Hidden Gems

Azinhal is a village close to Castro Marim and the seat of a hill parish of 68.7 square kilometres, the third largest in the municipality, with 479 residents in 2021. It is known for two things: its bread and pastries, good enough to draw people from elsewhere, and bobbin lace, still made by a handful of lacemakers who show their work at fairs and markets. Local tradition ties the origin of the lace to the Legend of Azinhal, a love story. The village has the church of Espírito Santo. To the east, on high ground, a windmill gives a sweeping view over the Guadiana. The Espaço Multiusos houses the Queijaria Experimental, which sells and offers tastings of fresh cheese and yogurt made from Algarve goat's milk. The GR15 Rota do Guadiana trail climbs to Azinhal on its stretch between Junqueira and Odeleite and meets the PR3 'Janelas do Guadiana' walk here. The village holds a monthly market.

The Odeleite dam was built in 1997 on the stream of the same name, to irrigate farmland and supply water to part of the Algarve. It is a rockfill dam with a maximum height of 65 metres and a crest 347 metres long, and its reservoir covers about 720 hectares of winding bends between steep slopes. From the air it looks like a dragon, and it was as the 'Blue Dragon' that an aerial photograph made it famous online. Since 26 June 2026 it has had a river beach, next to Odeleite village. The opening was put off for several years because of drought. The bathing area is a floating platform of 20 by 10 metres with two pools, one for children, reached by two floating walkways and a bridge. Above it are a terraced sun deck, the bar and the changing rooms. There is parking and lifeguard cover, and the site includes a centre for non-polluting water sports. In 2026 it was the only inland beach in the Algarve with a Blue Flag.

Foz de Odeleite is a small village on the bank of the Guadiana, at the point where the Odeleite stream flows into the river. A little upstream the Odeleite has already merged with the Foupana, and the two arrive here as one. The village faces the water. It has a floating pier, first installed in the early 1990s and replaced in 2019, where the tour boats that work the Guadiana tie up. Arriving by land you will find a cheese dairy and a restaurant known for its lamprey and eel dishes. It is also a stop on the GR15 Rota do Guadiana trail: the stretch from Odeleite passes the Pernadas watermill, reaches Foz and carries on north through Corte das Donas to Álamo, in the municipality of Alcoutim.

Furnazinhas is a hill village in the parish of Odeleite, with narrow streets and whitewashed houses, and very well kept. It is where the second sector of the Via Algarviana ends: it leaves Balurcos, crosses the Foupana stream, one of the best preserved in the Algarve, and reaches the village after 14.3 km. Around it are ruined windmills and the remains of an old copper mine, the Caieiras mine. You can still see the shaft and the spoil heaps, flecked with green malachite; the gallery entrance is sealed. The PR9 'Mina e Albufeira' is a 7.7 km loop from the village centre that passes the mine, climbs Cerro Pelado at 231 metres for a view over the Odeleite reservoir, and drops down to the stream. There is also the PR10 'Barrancos Furnazinhas', which links to the Via Algarviana. In April the village hosts the Feira do Campo, a country fair with basketry, lace, woven palm work, honey, dried fruit and traditional sweets.

The Moinho das Pernadas is an old watermill on the Odeleite stream, 2 km from the village on the road to Foz de Odeleite. It used the stream to grind the region's grain and kept working until around 1980, when the last miller left. The site has been restored and includes the mill, a landing stage, the miller's house, a lookout and a bread oven. Beside it are a weir, built in the mid-20th century, and a small museum with a picnic area. Two walking routes pass here: the circular PR4 'Odeleite de Perto e de Longe', and Sector 3 of the GR15, which follows the stream down to Foz de Odeleite.

Monte Francisco is a village north of Castro Marim town with an unexpected link to flamenco. According to Castro Marim council, this is where Luzia Gomes was born, the mother of guitarist Paco de Lucía. In 2016 the council announced a memorial in the square where she lived, and in 2017 it put out a tender to remodel it and rename it Largo Paco de Lucía, a project budgeted at 325,000 euros with European funding. The plans included a landscaped pedestrian space, works by painter Carlos Luz and sculptor Carlos Oliveira, and a sound system playing the guitarist's music. Castro Marim has also held a Festival de Lucía in his honour. The GR15 Rota do Guadiana trail runs through the village and past the square, on the stretch that comes from Vila Real de Santo António and Castro Marim and carries on to Junqueira.

Odeleite is a hill village in Castro Marim, beside the stream of the same name and right next to the dam. It is the seat of its parish and the most practical base for exploring this part of the interior. The parish church of Nossa Senhora da Visitação dates from the 16th century and has gilded carved altarpieces. The village also has a communal bread oven and the Casa de Odeleite, which hosts weaving and bread workshops and, on the first Sunday of each month, the Mercadinho da Aldeia, a small market of regional crafts. Two circular walks start here: the PR4 'Odeleite de Perto e de Longe', 11 km through Fonte do Penedo, Alcaria, Assador and past the Pernadas watermill, and the PR5 'Terras da Ordem', 12 km. The GR15 Rota do Guadiana also runs through the village. The festival of Nossa Senhora da Visitação is held on the first weekend of September, with a procession. On 1 May there is a party down by the stream, and on the second weekend of December the village stages a living nativity.

This was the first nature reserve created in Portugal, in March 1975. It covers about 2,300 hectares beside the mouth of the Guadiana, spread across the municipalities of Castro Marim and Vila Real de Santo António. Close to 70% of it is wetland: salt marsh, brackish water, salt pans and tidal creeks. The rest is dry farmland and the first slopes of the hills. Large numbers of waterbirds pass through, overwinter or nest here, making the reserve one of the most important birding areas in the country. The black-winged stilt is its symbol, and the site is a Ramsar wetland of international importance. The Lezíria and Carrasqueira creeks are important fish nurseries, and salt-making is still the main economic activity inside the reserve. The visitor and interpretation centre is at Sapal de Venta Moinhos and, since December 2023, has housed an immersive permanent exhibition about the protected area.