Albufeira is a city and a community (about 22,800 inhabitants) in the same-named county.
Coordinates: 37° 5′ N, 8° 16′ W
Albufeira is well signposted and und is situated southwest of the highway junction A22 (Rua de Infante) and the A2 (IP1) towards Lisbon.
The history of the town is over 2,000 years old. The Romans called it Baltum, the Moors Al-buhaira. The place was meant to be impregnable because of its position on the rock.
The earthquake of 1755 destroyed the town nearly entirely and the ensuing Tsunami, with a height of about 11 m, completed the devastation.
During the civil war-like conflicts in the year 1823 between the Liberals and the royalists of the town, Albufeira was burnt to the ground and many inhabitants were killed. With very few exceptions nothing from the old town has survived.
View over the port entrance, the bay, the beaches and Albufeira from southwest. The viewpoint is on the eastern point of the hill which separates the Atlantic and the harbour from each other.
The town offers hotels, resorts, town houses and apartments in different categories as well as numerous leisure opportunities for all age groups.
View onto Albufeira and its old town. During the last years the former traffic chaos has been mostly eliminated by means of refurbishments and a car park in direct vicinity.
A part of the pedestrian zone is reserved for bars and clubs. Here is always something going on, especially in the summer months.
Last remains of the historic town wall. Many irreplaceable buildings have been destroyed by natural catastrophes and/or by conflicts.
The pedestrian zone with many shops, restaurants, snackbars, bistros and cafés.
East of the old town the drops of the coast are spanned with open-air escalators.
The bullring in Albufeira. The fights are far less bloody than with the Spanish neighbours. The “touros” (bulls) survive the fight.