Monchique
A mountain spa town in the forested Serra de Monchique, known for thermal springs, medronho spirit and the 902-metre peak of Foia.
Monchique sits at around 450 metres altitude in the forested hills of the Serra de Monchique, the highest range in the Algarve. The town has a population of roughly 6,000 and an atmosphere entirely different from the coast below. The air is cooler, scented with eucalyptus and pine, and the surrounding landscape of chestnut, cork oak and arbutus woodland feels more like northern Portugal than the Mediterranean south. On clear days, the view from the summit of Foia, the range's highest point at 902 metres and the highest in the entire Algarve, extends south to the coast and north into the Alentejo plains.
The town itself is an unremarkable collection of houses built on a steep hillside, but its setting in a green, well-watered valley gives it a pleasant character. The Igreja Matriz, the parish church, dates from the 16th century and has an unusual Manueline doorway with knotted rope carvings. The surrounding streets hold a handful of restaurants specialising in mountain food: presunto (cured ham), wild boar stew, roast chicken piri-piri and the locally produced honey and chestnut cakes that are sold from small shops and roadside stalls.
Caldas de Monchique, three kilometres below the town in a steep, wooded valley, is the principal attraction. Thermal springs here have been used since at least the Roman period, and the waters, emerging at 32 degrees Celsius and rich in bicarbonate and fluoride, are prescribed for muscular, respiratory and digestive complaints. The spa complex, rebuilt and expanded over the centuries, occupies a shaded site beside a stream, surrounded by old cork oaks and plane trees. A small square with cafes and shops, a bottling plant for the Monchique mineral water brand and a handful of guesthouses complete the settlement. The atmosphere is gentle and restorative, a world away from the beach bars 30 kilometres south.
Medronho production is central to the identity of the serra. The strawberry tree, Arbutus unedo, grows wild across the Monchique hills, fruiting in late autumn with small red and orange berries. These are collected by hand, fermented in barrels and then distilled in copper pot stills over wood fires in a process that has changed little in centuries. The resulting spirit, clear and potent at around 48 per cent alcohol, is fiery and aromatic. Each producer's medronho tastes slightly different depending on the altitude and aspect of the trees, the fermentation time and the still used. Small-scale medronho is sold at farm gates and markets, while several producers have developed branded bottles for wider distribution.
The Serra de Monchique supports significant wildlife. Bonelli's eagles and eagle owls hunt the valleys, azure-winged magpies are common in the open woodland, and wild boar roam the cork forests. The Via Algarviana long-distance trail passes through the municipality. Monchique is reached by a winding road from Portimao, roughly 25 kilometres and 30 minutes, and a less-used road from Silves to the east. Public transport is limited to an infrequent bus service.
Highlights
- Caldas de Monchique thermal springs in a forested valley, used since Roman times
- Foia summit at 902 metres, the highest point in the Algarve, with panoramic views
- Traditional medronho spirit distilled from strawberry tree fruit in copper pot stills