History & heritage
The Western Algarve wears its history lightly but everywhere. Lagos was the launch point for Portugal's great age of exploration, and its old town walls, cobbled lanes and tiled churches still tell that story. Portimao and Carvoeiro grew from fishing and canning villages, and that maritime character lingers in the harbours and whitewashed houses. Inland, near Ombria and Faro, the rhythm slows to orchards, cork oaks and hill villages where little has changed in generations. Golf itself is part of the heritage here: Penina, opened in the 1960s, helped put the Algarve on the world map, and the region has been welcoming players ever since.
