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Car Hire in Aljezur,
Algarve
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Aljezur Information
Aljezur
- History
 Archaeological
sites confirm man's presence in the area since prehistoric
times, most notably for a period around 4,000 BC. (the
so-called "mirense" period) and during the Bronze Age. The
Romans too have left traces of their culture. Moorish rule
lasted for six centuries and ended with the Christian
reconquest of Aljezur (in around 1250). The town received
its first charter during the reign of King Dinis, in 1280.
For hundreds of years agriculture was the regions main
economic activity and its produce was at one stage shipped
to market via the port on the Aljezur creek. When silting
made the creek impracticable the road running down from the
north to Lagos was used. The earthquake of 1755 caused a
great deal of damage to the town and led to the construction
of a new settlement across from Aljezur called Igreja Nova.
This was built at the initiative of Francisco Gomes de
Avelar bishop of the Algarve, as a means of encouraging the
population not to leave the town and move elsewhere. Aljezur,
after remaining largely untouched by the 19th and early 20th
centuries, is now sharing in the social and economic renewal
of the Algarve.
Aljezur
- Description
 The
boundaries of Aljezur municipality mark out a broad
rectangle delimited by the sea and the hills, and its
landscapes reflect this dual influence.
While the coast is marked by high cliffs beneath which
huddle sandy coves and pristine dunes, the hinterland is a
place of rolling hills covered with vegetation that recede,
row upon row, as far as the eye can see. Between the two
extends a broad strip of fertile fields and valleys where
the traditional crops of vegetables, sweet potatoes and
peanuts are still grown.
 Time
spent in Aljezur municipality is thus an opportunity to
rediscover peace and tranquility, to experience a silence
broken only by singing birds or the crash of waves on the
rocks and to savour the beauty of verdant fields, gentle
slopes swathed in wild flowers and majestic cliffs with the
pounding sea as backdrop.
At the top of the hill, the castle ramparts, symbol of the
long struggle between Christians and Moors. A cascade of
white houses that almost tumble down the hillside towards
the river.
In the streets that wind down the slope from the top of the
hill crowned by the castle are houses typical of the coral
architecture of the Algarve, with the colourful borders
known as platibandas painted around windows and along the
edges of immaculate whitewashed walls. At the base of the
hill is the Fonte das Mentires (literally the Fountain of
lies), which is associated with the legend of a beautiful
Mooress and the conquest of the castle.
Aljezur
- Golf
Please visit Portugal Golf for essential golfing information.
Aljezur
- Taxi
Faro Airport Taxi > Aljezur
Aljezur
- Nearby Locations
Odeceixe - has
a long beach, cut in two by the mouth of the Seixe creek.
The resort is calm and family oriented with facilities for
visitors. There are impressive views of the sea from the
Miradouro da Ponta Branca.
Quebrada - is a narrow beach squeezed between the sea and
the cliffs. Little visited.
Samouqueira, Vale dos Homens & Carriagem - Quiet, little
frequented beaches.
Amoreira & Monte Clerigo - these two beaches lie next to
each other, separated by rocks. There are facilities for
visitors. The coast is punctuated by fascinating rock
formations, ending at Ponta da Atalaia, which means Lookout
Point.
Arrifana - a long stretch of sand sheltered by cliffs with a
picturesque fishing port. Arrifana is linked to the
historical figure of the Moorish prince and poet Ibn Caci
(12th century) who lived here as a recluse. There are ruins
of an old fort (17th century) built to defend the tuna
fishermen and their gear. At the end of the cliffs Pedra da
Agulha (literally Needle Rock) rises majestically from the
sea.
Penedo, Vale Figueiras & Canal - beaches of great beauty
that see few visitors.
Bordeira & Amado - long beaches In Bordeira stand the ruins
of a former defensive fort built to repel pirate attacks
(17th century). Near to Amado the so-called Pedra do
Cavaleiro (Knight's Rock) stands amid the waves Between the
two beaches lies the rock formation of Pontal, surrounded
bays and high cliffs.
The Costa Vicentina natural Park extends from Odeceixe to
Burgau, a broad sweep that takes in approximately 80 km of
coastline. It offers an opportunity to appreciate, in their
natural habitat, almost a hundred plants which have adapted
to life in an atmosphere laden with salt and scorched by the
sun, and thrive in environments ranging front the soft sand
of dunes to the rocky fissures and poor soils of limestone
and schist areas. For lovers of wildflowers, this is a
paradise. The region is no less rich in animal life, in
addition to foxes, wild boars, badgers, wild cats and
rabbits, birds are the great attraction of the Costa
Vicentina. More than twenty species inhabit the creeks and
wetland areas; including herons, storks, kingfishers and
water hens. The crags of the coast are home to ravens, rock
doves, pigeons, gulls, magpies and many others. Birds of
prey, such as eagles, falcons, sparrow hawks and owls share
the skies with more than thirty other bird species, such as
blackbirds, nightingales and finches.
Aljezur
- Map
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