| Page Views: 1,564 Last Visit to Vila Real de Santo António: September, 2004 | By the border of Spain by haiamisa - last update: Mar 8, 2005 |
We left Lagos on the 16th of September and drove along the coast east, stopping for tea and coffee in Faro and reached Vila Real just in time for lunch. We had a good walk around the town before we continued northwards to Mertola and Beja (where we spent the night). |
|  | The town Vila Real de Santo Antonio used to be the main crossing into Spain but has declined since the opening of a road bridge over the Rio Guadiana 4 km north in the early 1990's. The town has a special architecture. The original settelenment was demolished by a tidal wave following the earthquake of 1755 and the current town was rebuild on a grid plan by the Marques de Pombal using the same planning he had already used in the Baixa quarter of Lisbon. Vila Real is cheaper than other towns in Algarve, probably because it is less touristy. |
On the other side This Spanish town could be seen from the road to north. | | |
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haiamisa's Vila Real de Santo António Travel Tips
| Overview | Things to Do
Tips: 2 - Photos: 2 | | | Restaurants
Tips: 1 - Photos: 1 | Hotels & Accommodations | | | | Nightlife | Off The Beaten Path | | | | Tourist Traps | Warnings Or Dangers | | | | Transportation | Local Customs | | | | Packing Lists | Shopping | | | | Sports Travel | General Tips |
 Comments for haiamisa about Vila Real de Santo António | | | | |
tini58de Sat Apr 14, 2007 17:10 UTC
Nice little page about a quite unknown place! Thanks for sharing! | Bwana_Brown Mon May 16, 2005 16:36 UTC
This slower-moving town sounds like one that I would enjoy. I did not know that the Marquis de Pombal had worked his city planning magic on the Algarve! Thanks for the nice page. | quartinb Thu Nov 18, 2004 10:58 UTC
,,been there also last summer! |
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