Hotels near Silves

Silves was the capital of the Moorish Algarve from the 8th to 13th centuries (the Moors called it Xelb) and was once a city of 30,000 people, larger than Lisbon at the time. The hilltop Castelo de Silves - the largest and best-preserved Moorish castle in Portugal - is built from distinctive red sandstone and rises directly above the old town. Entry is 2.80 EUR (combined ticket with the archaeology museum is 3.90 EUR), and you can walk the full circuit of the walls and battlements with sweeping views over the orange groves toward Monchique.

Below the castle, the small Se de Silves cathedral was built on the site of the Moorish great mosque after the Christian reconquest in 1242. The old town is compact and easily walked in 90 minutes; the surrounding countryside is the Algarve's main citrus-growing region and dotted with cork oak forests and traditional whitewashed villages. Silves holds its medieval fair (Feira Medieval de Silves) in August, when the town fills with costumed performers, markets, and demonstrations of medieval crafts and combat.

Pro Tip: Combine Silves with Monchique in the Serra de Monchique mountains 20 minutes north - both are inland half-day trips that pair perfectly with a long lunch and break up a beach-focused Algarve trip with cooler hill country, hiking, and traditional inland cuisine.