Castelo de Albufeira

Castelo de Albufeira is the former hilltop fortress of the town of Albufeira, on the Algarve coast of southern Portugal. Little of the original stronghold is standing, but a few pieces are still easy to find in the old town: stretches of wall, the Clock Tower and the excavated floors of two Islamic-era houses.

What is left of Albufeira Castle?

The castle does not look like a postcard fortress anymore. Most of the old walls came down in the 1960s, when the town was reshaped for tourism and the Hotel Sol e Mar went up. What remains:

• Torre do Relógio (Clock Tower) – originally a Muslim tower guarding the main town gate, the Porta da Praça. It now sits within the Santa Casa da Misericórdia building and its bell is topped by an iron crown added in the 19th century.
• Wall sections – a stretch of fortification on the hill, plus a segment near the former Porta do Mar (also called Porta da Praia), the northern gate.
• Praça da República – under this square lie the remains of two houses from the 12th and 13th centuries, once part of the castle's core where the garrison and local elite lived. A ring of display plates lets you look at the finds without stepping onto them. The project cost about 105,000 euros, 65 percent of it from the CRESC Algarve 2020 regional programme.

What is the history of the castle?

People have lived on this hill since antiquity, and the Romans called the settlement Baltum. The Arabs took it in 716 and named it al-Buhera, usually read as "castle of the sea", though some writers connect the name to a lagoon that once lay below the town. Under Muslim rule Albufeira was walled, with the castle commanding the settlement. It played a part in the maritime defence of the Islamic Algarve and was among the last places in the region to stay in Muslim hands.

After Faro fell, the forces of Afonso III took Albufeira in 1249-1250. On 1 March 1250 the castle and its lands were granted to the Order of Aviz, represented by Master Martinho Fernandes. King Manuel I gave the town a charter in 1504, and the defences were probably strengthened around then.

The castle had a square plan with a tower at each corner, and the town was entered through three gates: Porta da Praça on the west, Porta do Mar on the north and Porta de Sant'Ana. On 1 November 1755 an earthquake sent a wave into the lower town, and an aftershock brought down the church where residents had taken shelter. In 1833, during the Portuguese Civil War, Miguelist guerrillas led by Remexido stormed the town, and fire and fighting caused heavy damage.

How do you visit it?

There is no ticketed museum building. Everything stands in the public space of the old town and can be seen at any hour. A simple route starts at Praça da República for the exposed Islamic houses, continues to the Clock Tower and finishes at the wall remains on the hill. Allow under an hour, then walk down towards Praia do Túnel and Praia dos Pescadores. Mornings and late afternoons are the calmer, cooler times in summer.

Frequently asked questions

Can you go inside Albufeira Castle? No. The surviving pieces (Clock Tower, walls, the remains at Praça da República) are viewed from outside, within the town streets.

Is this the same as Paderne Castle? No. Castelo de Paderne is a separate, much better preserved Almohad fortress elsewhere in the municipality of Albufeira, outside the town centre. This page covers the castle that stood in the town itself.

When was it built? The fortifications date to the Islamic period, and the houses uncovered beneath Praça da República are from the 12th-13th centuries. After 1250 the Order of Aviz held the castle.

Why is so little left? The 1755 earthquake, the 1833 assault and the demolition of the walls in the 1960s all played a part.