Quarteira is a Portuguese parish of the county of Loulé3, with 38.16 km ² of area.

It has 2 km of beach with blue flag. It became popular holiday destination from the 60's, mainly due to its extensive sandy and unique climate. Later on, Vilamoura is located, which is considered as a tourist destination with great potential for golfers and water sports enthusiasts, such as jet skiing, sailing, windsurfing, diving and fishing.

As far as gastronomy is concerned, there are excellent restaurants in Quarteira, which offer fresh fish and seafood from around the region.

Among the tourist attractions is the Aquashow, a water park that has existed for more than two decades and is located right at the entrance to Quarteira, next to EN 396.

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Quarteira, an old fishing village, is today a cosmopolitan city and one of the main tourist centers of the Algarve. From your tourist office you get five suggestions of experiences that you should not miss.

1-Visit the Roman ruins of Cerro da Vila
The Roman ruins of Cerro da Vila, located in Vilamoura, are part of what used to be, between the 1st and 3rd centuries, a rustic villa surrounded by fertile fields. This country house with private hot springs as well as the public spas that existed on the site were supplied with water from a dam built about 2 km away.

The mosaics that can be seen in the archeological site of Cerro da Vila testify to the luxury of the decoration of that noble house with vestiges of the reception room, rooms, kitchen and service areas of servants and slaves, including a cryptoporticum. The Roman ruins of Cerro da Vila are classified as property of public interest and besides the vestiges of the villa, the bathhouses, the fish salting tanks and the foundations of a funerary tower, also have a museum.

 2- Follow the nature trails in Quinta do Lago
It is inevitable to recommend a walk along the paths of Quinta do Lago, an integral part of the Ria Formosa Natural Park, which is a luxury destination for birdwatchers and lovers of walking not only for the diversity of species that occur here, but also for the conditions created for its assessment.

Arriving at the parking lot next to the wooden bridge that allows access to the beach, there are two signposted routes: the São Lourenço rail to the east and the Quinta do Lago rail to the west.

3 - Have fun in the family at Family Golf Park
The Family Golf Park is a recreational space where adults and children can experience the thrills of Super Mini-golf and make a "trip" to Roman times.

It has an area surrounded by green spaces, two 18-hole mini-golf courses, terraces and a children's space where birthday parties are also held. In addition, it is also possible to visit Vilamoura on a trip provided by the park's tourist train.

4 - To attend the marches of the Popular Saints
One of the most beautiful and elaborate parades of Popular Saints in Portugal has in Quarteira its main stage. So do not forget to visit in June so that they can watch the marathon on 12, 23 and 28, the parade of hundreds of dealers representing the various streets of the city. They will see that they enchant with their rich coloring, their songs and choreographies.

5- Participate in the Feast of Our Lady of the Conception (patroness of Quarteira)
There is another date that should be pointed out in your agenda: it is December 8, when the city of Quarteira receives its most important religious feast. It is the feast in honor of Our Lady of the Conception, patroness of the fishermen and of Portugal.

The highlight of this celebration is the patron saint's voyage by sea, followed by the boats adorned at the same time as the procession on land accompanies her along the beach.

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The gastronomy in Quarteira around the fresh fish and sea food that is caught locally. Prawn, clams of various shapes and sizes, and lobster are available in many traditional recipes including cataplanas, rice dishes and fish stews (caldeirada). Expect to see octopus (octopus), cuttlefish (squid) and squid (squid) as well as the usual fish like bream, sea bass and tuna.

Desserts - If you have not noticed by now, the Portuguese love their cakes and desserts! Sweet rice pudding; Almond cakes of marzipan in various shapes like fruits, vegetables, fish and flowers; Almond pudding; Honey biscuits (little honey cakes) and figs stuffed with chocolate or almonds are all typical.

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The climate is hot and temperate in Quarteira. Summer has much less rainfall than winter. The climate classification is Csa according to Köppen and Geiger. 17.2 ° C is the average temperature in Quarteira. 501 mm is the average annual rainfall value.

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