Portimão 2nd biggest city from Algarve - The white contour of a church on a hilltop, the narrow streets of the old fishermen and tradesmen quarter, the presence of the sea and the immense beach known by the name of Praia da Rocha are some of the aspects that identify the character of this centenary city.

All that is left of medieval Portimão are a few stretches of the city walls now hidden by houses. The old town is dominated by the architecture of the late 19th and 20th centuries: houses on two storeys, with wrought iron balconies and ornate stonework around windows and doors, decorated with balustrades of stone and ceramics and walls covered with tiles.

To savour the spirit of Portimão, there is nothing better than to sit in the shade of the trees in the gardens Manuel Bívar and forget about time, to watch the fishing boats and to walk trough streets and squares that exude the ambience of an active, hard-working town which has succeeded in keeping pace with progress.

 Watch thes aerial view video of Portimão:

With the development of the fishing and canning industry in the late 19th Century Portimão became an important economic centre. Today Portimão is a busy and modern tourist place with its famous beaches Praia da Rocha and Praia da Vau and an active nightlife 

Praia da Rocha is Portimão’s main famous and pretty beach. The large popular beach stretches from the mouth of the Arade River below the Sta. Catarina fortress for many miles to the west to praia do Vau. The facilities are excellent and the beach is very busy during the summer season.

And watch the aerial view film of Praia da Rocha: