The Arabs rightly named Albufeira Castle of the Sea, Al-Bhuera, whilst centuries before the Romans called it Ballum. When Albufeira was visited in the XVI Century by king, Sebastian the Desired, it boasted a fort and walls of defence against the English and french corsairs, then the scourge of the Algarve coast.

Still retaining the character of a fishing village, Albufeira is today renowned as a lively pleasure resort. The winding streets of the old town lead to the Praça da República, the cosmopolitan centre. The harbour walls offer a panorama of the white houses tumbling down the cliff to the sea.