Events in Alcoutim

Main places

• Castelo de Alcoutim

  14th-century Gothic castle, commissioned by King Dinis to defend the border with Castile and given to the Military Order of Santiago. Square plan with a central keep. Houses the Núcleo Museológico de Arqueologia da Idade Média. Direct view over the Guadiana and Sanlúcar de Guadiana on the Spanish bank.

• Castelo Velho de Alcoutim

  Islamic fortification from the 8th–9th centuries, 1.5 km north of the village on Santa Bárbara hill — a small rural alcázar occupied by a Muslim family, possibly from the Berber Kutama tribe, controlling Guadiana river traffic. Includes a 10th-century Umayyad mosque, the only one known in Portugal. Excavations have been underway since 1985.

• Alcoutim Old Town

  Whitewashed village leaning over the Guadiana, with the parish church and the Capela de Santo António. Bandstand on the central square, cobbled streets and a small river pier directly facing Sanlúcar de Guadiana — Spain is literally on the other bank.

• Praia Fluvial do Pego Fundo (river beach)

  River beach on the Ribeira de Cadavais, 500 m from Alcoutim's centre. Blue Flag. 130 m of shoreline, 15 m of sand width, max depth 2.5 m. Water at ~29°C in summer (air at ~39°C) — the country's longest river-beach swimming season, often called a 'natural jacuzzi'.

• Limite Zero (cross-border zip line)

  The world's only cross-border zip line — a 720 m suspended cable between Sanlúcar de Guadiana and Alcoutim, crossing the Guadiana and two time zones in under two minutes, at speeds up to 80 km/h. Minimum age 14, maximum weight 110 kg, ~€15. Open from mid-February to mid-November.

• Pier and ferry to Sanlúcar de Guadiana

  Small pier next to the village square, with a regular small-boat crossing to Sanlúcar de Guadiana on the Spanish side. Spain is one hour ahead of Portugal — watch the time difference if you're heading across for lunch.

• Martim Longo, Vaqueiros and Giões (the inland)

  The council's three other parishes, all inland — scattered whitewashed villages, cork-oak and holm-oak forest, wildlife including black storks, kites and wild boar. Martim Longo is the inland hub; at Vaqueiros, the Cova dos Mouros Mining Park tells the story of mining from the Chalcolithic to Roman times.

• Via Algarviana (opening sectors)

  The big cross-Algarve walking trail runs from Alcoutim to Cape St. Vincent in 14 sectors over ~300 km. The opening sectors (Alcoutim to Furnazinhas, Furnazinhas to Vaqueiros) cross the Guadiana, the Caldeirão hills and the cork-oak forest, leading through serra villages and into landscapes you won't find elsewhere in the Algarve.

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