Algarve, Portugal travel info
Guide to Algarve, Portugal
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Portugal travel facts
| Area (sq km): | 91,950 | |
| Population: | 10,524,145 | |
| Nationality: | Portuguese | |
| Local Name: | Portugal | |
| Language: | Portuguese, Mirandese |
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| Time Zone: | GMT | |
| Currency: | 1 euro = 100 cents | |
| Rate: | www.xe.com | |
| Capital: | Lisbon | |
| Dialling Code: | +351 | |
| Electricity: | 220V/50Hz | |
| Internet Code: | .pt | |
| Religion: | Roman Catholic, Protestant |
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| Climate: | Mediterranean, Maritime |
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| Government: | Parliamentary Democracy | |
| Inoculations: | None | |
| Driving: | Right | |
| Int'l License: | Not Required | |
| Banking: | M-F 8.30-15.00 | |
| Major Airports: | Faro(FAO), Lisbon(LIS), Madeira(FNC), Porto(OPO) |
Algarve villas & Algarve food and wine
Delicious Algarve cuisine has noticeable rich spices and fresh ingredients, and the wine is soft and fruity. Algarve food and wine and are a Portuguese pleasure perfected over centuries that you will enjoy when you book Algarve villas through VillasPeople.com.
Eating in Algarve provides its own special experience when you choose Algarve villas. As is usual in a region blessed with a rich landscape, as well as, bountiful sea, the inland and coastal dishes are distinctly different. They make up a distinctly varied menu of food and wine in Algarve. Sample staple Algarve cuisine like cataplana and caldeirda and sip Algarve wine, usually red with fruity aromas and flavours. Of the restaurants in Algarve, Bon Bon Restaurante in Lagoa is superb!
Algarve cuisine
Seafood dishes have great variety in Algarve cuisine. Cataplana is a combination of clams, ham, sausage, onion, tomatoes, chilli, garlic and spices sauteed in wine. Arroz de Marisco is a paella-style dish, with clams, prawns, fish, rice, onions, tomatoes and peppers. Caldeirada is a fabulous fish stew found on most menus. If this is a little rich for your palate, go for grilled tuna or fried salt cod served with potatoes, olives and egg.
For inland Algarve cuisine, chicken and pork are the staples meats and true local dishes include lamb and baby goat, particularly in casseroles. In season, local game like boar, quail and pheasant are popular. Delicious roasts are made with lamb, duck and suckling pig, and spicy local sausage is ever-present.
Algarve wine & Lagos wine
When you rent Algarve villas or villas in Portugal through VillasPeople.com, you can discover four distinct wine regions in Algarve; Lagoa, Lagos, Portimao and Tavira. The Algarve wine region is known for its red wine and it produces little white wine. Algarve wines tend to be full bodied and fruity with high alcohol. The Tavira wine region is located around Faro in Central Algarve.
Portimao wine region is on the southwest coast of Algarve and is known for its full bodied reds and honey coloured whites. The wines from Penina are especially good. Lagoa wine region is in central Algarve around Albufeira and Lagoa. It is noted for brilliant aged reds and aromatic whites. It is the biggest wine area in Algarve. Lagos wine region is just west of Portimao and has fruity reds and easy drinking whites that are popular throughout Portugal.
Restaurants in Algarve
Restaurants in Algarve are known for the freshness of their ingredients. In Portimao, A Nossa Tasca serves fresh local dishes and Simsa Restaurante has a most pleasant atmosphere. Around Lagos, try the Bahia Beach Bar at Meia Praia with excellent sea views or classic and unassuming Ancora in Vila do Bispo. Bon Bon Restaurante is one of the best restaurants in Algarve found in Lagoa.
O Leao de Porches in Porches, serves eclectic international dishes in a gorgeous 17th century house. Albufeira has loads of restaurants to choose from. Some notable ones include Tasty Brasserie, Restaurante Hollandaise and Great India Tandoori. Florian Restaurante and Bistro des Z’Artes are two amazing restaurants in Almancil. Enjoy all the tasty delights of the countless and different restaurants when you book Algarve villas.