Guided Tour to Silves, a charming fortified city that once was the ancient capital of the Arab Kingdom. Today Silves has a calm and peaceful ambiance, but during the Moorish occupation,it was a great defensive fortress and important trading town, including the river that at the time was navigable and was the entrance to large ships that brought products from around the world.

Here you will find producers with the freshest local products, from vegetables to fish coming directly from the sea and even small artisans who want typical regional sweets and the art of producing wicker baskets.

Built on top of a hill, the imposing Silves Castle is Roman in origin, but it was the Arabs who built the magnificent castle we see today, between the 8th and 13th centuries. Built of Silves sandstone, the castle has the shape of an irregular polygon and a main gate flanked by two defensive towers, three turrets and seven sides. Visitors can walk around the patrol route. There are a number of remains from the period of Muslim occupation on the inside of the castle, in particular a silo which was used for storing cereals and a cistern covered by a vault seated on five semi-circular arches. Despite having been rebuilt in the 13th century after the city was taken from the Moors by D. Paio Peres Correia, Silves Castle is the best example of Arab military architecture in Portugal.

The Silves Municipal Archaeological Museum (Museu Municipal de Arqueologia de Silves) has exhibits on the history and archaeology of Silves from prehistoric times to the 17th century. Opened in 1990, the Silves Municipal Archaeological Museum is located just below Silves Cathedral and Silves Castle. The museum is built over an 18 meter-deep, 4 meter wide well that dates from the Almohad establishment of the city in the 11th century. The site was formerly occupied by a 19th century residence before the building was demolished to form the museum.

Algarve Wines tasting at Algarve Views Shop next to Silves Municipal Market. Taste some delicious empanadas, snacks and 3 tastings of wines from the region of your choice.

For lunch we reserve a table at the Ponte Romana restaurant, where local dishes (Cataplana) harmonized with local wines will be served.

Quinta de Mata-Mouros, where the Convent of Nossa Senhora do Paraíso stands, is located on the left bank of the River Arade, opposite the historical city of Silves. Fruits typical of the region, such as figs, almonds, carob and loquats, have been grown on its 120 hectares for centuries. It could be said that this production of tasty fruit was a good omen for the planting of vines on the slopes of the estate in April 2000. Today, a total of 12 hectares are given over to vines: 10 hectares of red grape varieties (Aragonez, Touriga Nacional, Sousão, Cabernet Sauvignon and Alicante Bouschet) and two of green grapes (Arinto and Alvarinho). The grapes are fermented in the modern, well-equipped winery at the entrance to the estate, alongside the emblematic “Convent of Paradise” built in the 18th century. Have nice wine tasting accompanied by local snacks.