Some information about Armação de Pêra, Location in central Algarve, Portugal. Information about Armação de Pêra, its hotels, beaches, restaurants, bars, shops, things to do, events and in fact, all things Armação de Pêra offers!
Armação de Pêra
Wonderful long sandy beach
Armação de Pêra was named after the inland region of Pêra in Portugal, where the fishermen came down from originally and armação, which was a specially adapted boat, with a combined netting system, designed by the Moors. Today Armação de Pêra is a lively high-rise Algarve resort, which is very popular with Portuguese holidaymakers in the summer. It has a wonderful long sandy beach stretching all the way to Praia de Galé.
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Arriving on the outskirts of Armação de Pêra, there are large numbers of attractive, modern apartments along with the roads and roundabouts to link it all together. The centre (centro) and the beach (praia) are clearly signposted, and there are several roads leading to the beach, so if you miss the first one, don't worry! There is a large area of ground at the western end where you can park and another large area at the eastern end by the fishermen's beach, along with a multi-storey by Pingo Doce supermarket.
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Armação de Pêra is a mix of buildings and
modern apartment blocks along the sea front. The 'old village' is at the eastern end by the fishermen's beach and is more typically Algarvean. It is here, on the beachfront that the remains of a 17th century fort still stand - built to defend the village from pirates and corsairs by a wealthy fishing boat owner. There is a chapel inside, dedicated to Santo António, which is also 17th century.
Armação de Pêra
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views of the coast:
Updated: 11.05.16
The views of the coast from the fort are of the long, long stretch of golden sand which runs from the rocks and caves at the western end by Senhora da Rocha, to Praia de Galé (near to Albufeira) in the east.
The cobbled street on the corner of the hill opposite the whitewashed fort leads down into a network of little streets with a variety of shops, cafés, bars and restaurants. It would be quite easy to miss this part of the town if you are concentrating on the sea front, which would be a shame as it's one of the prettiest parts of Armação de Pêra.
There are also numerous restaurants and cafés along the sea front of the 'old village', including a couple on the beach near the fishing boats, most of which (obviously!) have local, freshly caught fish on the menu.
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Our Lady of the Rocks
Updated: 10.18.16
Walking
westwards along the front from the fort you will come to
Largo da Igreja (Church Square) on the right hand side
with the church in the middle and framed by trees. If
it's open, take a look! It's not very big or grand, but
just has something appealing about it.
Further along the tree lined promenade widens into
tree shaded gardens with benches to sit and enjoy the
view. There is also a wide sloping path to the beach
suitable for pushchairs and wheelchairs at this point.
The 4* Holiday Inn Algarve (Formerly "Hotel Garbe") has
a prime position on the sea front and several other
hotels are situated on the road just behind the the main
avenue (Avenida Marginal) making them within a very
short walk of the lovely beach. At the western end of
the promenade there are several quite new 10 to 12
storey apartment blocks with some attractive cafés and
bars in and around them. Chapel of Nossa Senhora da
Rocha in Armação de PêraStill going west, you come to
Nossa Senhora da Rocha (Our Lady of the Rocks) with it's
beach, and several hotels and low rise apartments
spreading over the cliffs. There is a very small chapel
on the cliffs (probably dating from 15th/16th centuries)
above the beach within the remains of a fort. (It has
glass doors so that you can look in even when it is
locked - it really is tiny!) From here you get good
views of Armação de Pêra and along the coast to
Albufeira and there are also a couple of places to stop
for refreshments after all the sightseeing! Armação de
Pêra has everything you need for a lovely holiday -
fantastic beach, shops, supermarkets, restaurants, bars
and an amazing number of ice-cream shops! It is also
ideally placed for a day out at Zoomarine sea-life park
at Guia, a trip to 'Algarve Shopping' mall, also at Guia
and the water parks at Alcantarilha and Lagoa.
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Armação de Pêra Travel Faro
Updated: 9.15.16
Armacao de Pera transfers from Yellowfish
Book Algarve transfers with hoppa! Plan your journey from the Algarve's international airport in Faro with our Armação de Pêra travel information!
Distance from Faro Airport to Armação de Pêra: 48 km
Travel from Faro to Armação de Pêra by Train: No direct train; Closest train stops at Alcantarilha (approximately 8 km away) and costs 4,40€
Travel from Faro to Armação de Pêra by Bus: 4,65€ or 5,45€
Travel from Faro to Armação de Pêra by Taxi: 51€ / 65€ for a 4 or 6 seater Mon-Fri 6am-9pm (65€ / 79€ outside this time and bank holidays)..
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The promenade
Updated: 8.30.16
To the left hand end of the promenade is the whitewashed remains of a 17th century fort, containing a chapel dedicated to St. Anthony. The fort was built at the instigation of a local wealthy boat owner to protect the town from pirates. Further to the left are the fishermen's huts and all the wonderfully bright coloured fishing boats and usually some of the fishermen going about their daily tasks - repairing their nets and looking after their boats, ready for the next trip.
At this end of the beach are a couple more beach restaurants, serving, of course, locally caught fish- it couldn't be fresher.
Praia da Armação de Pêra is supervised during the 'beach season' and is classed as an 'Accessible Beach'.
For wheelchairs
There is a ramp down to the beach, suitable for wheelchairs, by the café just to the left (east) of the Holiday Inn Algarve (formerly "Hotel Garbe") although there is very little in the way of boarded walkways once you are on the beach. There are sunbeds for hire at several points along the beach and also pedaloes to rent as well as various other water sports to try your hand at.
Praia da Armação
Praia da Armação de Pêra is a very long sandy beach with hotels and apartments all along the road behind. The eastern end of the beach seems to go on for miles, but intriguing rocks and caves stop the western end at Nossa Senhora da Rocha. Praia da Armação de Pêra has lots of access points along its length and various cafés and restaurants on and above the beach.
Praia Grande
Praia Grande is the next part of the long sandy stretch that runs from Armação de Pêra all the way to Albufeira with the beaches of Salgados and Galé in between. There is plenty of room for everyone - even in the middle of summer!
Praia Grande can be reached by road from the village of Pêra or by simply strolling along the sands! It is backed by quite a wide area of sand dunes and very little else! An area of it is supervised during the 'beach season' and there are sunbeds to hire as well as somewhere for refreshments.
Beaches in Armação de Pêra - Algarve - Portugal
Many Algarve beaches are now classified as 'Accessible Beaches' meaning that not only do they provide ramps, footpaths and walkways directly to the sand but also meet certain criteria for restaurant tables, bar and counter heights. They also have first aid posts and disabled toilets and should be equipped with wheelchairs, walking aids and other equipment capable of being used in the sea as well as on the beach. We include which beaches have been awarded the 'Accessible Beach' flag, although depending on individual abilities you may just want to know that you can park nearby or that there are no steps involved.
We also indicate which beaches have lifeguards during the season (normally April to the end of September) and as a reminder for you: a green flag - swimming permitted; yellow flag - swimming forbidden; red flag - swimming and entering the water forbidden; blue and white chequered flag - beach temporarily unattended.