Silves Castle

Silves was the capital of the Algarve under Islamic rule, when it was known as Xelb and the river below carried boats up from the coast, and the castle on the hill is what survives of that: a ring of red sandstone walls and square towers, the largest fortification in the region. Inside the enclosure the ground has been excavated rather than furnished, exposing foundations, storage pits and a deep cistern cut into the rock, with a well shaft alongside. The wall walk looks out over an orange-growing valley and a small town of red roofs stepping down to the river, crossed by an old bridge on medieval piers. The cathedral below is built from the same red stone.

History

A Lusitanian hillfort probably stood here first, and the Romans took Silves around 201 BC; the Umayyads took the Visigothic citadel around 716 and added new walls. Christians held it only briefly after 1160, Afonso III gave it a charter in 1266, the 1755 earthquake damaged the castle and walls, and excavations in 2005-2006 uncovered the 11th-century governors' palace (Wikipedia, Castle of Silves).

What to look for

• The red sandstone walls - the full circuit of towers in local grey-red stone.
• The cistern - a vaulted underground water store cut deep into the rock.
• The excavated interior - foundations and storage pits from the Islamic town.
• The wall walk - views over orange groves, the river and the cathedral roofs.

When to go

Spring, when the orange trees are in flower and the inland heat has not built - Silves sits away from the sea breeze and July regularly beats the coast by several degrees. The August medieval fair fills the whole hill and is either the reason to come or the reason to avoid it. Mornings are cooler and quieter.

Before you go

Restoration has been heavy in places and some of the brickwork reads as modern. Inside the walls it is largely bare ground and excavation, not rooms, so the visit is short. There is no shade on the ramparts. The town below is pleasant but small, and out of season much of it closes by mid-afternoon.

Nearby

The Arade river runs down to Portimao, and the Monchique hills rise twenty minutes north.

Key facts