Aljezur

Aljezur is split in two: the old village climbing a hill under the ruins of a castle built by the Muslim rulers of the Algarve in the tenth century and taken by the Order of Santiago in 1249 - among the last places in the Algarve to fall - and a newer settlement on the flat across the stream, laid out in the eighteenth century when a bishop tried to move the population off the malarial hillside. The castle is a walled enclosure with two towers and a cistern, free to enter, giving views over the valley to the Serra de Monchique and out towards the coast. The valley below grows sweet potatoes, which have protected status here and get their own October festival. Aljezur is the base for the western beaches - Arrifana, Monte Clérigo, Amoreira, Bordeira - and for the Rota Vicentina, and it stays modest despite that.

What you actually see

• The castle - a tenth-century Moorish enclosure with towers and a cistern, free to enter.
• The two villages - the old hillside and the eighteenth-century settlement across the stream.
• The valley - sweet potato fields with protected status and an October festival.
• The base function - access to Arrifana, Amoreira, Monte Clérigo and the Rota Vicentina.

When to go

April to October. Half a day for the village and castle. October brings the sweet potato festival.

Honest expectations

The climb to the castle is steep on cobbles. The castle is a ruin - walls and views, little else. The village is small with limited restaurants outside the season. Parking near the old village is tight.

Nearby

Praia da Arrifana and Monte Clérigo are on the coast west; Odeceixe is north.