Discover the Algarve by train
The railway line between Tunes and Lagos offers a relaxing journey across lovely countryside that takes less than an hour. The high points on the journey are the Silves orange groves, the bridge over the river Arade, the entrance to Portimão, the views over the Alvor estuary and Meia Praia.
Water and sunshine
The journey starts at Tunes with a small surprise because the railcar sets of northwards as if it were heading back to Lisbon. Quickly though, we realise we are not going back the wrong way as the line starts to curve to the left and heads off westward almost parallel to the sea. Right from the beginning we catch sight of the scenery that will keep us company for the coming kilometres: orange groves and irrigation channels as far as the eye can see.
Algoz is the first station, and then a few minutes later we come to Silves. The red sandstone castle and town are just 2 km due north of the station but hidden by a succession of red earth hills. Silves still has an interesting old centre that is more or less contained within the medieval walls. The cathedral and church of the Misericórdia, on the top of the hill, the maze of streets and stairs that connect the right bank of the river Arade to the acropolis, the esplanades and the handicraft shops are just some of the reasons to visit the town. In Islamic times, it was one of the largest and most learned sites in the Iberian Peninsula although it lost its importance and entered into decline after the Portuguese conquered it (temporarily in 1189 and then definitively in 1242). The Islamic museum, built around a well from the same time, beside the wall brings back this important heritage.
After Silves, the line changes direction slightly and turns one again towards the south west and the coast. The route tends to follow the meanderings of the river Arade towards the sea, east of Portimão. It is worth while looking out the right side of the train at the town of Estômbar, with its whitewashed houses climbing the hillside and the double tower of the mother church.
Portimão is not much further and the line starts to approach the coast as it crosses the Arade marshes. To cross the actual river Arade we have a funny metal bridge made up of a succession of arches. This is, without a doubt, one of the most beautiful parts of the journey with sunlight and water as far as you can see. As we pull in to the town we can look down on the new waterfront area with riverside amenities such as bars, restaurants and esplanades.
Vineyards, orchards and fig trees
From here on, the journey comes up with another surprise. Instead of staying close to the sea, the line makes a long curve northwards searching out more solid terrain that is not so liable to flooding (the river Alvor and the marshes are not far away). Passing some vineyards and traditional fruit trees (figs, carobs, etc.) we come to one of the prettiest and best renovated stations on the line: Mexilhoeira Grande, with a pointed metal porch standing on yellow columns.
The vineyards and fig trees are interspersed by orchards and some pine trees. And then, one again, we are back at the shoreline and a sudden glimpse of the river Alvor off to the left as the train goes over a metal bridge.
Lagos is not far away now. The line clings to the coast and the dunes until Meia Praia. This is another high point of the journey and a marvellous way to end the trip. A sharp bend gives us a great view over Lagos, from the mouth of the Ribeira de Bensafrim on one side to the Forte da Bandeira and the white towers of São Sebastião church half way up the hill on the other.
The train ends its journey in the new station a bit to the east of the old one which is an interesting construction from the 1920s covered in glazed tiles. The little Lagos Railway Museum is housed in the old engine sheds.
If you want to walk over to Lagos waterfront, all you have to do is cross the marina and the pedestrian bridge over the Bensafrim. Now you can set off and discover one of the best kept towns in the Algarve with the gold-leaf carvings and tiles in Santo António church, breathtaking views from the forte da Bandeira esplanades, the fifteen century walls and a cosmopolitan atmosphere in the pedestrian precincts that stretch from Largo de Camões to beside the hospital.
Source - Trains of Portugal
