Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
To get to Spain, you must head to Huelva (€15, one hour, two daily), and connect there
to Seville (total fare from Vila Real de Santo António €17, 3½ hours).
TRAIN
Trains to Lagos (€9.15, 3¾ hours, nine daily) require changes at Faro and/or Tunes. There
are regular train services to Faro (€3.15, 45 minutes, hourly).
TOP OF CHAPTER
Castro Marim
POP 3100
Slumbering in the shadows of a 14th-century castle, Castro Marim is a picturesque village
that sees few foreign visitors, but deserves to see more. It has a quaint, tree-shaded centre,
several restaurants and impressive fortifications. These afford views across salt pans, the
bridge to Spain, and the marshes of the Reserva Natural do Sapal de Castro Marim, which
is famous for its flamingos. For walkers, there are some good trails around the area. It's
3km north of Vila Real de Santo António.
WORTH A TRIP
ALMANCIL
It's worth making a detour to Almancil, 13km northwest of Faro and about 6km south of Loulé, to visit the mar-
vellous
Igreja de São Lourenço de Matos
(Church of St Lourenço) . The church was built on the site of a ruined
chapel after local people, while digging a well, had implored the saint for help and then struck water.
The resulting baroque masterpiece, which was built by fraternal master-team Antão and Manuel Borges, is
smothered in
azulejos
- even the ceiling is covered in them. The walls depict scenes from the life of the saint. In
the earthquake of 1755, only five tiles fell from the roof.
Buses between Albufeira (40 minutes) and Loulé (15 minutes) stop here.
Sights
Castelo & Around
(adult/child €1/.50; 9am-7pm Apr-Oct, 9am-5pm Nov-Mar)
In the 13th century, Dom Afonso III built
Castro Marim's castle on the site of Roman and Moorish fortifications in a dramatic and
strategic position for spying on the Spanish frontier. In 1319 it became the first headquar-
ters of the religious military order known as the Order of Christ, the new version of the
HISTORIC SITE
