Alte Around Albufeira – A Delicacy For The Tourist

An elegant town, Alte is easily found in the Algarve region in the south of Portugal just northeast of Albufeira. It rests at the foot of the hills, curled up and cozy, huddling around its parish church, The Lady of the Assumption going back to the 16th century very well decorated with lovely tiles. On the interior in the chapel, the tiles, which are considered the best in all Algarve, are from Sevilla in origen from the 16th c., too. Alte, is perhaps, one of the town of characteristic conditions in the province, with its delicate chimneys, finished off in white, its simple houses hidden in coves or canyons and its eternal serenity.

A nearby stream, where people go to collect water, has converted this area in somewhat of an oasis in middle of an arid place. It is an exuberant garden of azaleas, fig trees and rose bushes. The panel of blue and white tiles which surround the Fountain da Bicas have poems written by Candido Guerreiro on them. This is a perfect place to go for leisurely strolls, for a field picnic or to ride on the back of a donkey, climbing up to the Pena ( peak ), where you can visit the Cave of the Moors. A little further up, the Rocha dos Soidos, a cave with beautiful calcium formations is still visible.

But as always, we must not limit our holidays to only one town or city, but to fully enjoy the surroundings. Not far from Alte, heading towards Lagos, the countryside changes drastically as we get near Salema. Having rent a car, all these side trips can be more memorable because we can travel as we please and stick our nose were we shouldn’t.  Salema, a tourist city has an enchanting chapel called Our Lady of Guadalupe from the 13th c. which is believed to have been built by the Templars Order.

Being as the Algarve area is used to having tourist, when you travel there are a lot of hotels, rural houses and Pousadas, that you can reach with you rent a car. When you fly into the Faro International Airport on your economical flights, you will be able to arrive at Alte, Portugal in less than 45 minutes. In and around this city there are fantastic hotels, or as mentioned before, rural houses or pousadas overlooking fertile valleys with outstanding views and sunsets. Can you imagine spending your holidays in a cottage, viewing the city of Alte from your paradisaical retreat? Either hotels or other accommodations are usually accompanied by terraced gardens where you can have your midday meals and then in the evening venture up to a roof terrace to enjoy an intimate evening supper with superb sights.

Lisbon, even though it is further away, should not be left without seeing. From Alte to Lisbon the highway is a fairly good one, and as you are making your way to Lisbon, you may stop at other undiscovered places to have typical meals and search for the hand-made wares that the Alte in the Algarve region is so well known for.