Porches

 

Porches

Where is it ? Porches lies about 50 Kilometres west of Faro Airport. Approximately 50 minutes journey by car

How Big is it ? The town of Porches is a small sleepy place. The resort area is called Senhora da Rocha and this part is specifically built up with holidays apartments and villas

Who goes there ? The resort area of Senhora da Rocha is located beside Armacao da Pera and is a popular places with families

What about food and accommodation ?  The village itself has little in the way of accommodation apart from some small guest rooms. Nearby in Senhora da Rosa and Armacao da Pera there are plenty of resort hotels and a good selection of restaurants and fast food places.

 

Many of the houses in Porches are painted white, adding to its rural charm and character. As well as being a pretty rural Algarve holiday base, Porches is most renowned for its pottery and ceramics. Many a daytripper heads up here to the Pottery factory to purchase the delightful and distinctive blue, green and turquoise pottery made here.

If you’re looking for a good base from which to explore the main wine region on the Algarve – Lagoa and its vineyards, then Porches will do just fine. Not as prevalent now as in the past, many of the vineyards around Lagoa have closed. Vineyard owners found it more lucrative to sell off the land mostly for holiday homes and villas! It’s a turnaround from the once thriving co-operative here run for and by vineyard owners.

Some Algarve wines are still produced in this area however, specifically full bodied reds. Historic attractions in Lagoa include the Igreja de Misericordia church dating from the mid-18th century and the Convento do Sao Jose built in 1713 (buildings that survived the 1755 earthquake are of interest just for that fact!)

Every August Lagoa becomes a hive of activity revolving around the Fatacil – a rural produce fair. Well worth a visit during this period, you’ll find products from all over Portugal sold here in Lagoa during this summer month. Lots of live music, general celebrations and nightly entertainment too. Checkout the flea market in Lagoa on the 14th of every month.

The beach at Senhora da Rossa is flanked by cliffs and provides shelter from winds in the off-season

The nearest tourist office is in Armacao da Pera

Armação de Pêra Tourist Information Office
Avenida Marginal
Armação de Pêra
Portugal
Phone: 351- 282 312 145

WEB:  http://www.visitalgarve.pt/