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Morning

An ideal starting point for your drive is Loulé (see Central Region), on a Saturday morning to take advantage of the bustling market. An early start will ensure you get the best choice of the produce. Aim to get there about 9am and allow an hour for browsing the stalls.

Order a coffee in Café Calcinha, Praça da República, 67, before jumping in the car and heading west on the N270 to the village of Paderne, see Other Villages and Sights. If you want to visit the 12th-century Moorish castle, turn right before the village.

To reach the next village, Alte, double back and head towards São Bartolomeu de Messines, turning right at the N124. Alte is now signposted, and you’ll reach it within half an hour. Take time to explore this wonderful rural idyll.

Afternoon

Lunch should be savoured in Salir, a leisurely, 25-minute drive away. Try the Casa Pasto Mouro Bar, in Rua dos Muros do Castelo, below the castle ruins and with superb views of Rocha da Pena.

Continue east on the N124, driving through the Caldeirão mountain range before turning right onto the N396, back towards Loulé.

A signposted detour off this road will take you into the ancient hamlet of Querença ( Other Villages and Sights), with its whitewashed church and the Loja da Quinta, a wonderful little handicrafts store. Treat yourself to some local liqueurs before heading back to Loulé.

Morning

Breakfast in Lagos ( Western Region) can be enjoyed at the café inPraça Infante Dom Henrique near the castle walls, before you set out to explore the west coast.

The drive follows the EN125, crossing the boundary of the Parque Natural do Sudoueste Alentejano e Costa Vicentina. The road winds on – via the tiny 14th-century chapel of Nossa Senhora da Guadalupe and the prehistoric sights of Vila do Bispo– to Sagres ( Western Region) and its landmark 17th-century fort.

For an invigorating walk and to further appreciate the seascape at Sagres, follow the path around the promontory.

By now, it should be time for refreshments at Café-Restaurante Cochina on Praça da República or, if you prefer something more substantial, the Restaurante Atlântico on Rua Comandante Matoso.

Afternoon

Sagres has a pretty harbour which can be investigated on foot. Perched on a bluff overlooking the fishing boats are the ruins of Fortaleza da Baleeira which can be reached by turning up onto the dirt track off the roundabout near the quay.

No trip to the west coast would be complete without a visit to Cabo de São Vicente ( Western Region) which is a short drive northwest. The clifftop vistas are truly awe-inspiring and a suitably dramatic way to end the day’s sightseeing.

Morning

A morning’s drive north out of Castro Marim on the EN122 will take you through undulating hills, and lush valleys to the banks of the River Guadiana.

Allow a leisurely hour to get to Alcoutim. Ignore the sign for the town, which looms on your right just before Odeleite. (That will be the road for the return journey.) Instead, carry on past the Barragem de Odeleite, a huge shimmering reservoir, and snake past many hamlets until the junction at Cruzamento, where Alcoutim is signposted.

Refresh yourself at any one of Alcoutim’s cafés hugging the central Praça da República. Alternatively, O Soeiro, at the bottom of Rua Município, has an outside terrace near the quay.

Afternoon

After lunch, consider a mini-excursion to Spain. The local Portuguesebarqueiro (boatman) will take passengers across the river to Sanlúcar, the mirror image of Alcoutim. An equally agreeable Spaniard will ferry you back when you’re ready.

The drive back to Castro Marim, via the 507, is one of the most inspiring routes in the Algarve, along the bank of the Guadiana. Call in at the little Museu do Rio in Guerreiros do Rio ( Inland Villages), to find out about local life.

After Foz de Odeleite the road heads back to the hills before joining the EN122 and arrowing south.

Morning

Begin at the Praça do Giraldo and wander up Rua 5 de Outubro towards the Sé (cathedral). Look out for the 14th-century carved Apostles flanking the portal and, once inside, climb to the treasury to see the 13th-century ivory figure of the Virgin.

Adjacent to the cathedral is the Museu de Évora, where a dazzling 16th-century Flemish polyptych,Life of the Virgin , can be found upstairs.

On the opposite side of the square are the granite Corinthian columns of the Templo Romano– the best-preserved Roman monument in Portugal.

From here, retrace your steps back to Praça do Giraldo for lunch or a coffee at Café Cozinha de Santo Humberto.

Afternoon

Take Rua da República, on the eastern side of Praça do Giraldo. A few minutes’ walk brings you to Praça 1 de Maio lorded over by the huge 16th-century Manueline-Gothic Igreja de São Francisco.

The church’s principal draw is the Capela dos Ossos (Chapel of Bones). The skeletal remains of some 5,000 monks line the walls and columns of the chapel. An inscription above the entrance reads, “Nós ossos que aqui estamos, pelos vossos esperamos” (“We bones that are here await yours”).

Time to rest, maybe back at one of the cafés on Praça do Giraldo.