Olhao
The Algarve's largest fishing port, with cubist flat-roofed architecture, outstanding waterfront markets and ferries to the Ria Formosa islands.
Olhao is the Algarve's largest fishing port and one of its most characterful towns. With a population of around 45,000, it sits on the Ria Formosa lagoon eight kilometres east of Faro, its economy still substantially tied to the sea. The town's centre is built in a distinctive cubist style: flat-roofed white houses with external staircases, rooftop terraces and geometric forms that reflect North African building traditions. These architectural features were brought back by fishermen who traded across the Strait of Gibraltar with Morocco and Tunisia, and they give Olhao a visual character unlike any other town in the Algarve.
The waterfront market halls are the focal point of Olhao and among the finest in Portugal. Two separate buildings, one for fish and one for fruit, vegetables and meat, sit on the quayside with views across the lagoon. The fish market operates from early morning, when the day's catch is auctioned and then sold to the public from marble-topped stalls. Species vary with the season: sardines and mackerel dominate in summer, while winter brings sole, sea bass and the prized percebes (goose barnacles) harvested from the rocky coast. The produce market opposite sells oranges from the groves around Silves, almonds, figs, locally made cheeses and the Algarve's characteristic almond and fig confections.
From the quayside behind the markets, ferries cross the lagoon to the barrier islands of Armona and Culatra. Ilha da Armona has a small community of fishermen's cottages and a long beach facing the open Atlantic. Ilha da Culatra is larger, with a permanent population of several hundred in two settlements, Culatra village and the hamlet of Farol, which sits beside the lighthouse at the island's western tip. These islands are car-free, reached only by boat, and their beaches are among the quietest and most beautiful in the Algarve, stretching for kilometres of virtually empty sand.
Olhao played an unlikely role in Portuguese history. In 1808, during the Peninsular War, a group of local fishermen sailed a small open boat, the caique Bom Sucesso, from Olhao to Rio de Janeiro, then the seat of the Portuguese court, to inform the exiled king that the town had risen against the French occupation. The journey took 16 days. The event is commemorated annually on 16 June, a local holiday, and the Igreja Matriz, the parish church on the waterfront, bears a plaque marking the feat.
The town has a year-round working atmosphere that distinguishes it from the resort towns. The annual Festival do Marisco, a seafood festival held in August on the waterfront, draws visitors from across the region for five days of shellfish, grilled fish, music and local wine. Olhao is connected to Faro by a regular bus service and by the coastal railway, with trains running roughly every hour. The town is increasingly popular with foreign residents drawn by its authenticity, lower property prices compared to the coast and direct access to the Ria Formosa.
Highlights
- Waterfront fish and produce markets, among the finest in Portugal
- Ferries to the car-free barrier islands of Armona and Culatra
- Cubist flat-roofed architecture reflecting North African building traditions