Silves

Silves is a city in the Algarve. It was the capital of the nominal Kingdom of the Algarve and is of great historical importance.

Understand


Silves (SEEL-v(ih)sh, /ˈsiɫ.vɨʃ/)

In 2011, about 11,000 people lived in the main town, and 37,000 in the urban area.

The title "King of the Algarve" was adopted by the Portuguese king in 1249 as a way of affirming dominion over the region that was also claimed by the King of Castile. The kingdom, however, functioned as a province of Portugal, and did not have autonomy or separate institutions. The title was used until 1822.

Get in
The nearest airport to Silves is Faro (FAO). Flights to Faro are affordable and accessible from most major European cities, particularly the UK and Ireland. In a bid to boost winter tourism, the department of tourism has also worked hard to promote the Algarve as a popular winter destination and this has led to airlines such as Ryanair adding new routes during what is traditionally considered to be the low season.

It is also possible to fly to Lisbon or Porto, both of which are connected to the Algarve by regular coach services.

Intercity bus service is provided by Eva Transportes.

Get around
The easiest way to get around Silves is by hiring a car. Public transport is an option although many of the services are not very frequent and are often seasonal. Silves does not have a train stop, however it is possible to use the mezzines stop which is only around fifteen minutes drives from Silves.

Eat
Fevres de porco (literally, secrets of pork) is a popular local dish.

Drink
Superbock - A popular Portuguese beer.