Museu Municipal de Arqueologia de Loulé (Rua D. Paio Peres Correira 17, Loulé) – located about 20 km northwest of Faro (via Route N125), this museum is housed in two rooms of the former governor’s residence, dating back to the 14th century which abut onto the city wall. It displays a collection of archaeological finds […]
Museu e Centro Arqueológico do Cerro da Vila (Vilamoura) – this archeological center evolves around the remains of a Roman villa found near the Algarve town of Vilamoura. Archaeological finds have shown that the villa was inhabited during the Roman, Visigoth and Arab periods (1st century B.C. until the 11th century A.D.). Key features include […]
Museu Municipal de Arqueologia de Albufeira (Praça da República 1, Albufeira) – this museum displays artifacts found in the Albufeira area from various historic periods (ranging from the pre-historic times, to Roman Period, Islamic Period, and Modern Age. Significant artifacts include objects from the Villa Romana da Retorta, necropolis of Morgado da Lameira and the […]
Museu Calouste Gulbenkian (Avenida Berna 45A, Lisbon) – this museum, established by Armenian businessman and philanthropist Calouste Sarkis Gulbenkian (who passed away in 1955) has a collection of both ancient and modern art. Works there ranged from Ancient Egyptian, Greco-Roman, Mesopotamian, Persian, Armenian, and Far Eastern art, to paintings from famed artists like Rubens, Rembrandt, […]
Lisbon Oceanarium (Oceanário de Lisboa, Esplanada D. Carlos I, Lisbon) – this is the largest indoor aquarium in Europe. Located in the Parque das Nações (the exhibition grounds for Expo ’98), the Oceanarium has a large collection of marine species (from fish to mammals, birds, and other marine organisms) – totaling some 16,000 individuals of […]
Electricity Museum (Avenida Brasília, Central Tejo, Lisbon) — this museum, housed in a building that was a power plant in the early 1900s, explains to visitors the evolution of energy, and also hosts diverse temporary exhibitions (photography, painting, sculpture) in its vast interior. The Museum is part of the country’s power company, EDP (Energias de […]
Castle of Silves (Rua do Castelo, 8300-117 Silves/Algarve) – located 63 km. west of Faro, this castle is a 50 minute drive (via highway A22). This site originally had a Roma-era castle that was greatly expanded into its present form by the Moors between the 8th and 13th century (when Christian forces under the command […]
Castle of São Jorge (Rua de Santa Cruz do Castelo, Lisbon) – this castle, which overlooks the historic center of Lisbon, was originally built by the Moors during the 10th century, only to be overpowered by Christian forces commanded by Afonso I (the first King of Portugal) in 1147, as part of the Siege of […]
Castle of Alvor (Faro) – located an hour’s drive west of Faro, this castle was originally a smaller fort built over the remains of fortifications erected by Phoenicians, Greeks, and Carthagians that passed though that part of Portugal during their respective historic periods. The castle was used by the Moors, only to be destroyed by […]
Castle of Almourol (Ilhota do Rio Tejo, Praia do Ribatejo, Almourol, Vila Nova da Barquinha) – located about 1 ½ hours northeast of Lisbon via car (Highway A1) this castle, once the location of a similar castle built during the Roman Empre, was built by the Knights Templar during the Portuguese Reconquista (1171 AD). After […]