Tourist attractions in Albufeira include Aqualand, Praia dos Pescadores beach, a pirate ship daycruise, Zoomarine theme park, and the castle of Paderne.
Of the attractions, Aqualand (www.aqualand.pt), the biggest water park in Algarve region in Portugal, is located about 15 km from the village of Alcantarilha, accessible from Albufeira via a bus.
The water park, open from the end of May until the mid-September, is open daily from 10-18, and offers a variety of water slides, waterslide tunnels, rivers for using inflatables, and swimming pools.
Among the individual water park highlights are “Kamikaze”, the steepest water slide in Portugal (with a drop from the height of 36 meters to the ground level in four seconds), “Anaconda” water slide, which curves like a corkscrew, and “Surf Beach”, which features a wave pool.
Praia dos Pescadores beach, on the other hand, is one of two Albufeira’s main beaches, and it has been named (“The Fishermen’s Beach”) after the fact, that even today, it is partly used by fishermen as a harbor.
If you visit the beach at a right time, you’ll get an authentic Algarvean experience, as the fishermen draw their idyllic fishing boats to the shore, to await next days adventure to the sea.
The other famous beach in the region is called “Praia do Túnel” or “The Tunnel Beach”, which has been named after the fact, that the route to the beach goes through a tunnel
To participate in one of the most popular tourist attractions in Albufeira, the modern harbor of Albufeira has a variety of day cruises, the most famous of which is the day cruise aboard a pirate ship.
Acting as a pirate ship is “Leãozinho” (“Small Lion”) which makes day-tours (during April-October), to the most beautiful parts of the Algarve coast. During the cruise, you’ll have a chance to see the unique Algarve rock formations, white sand beaches, as well as coastal caves.
There are several themed packages available for the day cruises, such as “Captain Hook” cruise, a cruise to the Algarve caves, and a romantic sunset cruise.
Zoomarine (www.zoomarine.pt), meanwhile, is a maritime theme park, located about 10 km from Albufeira, at the village of Guia.
The theme park is open from March until the end of October, and it is an excellent way to spend a relaxing day among dolphins, tropical birds, and sea lions.
The place also features places to eat, features for children such as a pirate ship, and pools for cooling down.
Among the individual Zoomarine attractions among the best are “Oceanus” aquarium, consisting of about 20 different maritime sections, an interactive dolphin show, as well as a “Magical Forest” show, with tropical birds such as Kakadus.
Tourist attractions in Albufeira includes the castle of Paderne, at about 8 kms from central Albufeira.
The castle is one of Portugal’s most famous historical buildings, and it can be found depicted (as one of the seven castles) on the country’s national flag.
Paderne castle was build by the Moors on the later half of the 12th century, to a bend on the Quarteira river, near the village of Paderne.
During its day’s of glory, the building acted as a control point for the strategically important ancient Roman “Via Lusitanorum” road, and the historical Roman bridge from that period is still intact, located next to the castle itself.