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Writer's pictureSteve H

Quarteira

Updated: Aug 5, 2023

Quarteira is our home town! Technically, we are outside the town's limits but the Vila Sol 'urban development' (urbanização) does have a Quarteira postal address. Originally a small fishing village, Quarteira was one of the first resorts to be developed in the Algarve. However, unlike the more modern and upscale expat communities of Vilamoura next door to the west and Vale de Lobo and Quinta do Largo to the east, Quarteira retains distinctly Portuguese characteristics.

Quarteira's full-time population is around 20,000. This number increases during the summer with mostly Portuguese tourists but nowhere near as much as other resort towns nearby. Most tourist guides have few positive comments about Quarteira and even the more affluent locals are less than complimentary, referring to it as a blue collar town. Indeed, there is a dearth of trendy restaurants, bars, and other attractions to attract foreign tourists. Perhaps this is why we find it so charming. Here are some other reasons:

  • The beach. Nearly two kilometers of sandy beach runs from the harbor to the edge of town. In fact, the sand continues east all the way to Faro and beyond, but the beach names change.

  • The harbor. This is a working fishing port and supplies the adjacent Quarteira fish market (mercado do peixe) that is open six days a week, offering plenty of fresh seafood choices.

  • The fruit and vegetable market, next door to the fish market, is open seven days a week and offers an abundance of locally-grown produce.

  • The boardwalk. Running almost the length of the town along the beach, the palm tree-lined boardwalk is paved with the ubiquitous, ornate calçadas. (This type of pedestrian boardwalk is called a calçadão.) Sometimes, when it's high tide at Falésia, this is where Jennifer and I will walk/run.

  • On the other side of the restaurants, gift shops, hotels, and apartments that line the boardwalk is the town itself. The main street, Avenida Francisco Sá Carneiro, runs parallel with the coastline and is lined with shops (lojas) that provide just about everything. Parking is free everywhere in Quarteira and it can be a real challenge to find a free spot during peak season -- and a real test of your parallel parking skills!

  • Like everywhere in Portugal, the traffic islands or circles ('roundabouts' in the UK) feature something artistic, usually a sculpture or landscaped design. Our favorite in Quarteira is the giant octopus (polvo) near the harbor and fish market.

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In June 2023, Quarteira's annual Festas dos Santos Populares was held after a three-year pandemic-induced absence. The event is celebrated in fishing villages throughout Portugal over three evenings to celebrate the saints: António, Pedro, and João (Anthony, Peter, and John). The high point each evening is a parade by marchers dressed in colorful costumes, with music, traditional dances, and symbolic props. For the locals, this is a big deal and thousands of people from the Algarve came to watch and enjoy the party. There was a lot of primping going on behind the scenes before the marchers entered the parade!

[Scroll left/right to view gallery]


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