Monchique Holidays

This market town in the mountains of the northwest Algarve is home to narrow, cobbled streets lined with whitewashed houses. It’s the kind of place where you can kick back on a bench in the square and enjoy the views. It comes as no surprise that Monchique is known as the garden of the Algarve – surrounding the town you’ve got olive and eucalyptus trees that date back centuries.

The town has a free open-air swimming pool in summer, but it’s a 20-minute drive to the nearest beach, Praia de Amoreira. It’s a real beauty, with sweeping golden sands, rock pools and acres of space. You get some big waves, which make it ideal for surfing and bodyboarding. And when you want drinks and snacks, you’ve got two excellent beach bars at either end of the sands.

You’re half an hour’s drive from Silves here, one of the Algarve’s prettiest towns. The biggest attraction is the well-preserved Castelo de Silves, which, along with the cathedral, sits up on a hilltop above town. There’s also a landscaped central square, complete with gardens. Alternatively, you can take a stroll along the river, past the orange and lemon groves.