SILVES TRAVEL GUIDE
The Algarve, PortugalIf you are looking for a holiday hotel, apartment or villa in Silves, the following information may help by giving you an overview on the resort.
Silves is a compact town built on a series of terraces between the River Arade and the massive castle. One way to approach the town is by sailing upriver from
Portimao following the same route taken by Phoenician traders who established their base here in the 1st millennium BC. Their riverside colony grew to become the Roman city of Silbis, and then, from the 8th century, the Moorish city of Xelb. Described by Arabic chroniclers as 10 times more impressive than Lisbon, Xelb was a city of gleaming domes and minarets, of poets, writers and musicians, traders, craftsmen and farmers.
Due to the earthquake of 1755, little now survives of the Arabic influence - at least in architectural terms. The most lasting legacy is visible in the almond and citrus groves that you see as you look down from the castle walls across the surrounding countryside. It was the Moors who introduced these crops, along with the irrigation system.
From the castle, narrow cobbled street descend steeply to the cathedral and the archaeological museum. From the museum it is a short stroll through the Torreao das Portas da Cidade, the medieval town gate, to the main square, the Praça do Municipio, with its town hall and pavement cafes. Shop-lined streets lead from here down to the covered market and the embankments of the River Arade, where more pavement cafes offer views of the town’s medieval bridge.
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Disclaimer:
By its very nature much of the information in our travel guides is subject to change at short notice and travellers are urged to verify information on which they are relying with the relevant authorities. Corona Holidays [UK] Limited cannot accept any responsibility for any loss or inconvenience to any person as a result of information contained above.
