The City

Algarve, an incorporation of 16 municipalities, is situated in the southernmost region of mainland Portugal. With an area of 5412 square kilometers, it is home to about 450 500 permanent inhabitants. It is known as one of Europe’s favourite holiday destinations because of the glorious year round sunshine, beautiful sandy beaches high quality of life and safety.

Tourism

In holiday seasons the population of Algarve peaks with a high influx of visitors, receiving about 7 million foreign tourists annually. Since the 1960’s the Algarve has been experiencing a large development and started the construction of better infrastructures such as roads, sanitation, hospitals and housing. Later it also started the construction of hotels, resorts, villas and golf courses.

Airport

The Faro International Airport is located about 2.6km west of Faro, Portugal. A total of 5.4 million passengers used the airport in 2008.

Airlines

The following airlines offer flights to and from South Africa:

• Air France (Johannesburg)
• Air Mauritius (Cape Town)
• BMI (Johannesburg, Cape Town, Bloemfontein, Durban)
• British Airways (Johannesburg, Cape Town, Bloemfontein, Durban)
• Emirates (Cape Town, Durban)
• Iberia (Johannesburg, Cape Town, Bloemfontein, Durban)
• KLM (Johannesburg)
• Lufthansa (Johannesburg, Cape Town, Bloemfontein, Durban)
• SAA (Johannesburg, Cape Town, Bloemfontein, Durban)
• Swiss Airlines (Johannesburg)
• TAP (Johannesburg, Cape Town)
• Virgin Atlantic (Johannesburg, Cape Town, Bloemfontein, Durban)

What to see / do

• Albufeira – The tourist capital
• Aqualand – Water Park
• Albufeira, Vilamoura and Quinta do Lago – Beaches for windsurfing, waterskiing, jet-skiing
• Loule Market - A market with stalls selling everything from souvenirs, shoes, clothes, watches and bags to fake designer stuff
• Parque da Mina – Theme Park
• Vila do Bispo – Beach for surfing and bodyboarding

Events

• Festival Med - A Mediterranean summer festival with music, dance and art.
• Festival do Marisco – A seafood festival
• FIESA  – An International Sand sculpture festival
• Loule Carnival - A carnival with floats and a fancy dress parade
• Saint Irene's Fair – 10 Day Festival with entertainment and exhibitions

General Info

Algarve’s mild weather is ideal for outdoor activities such as golf, tennis, horse riding and water sports. This area is not only known for its cosmopolitan nightlife, but has a wide variety of waterside restaurants serving fresh fish on a daily basis.

Weather

Algarve’s maximum temperatures fluctuate between 15 °C in winter and 31 °C in summer. Temperatures never fall below zero during the winter months.