Top 6 Castles around Alvor

Castelo de São João do Arade is an old fort in Ferragudo, built to defend the mouth of the Rio Arade River from pirates and invasions. It is situated on a rocky outcrop between Praia da Angrinha and Praia Grande. The fort is now privately owned and not open to the public, but it is a striking and photogenic part of Ferragudo's coastal landscape.

The Forte da Ponta da Bandeira is a 17th-century coastal fort in Lagos, Portugal, originally built between 1680 and 1690 to defend the city from maritime threats. The fort is designed with a square plan, thick walls facing the sea, and a surrounding moat, accessible via a drawbridge. It contains a small chapel dedicated to Santa Bárbara, the patron saint of artillery, completely clad in 17th-century azulejos.

The area where the castle stands has been inhabited since at least Roman times, due to the presence of salting tanks nearby. In the 15th century, a watchtower was built. In the early 17th century, under Philippine rule, the government began a programme to build several fortresses along the coast to defend it from attacks by pirates and corsairs. A fortress was planned to be built at the mouth of the Arade River, although initially no agreement was reached on which side of the mouth it should be built. The Italian military engineer Alexandre Massai argued in favour of the left bank, where Vila Nova de Portimão could be better defended, and so the fortress was built on this side. It was only after the restoration of independence in 1640 that plans began to be made to build the castle on the right bank, as a way of protecting the coast from Spanish attacks. The works took place between 1643 and 1644, on the site of the old watchtower, known as Ferragudo Castle, which was no longer considered strategically effective. In fact, it served not only to protect but also to control the mouth of the Arade, and was a customs registration point for ships sailing along the river to the city of Silves. In 1654, the castle underwent a process of refurbishment. The building was gradually abandoned and was already in ruins by 1669. However, the castle was still subject to extension works in the 18th century, and was only slightly damaged by the 1755 earthquake, due to the solid rock on which it was built. In 1821, two batteries were still in operation on the highest part of the castle, both with gun ports. By 1861 it was once again in ruins, and in 1892 it was leased to the writer and diplomat Joaquim José Coelho de Carvalho, whose family had bought the building in 1896. Joaquim de Carvalho carried out renovations at the beginning of the 20th century, which gave it the appearance of a romantic castle. Some time later, it became the property of the politician Francisco Vieira Machado. The monument did not undergo any major renovations in the 20th century. The changes that were made to its interior were mainly used to transform it into a holiday home, although much of the building remained in a state of disrepair. In 1976, the Ferragudo Parish Council asked for the fort to be ceded to it, so that a cultural centre could be set up inside.

The Carvoeiro Fort, originally called the Forte de Nossa Senhora da Encarnação, is a military monument located next to the Carvoeiro cliff. Built in the 1670s to protect the coastline, it was severely damaged by the 1755 earthquake. It was rebuilt in 1796, but fell into decline in the 19th century and was closed by 1861. In 1871, it acquired new functions as a tax guard. Of the old fortress, only part of the wall, the chapel of Nossa Senhora da Encarnação and some buildings, which were part of the tax post, remain.

The fort has a chapel dedicated to St. Barbara and an azulejo group from the end of the 18th century. The building, which was restored in the 1960s, is the bookplate among the sea fortresses of the Lagos fortifications. See: https://www.visitportugal.com/de/NR/exeres/C411AAEA-06C3-48DE-AF94-F497E49D39D5

Outside the old walled city stands the Fortaleza de Nossa Senhora da Penha de França, commonly known as Forte da Ponta da Bandeira. The fortress was built at the end of the 17th century to defend Lagos. Access is via a drawbridge that spans a moat. As it was one of the last defensive points built in Lagos, it is now one of the most beautiful and best preserved. See: https://www.visitportugal.com/de/NR/exeres/C411AAEA-06C3-48DE-AF94-F497E49D39D5

The Fort of São João do Arade, sometimes referred to as the Castle of Arade, is a medieval fortress in the parish of Ferragudo in the Portuguese Algarve municipality of Lagoa. It is privately owned.

Originally it served to defend the Arade River. Although it is classified as a monument of public interest, it is privately owned and is not allowed to be entered.