Silves

When Silves was the Moorish capital of the Algarve, this castle served as an administrative base for the rest of the Algarve. It is of Muslim origin, being formed by rammed earth walls and thick towers. It is the best preserved of its kind in Portugal, with a cistern with a vaulted ceiling and five round arches in the centre.

Standing next to the castle, you can see numerous pieces found in archaeological excavations throughout the city. Inside the museum you can see an old cistern, among other structures in the old Muslim city.

It was built at the end of the Middle Ages. The church had many construction campaigns, which changed its appearance. The façade is flanked by two bell towers. The interior has three naves. The transept is covered by a warhead vault.

The largest festival of sand sculptures in the world, has been held regularly and annually since 2003 in Pêra. Every year, around 60 artists use 35,000 tons of sand to create various works of art in an area of . The event is open to the public in the evening, where night lights provide a completely different view of the event. That is accompanied with circus arts, dance, theatre and live music.