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In its history, Albufeira was a thriving seaport and had its own castle that was later destroyed in the earthquake of 1755. Happily, most of the older parts of the town that survived have been carefully maintained. In the Roman times it was know as Baltum that then was later changed by the Moors to Al-Buhera. During the Moors 8th Century occupation the town it was to become an important trading port. In 1532 and in 1755 the place was badly hit by earthquakes, and in the later 227 people unluckily perished under the falling roof inside the parish church. During the "War of the Miguels" the town was besieged and set ablaze. The destroyed town consequently suffered a very long period of poverty and has only really now recovered with the boom of tourism.

As a result of the tide of tourism this once upon a time fishing village has expanded since the 1960s into a major holiday resort and now has over 12,000 permanent residents. The centre of the town changes its character after the sunsets. A plentiful collection of bars, restaurants and clubs start to fill-up with the tourist until they over spill into the narrow streets. There is a good selection of good beaches which run both to the east and west from the town. Praia de Balaia, Praia de Castelo, Praia de Falésia, Praia de Galé, Praia de Olho d’Agua, Praia de Maria Luisa, and Praia de São Rafael, being the main ones. There is a small museum of 15th and 17th century Ming ceramics and a Municipal art gallery that holds regular exhibitions during the season. A new Marina is at present being constructed on the west side of the town.

Other places near to Albufeira are Armacao de Pera, Boliqueime, Guia and Paderne with its ruined castle (Castelo de Paderne) perched on an isolated hill some distance from the village. 

Local Towns to Visit:

Faro: 
The biggest town in southern Portugal. Capital of the Algarve, which has a Museum, Cathedral and Marina.

Albufeira: 
Very popular holiday spot and is the Algarve’s largest resort. Albufeira has many museums to visit also.

Loule: 
Pleasant inland town renowned for its traditional handicrafts, splendid Sunday market and Museum.

Silves: 
Is known for its citrus fruits and cork production. Silves has plenty of cultural sights to see including a Castle, Museum and Cathedral.

Lagos: 
A lively, colourful and cheerful resort. Attracts predominantly young crowds and is very cosmopolitan. Sights include Churches and Museums. Other places near to Albufeira are Armação de Pera, Boliqueime, Guia and Paderne with its ruined castle perched on an isolated hill some distance from the village. At Ponte Grande there are impressive caverns with large arches and the underwater caverns of Grutas do Xorino cave, where it's thought Moors took refuge in the 13th Century when Albufeira was under siege by Christians..

Monchique: 
Sometimes a welcome change from beaches and villas, Monchique is all about cobbled streets and rural sentiment, situated in the mountains.

Golf courses
Diving courses
Albufeira tourism board
Portugal tourism board

Zoomarine	Located a 10 minute drive East of Albufeira, Zoomarine in a unique aquatic theme park with a firm emphasis on environmental preservation and education. The park features hundreds of fantastic animals such as: sharks, turtles, colourful exotic birds, crocodiles and a good variety of tropical fish. You can enjoy the daily live open-air shows such as the Seal & Sea Lion Show, the Tropical Bird Show, the Birds of Prey Show and the Dolphin Show at Zoomarine, Portugal. Zoomarine also runs an extremely popular "interaction swim with dolphins" programme, where visitors over 8 years old are allowed to interact in the water with trained bottlenose dolphins under the supervision of specialized professionals.  Zoomarine includes an aquarium museum, an amusement park, swimming pools for adults children and toddlers, a picnic area, shops and restaurants.
Aqualand	This spectacular park features some of the most challenging water slides in the Algarve.  Get ready to take the plunge, as you float through the many exciting twists and turns of  The Corkscrew, Raging Rapids, Flying Carpets, Super Surf, Rainbow Park, Crazy Leap, Banzai Boggan or the Kamikaze.
Krazy world	This is an interesting entertainment park located in Algoz (15m drive from Albufeira) with mini-golf (Krazy Golf & Jungle Golf), petting-farm, pony rides, fun fair, swimming pool, restaurant and an "Amazonian" park with crocodiles, snakes, turtles, lizards, mammals and birds. In the summer season, when temperatures soar, the park holds live shows during which the professional trainers demonstrate the power and versatility of some of the Amazon's most dangerous creatures.
Slide & Splash	Located in the Lagoa area Slide & Splash boasts numerous fun water slides.  There are lots of slides to choose from – the more adventurous Kamikaze (hang onto your swimsuit!) and Bonzai (good for racing against a friend), to the slightly less daunting plunge pools and wide lane slides. The children´s area is great - 1200 m of fun. A water spitting dragon, elephant slides, tunnel slides and wide lane slides. In the kids area the water has a maximum height of 40cm. With over 25,000m of grass areas there is plenty of room for everyone, even at the height of the season. If you’re not inclined to try the slides you can relax in the shade of a palm tree or enjoy a leisurely swim in the Olympic sized pool.
Zebra Safari	The pleasure of being off road, crossing small rivers old tracks or just swimming and relaxing near lakes and rivers, probably will make this day the most memorable of your holiday. The 4x4 tours.

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