About Olhao
Olhão is just a 20 minutes, 10km drive away from Faro Airport and is the Algarve's main fishing port and sea food centre. It has an attractive promenade that extends along the harbour and past the vegetable and fish market.
Around 50 years ago, Olhao, was lost to the world, it lived only from the sea. Those who were not mariners, were the sons of mariners and the grandsons of mariners. Some were smugglers whilst some fished off the coast and others fished on the high seas. There was plenty of fresh fish and life was good. Olhao is a town that the sea seems to have spirited over from somewhere in North Africa.
Some have called Olhao the cubist town, in reference to the white square houses, each topped with a terrace for drying fish or figs, with hardly a tiled roof in site. In the summer, the kitchen moves out into the street where the sardines, fresh from the fishing nets, cook on charcoal grills.
The Fish Market is the best and biggest in the Algarve. There are a
good selection of restaurants serving a variety of dishes to suit all
tastes. Many feature fresh grilled fish and shell fish, with specialities
such as "Cataplana" - a delicious mix of tomatoes, onions,
fish, clams and sausage all cooked together in a lidded copper pan.
It is definitely the place to be if you enjoy fresh sea food...
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