Portimao is a great city to visit for many reasons. It offers a lot of things to do, such as spending a day at the beach or learning more about its culture and history.
The best way to experience the city is by strolling the streets and getting to know its ambiance. Spending a day wandering the streets of Old Town Portimao is an unmissable experience!
1. Algarve Zoomarine Amusement Park
A popular attraction for families with children, Algarve Zoomarine Amusement Park offers dolphin shows, seals and sea lions, tropical birds and bird of prey presentations, an aquarium, various animal habitats, a 4D cinema and many other attractions and amusements.
The park also has a wave pool, a beach and a variety of water slides and pools to enjoy. It is one of the top water parks in Portugal, with wild rides such as river rapids and slides that send you on a thrill ride to the top of the river.
Zoomarine also has some educational areas for the kids and they are staffed with experts who will give you a glimpse of marine life, conservation and environmental awareness. The Dolphin Center is a special area where visitors can interact with the dolphins and learn about their unique bond with trainers and get closer than ever to them!
2. Benagil Caves
One of the most iconic landscapes in Portugal, Benagil Cave is not to be missed. There are plenty of different ways to visit this famous site, but the most popular is with a boat tour.
There are many options to choose from, including small and fast boats, larger boats that take a few more people and catamaran tours which are great for romantics.
You can also kayak to the cave, but this is a more difficult and risky way to get there. So unless you know your way around the sea and are a strong swimmer, we would recommend getting on a boat tour to Benagil Cave.
3. Portimao Museum
If you’re keen to learn more about Portimao’s past, the award winning Portimao Museum is a must. Located on the waterfront in the former sardine canning factory, it explores the area’s fishing and canning history with a unique flair.
It also has an interactive exhibition about seabed conservation and an exhibition on the enigmatic megalithic complex at nearby Alcalar.
It’s worth spending an hour or two here and there’s plenty to see. Combine a visit with a walk along the river to Praia da Rocha (about 2kms away).
4. Hovercrafts
Hovercrafts are amphibious vehicles that can travel over land and water. They are able to do this because they trap a cushion of air underneath them and then float on top of it.
The air cushion allows them to float over water, grass, ice, mud and snow. It also acts as a lubricant and makes them move easily over these surfaces.
NASA uses hovercraft to test their spacecraft because they experience hardly any friction, just like our space shuttles do in space. You can make your own hovercraft with a pillow of air and see how long it will stay suspended above the ground!
5. Skydiving
Skydiving is an exciting way to get out of your comfort zone and experience the thrill of freefalling. This activity is a great choice for those who want to add something more to their holiday in Portimao.
The sport of skydiving is a recreational form of parachuting that involves jumping out of an airplane at altitudes of 7,500 to 15,000 feet, then freefalling for around 40 to 90 seconds before deploying a parachute for landing.
The thrill of skydiving is a great way to experience the amazing views of Portimao and the Algarve region. There are several options to choose from, including tandem skydiving and accelerated free fall.
6. Megalithic Monuments of Alcalar
If you're a history buff and want to explore a prehistoric community, you should visit the Megalithic Monuments of Alcalar. This site showcases the life of a pre-historic community that inhabited Portimao 5,000 years ago.
This site consists of a series of 5000-year-old burial mounds and tombs, arranged on a hilltop in the Algarve countryside. The centerpiece is a vast necropolis that features a massive cairn and a crypt. The site complex also features an interpretative center that provides information on the area's history and technology.
