Site Autárquico São Brás de Alportel

In a territorial area of 150 km2, between the lowlands and the mountains, with a vast classified area, São Brás de Alportel maintains an important natural heritage which is connected not only to the beauty of the landscape, but to a geological richness, a natural environment diversity and to the geographic and climate characteristics, which gave it the name of the “land of good breezes”.

Chalybeate Water Fountain Park
After passing the village of Alportel, follow north near the EN2 (heritage road) and you will find the beautiful Fonte Férrea Park, hidden in the heart of the Serra do Caldeirão.  The ideal place for a refreshing stop in real nature.  Pack a snack, take a walk, breath in the pure, fresh mountain air and don't forget to taste the chalybeate waters, renowned for centuries for their qualities.
With an excellent access, the Park has equipment to aid the visitors and receives annually various events. 
Don’t miss the stroll through the Serra do Caldeirão.  Start in São Brás de Alportel and head north, through the EM 1202, visit the picturesque places of Cova da Muda, Javali and Parises.  Stop for a rest in the Parque da Serra and continue in the search for a genuine and hidden Algarve, taste the flavours of the mountain gastronomy and breathe in Nature. In the municipality’s northern limit, discover Cabeça-do-Velho, Cerro da Ursa and Monte dos Capitães.

Cork Land
From the ancient Serra de Mú, that Spring paints in a thousand colours, comes the best cork in the world.  History has it that people of São Brás de Alportel and Silves were pioneers in commercializing and transforming this marvellous fruit of nature.
The cork industry, whose expansion was conclusive in the foundation of the municipality in the early 20th century, is still today the most representative and emblematic in the municipality.

Cork Trail
A theme trail created around one of the most prodigal goods of nature, the cork.  This trail takes the visitor to the heart of the Algarve, the interior of the Serra do Caldeirão, to see the many cork tree plantations.  The trail evolves through the many steps of the industry of cork transformation, including a visit to the Reception and Interpretation Centre in the Museu do Trajo do Algarve.

Castanhas’ Belvedere
A couple of kms north of São Brás de Alportel, situated at an altitude of 330m, the Castanhas’ Belvedere contemplates the villages and peeks at the sea.  This space provides moments of sociability and leisure in contact with nature and is the ideal resting spot during a healthy hike through the Alportel Valley.

Alto da Arroteia Belvedere
At an altitude of 368m, in between the mountains and the sea, this belvedere benefits from one of the most amazing and unique landscapes of the interior Algarve.  It offers a mountain and sea horizon hard to describe, full of colour and beauty. 
Go out in search of this small paradise, through the EN2 (north of São Brás de Alportel), or through the EN270 (towards the west).  Being the Pousada (Inn) and the Serra do Caldeirão so close by, it offers a double motive for a visit to this leisure area.

Cabeça-do-Velho Ameixeira Belvedere
A place to not to miss where you can breathe the good mountain air and take a little rest. This new snack park is located on the CM. 513, just in Sitio da Cabeça do Velho.

Geopoints
The colour and the shape of the rocks reveal how our planet was made.  Some even say that the ocean used to be where the beautiful belvederes now stand.
São Brás de Alportel offers a wide variety of rich landscapes, in between valleys and mountain tops, with limestone, greywacke and schist grounds.
These Geopoints are places of interpretation of the geomorphologic richness and explain the evolution of this territory from millions of years. ago. 
The secular knowledge of the São Brás' stone quarrymen is worth an attentive visit.  With excellent access, the Funchais Geopoint also offers a unique panoramic view over the village. 

Alto da Ameixeira Belvedere
The mountain aromas perfume the landscape, where the mountains kiss the sea in intense shades of green. A place to not to miss where you can breathe the good mountain air and take a little rest. This new snack park is located on the EM. 1202, just north of Sitio da Cova da Muda.

With the sea for horizon, go in search of nature's treasures and hidden memories in the mountain paths. 
Learn about the local fauna and flora, discover the municipality's geological richness, listen to the birds chirping on dewy mornings, relish the first sunrays and watch the amazing evening dusk.

Paths and Crossroads to the Fountains (9Km)
Go for a stroll through the mountains which hide an archaeological rich past.  In between wild roses and blackbirds this stroll takes us to crossroads leading to the Fonte, the fresh and cool places; places of ancient ways of working with clay and rush.

In between Valleys Fountains and Memories of Serra do Caldeirão (20 Km)
In the heart of the Serra do Caldeirão, where the smells of the land and the aroma of the flowers are the air that we breathe, in the land of the cork, the contact with the countrymen and farmers becomes easy. The landscape is sprinkled with old wells, fountains, streams and rows of limestone or rocks representing the strength of traditions.  This trail offers three minor itineraries. 

Barranco das Lages (7Km)
Situated in the northern most part of the municipality, this trail is part of a landscape characterized by distant horizons and extreme tranquillity where the spaces and the silence keep the rhythm.

Strolls through the Alportel Valley
The strolls through the Alportel Valley are an invitation to the empathy with nature and with the paths of men among norias, water mills and old walls.  The small vineyards, the olive groves, the century old carob trees and the Holm oaks welcome the cheerful birds' song, the smells of the wet land, of pennyroyals, of thyme, orange and lemon.  Discover the poetry in the fountains.

Strolls in the Valley, …through Almocreves (Mule Drivers) Paths (28Km)
A trail with 3 distinctive trails:  Alcaria Trail, Várzea da Cova Trail and Ribeira do Alportel Trail.  The Almocreves' paths take us to places of very beautiful rural characteristics.  Benefiting from a microclimate of unique characteristics, the cork trees and Holm oaks socialize in distinctive boundaries in a transition area from the lowlands to the mountains. 

Stroll to the West,… in the Soalheira's Dusk (9Km)
Points of interest beginning with São Romão Chapel, the mills paths, passage through the exuberating grove of Holm oaks, the Alto da Arroteia Belvedere and the narrow paths of old houses.

BTT Trails [BTT1- 20km; BTT 2- 26km]
Take na adventure through the trails of unique beauty in the heart of the mountains.  Prepare yourself for an adventure in real nature where the element of surprise is constant.  From the most delicious to the steepest hills.
The itineraries were thought of for experienced and inexperienced riders.