Its parish church of Nossa Senhora da Assunção mixes Manueline, Renaissance and Baroque elements.
The parish is home to the Alcalar monuments, a group of megalithic burial mounds thousands of years old, and to Roman remains. Its old railway station has become an interpretation centre for the Alvor estuary, a wetland valued by birdwatchers. The village is quiet and traditional, suited to visitors interested in history and nature.