Vila Do Bispo ~ Algarve Portugal Travel Pictures

Vila do Bispo Main Square

Vila do Bispo, like many of Portugal's old villages, has a a central square with a church along one side. Here, Flame trees and other blooming flowers line the perimeter. I wanted to take a photo of one older gentleman, but though we never spoke, he made it clear he didn't want me to. But he had a face lined with interest, and wore ecentric clothes. From time to time, women clad in black from head to toe, walked briskly past, bent on getting from point A to B. And dogs! There are an alarming number of homeless dogs and cats millling about the algarve, so much so that some visiting Europeans started up an Adopt-a-Dog service.

Detail on Church in Village Square

The church doorway has an 'eye-window' feature overtop; and the roof is described as 'kneading trough' style. The church is c1726.

A museum is attached to the church, though neither it nor the church were open at the time of my visit (Late January, midweek, around noon).

If there is a particular church you want to visit, see if you can find out when it's open to the public, so you don't drive miles to be disappointed.

Your hotel may have tourism brochures, so ask if you don't see any. Like many churches in Portugal villages, the interior of this one at Vila do Bispo is adorned with the blue and white tiles.

Row housing village street

Many doorways and windows on the houses in this area are framed in bands bright colours or carved stonework.

The roads through many towns and villages are quite steep and narrow, so renting a *small* car makes it easier, especially when parallel parking.

Detail on Vila Do Bispo house

This house, though in need of some maintenance, looked vacant but was occupied.

Throughout the area, there are a number of well-kept and brightly painted homes that looked recently renovated, which I would have liked to visit.

From time to time, we passed horse drawn wagons laden with goods for sale. Someone told us these wagon nomads were Gypsies.

Older House, in ruins

The narrow streets around the church are lined with whitewashed houses typical of many old Algarve towns.

You'll see its clones many times in the small villages along the inland roads; not as much along the coast, as that's where the development is.

As you drive around the countryside, keep an eye out for the cork oak trees, identified by their peeling bark.

You may notice cork bark in large piles, similar to haystacks, in fields. A few blocks west of this square, down the hill, there's a town center with a few cafes and the municipal office, where you can might be able to get a menhir field map.

Water wheel near Vila do Bispo

Next to the highway from Albufeira to Vila do Bispo, on the north side, just as you getting close to Vila do Bispo, you can see this water wheel in the farm yard.

Wildflowers near Vila do Bispo

Everywhere I travelled in early February, the fields were blooming with these wildflowers.

West of Vila do Bispo

From Vila do Bispo, you can get back on the on-ramp to the main highway to continue west to Cape Vincente, or head back to Albufeira and points in between.

You can also take a narrow back road to the west coast cliffs, ruins and villages north of the Cape. We found this raod on one of the small maps.

Much of the coastal areas is protected parklands, and road signs, once you are off the main highway, can be hard to spot. It helps to have a sharp-eyed navigator!

Atlantic surf Algarve Coast

A closer look at the wild surf, the sea air
all misty and fresh and full of negative ions!