Loulé – Portugal

While spending Christmas 2017 in Quarteira Portugal we took a day away from the beach to visit Loulé .  I read about Loulé while researching things to do in Portugal, it came highly recommended therefore, we decided to give it a go!

Where is Loulé

Loulé is  roughly 12 km North East of Quateira.

How To Get There

While in the Algarve, I found this website invaluable – Algarve bus, it seems to be either updated on a regular basis or the timetables never change.

We purchased our tickets from the ticket desk at Quarteira bus station, but they can also be purchased on board the bus from any resort. The journey took us roughly 30 minutes from Quarteira.

On Arrival

On arrival in Loulé the bus station is a short 5 minute walk away from the town.

To get to the town centre, come out of the station and turn left.  Walk until you come to the next main road and then turn right. Continue down the sweeping hill that is lined with shops, supermarkets, banks and so on.

You will see a tourist information centre on the right just before the round about, make sure to go in and pick up a local map, it has all the places we visited on it, plus more.

What To See

Mercado Municipal de Loulé

First of all we came across the Mercado Municipal de Loulé (Desde 1908) it is a large indoor market which sells just about everything.

Check out the times of the market, it opens pretty early. We arrived just after 11 am and it was starting to pack up for the day, but there was still plenty going on, and plenty to see.
If you’re hungry there are loads of wee side shops selling food, coffee and beers.

Câmara Municipal de Loulé

Next up we passed a beautiful building on Praça da República, which is the town hall.

The Old Town Square

Just down from the town hall we came across an open court yard area. At the time of our visit it was Christmas and the local town had put on a display for the kids with free rides.  It was brilliant, Megan had a ball running around and going on all the rides. Such a lovely, and unexpected touch!

Capela de Nossa Senhora da Conceição

Down the hill on the left hand side we wandered into the old town, there is a number of churches that are free to enter and have a look around.

Old Town

The streets around here are cobbled, narrow,  quiet and beautiful. We spent most of the afternoon just wandering around, stopping off now and again for a beer, coffee and a pastel de nata.

Castle of Loulé

The main attraction for me was the castle. Entry is 1 euro 62 cents, which for a main attraction in any Western European town is brilliant value for money.

On entry there is a small museum which explains the history of the castle and the surrounding area. Outside we were then  free to walk about the castle walls, the view from the top was amazing.

We spent about 30 mins in the castle, which for the cost I found it great value.

Would We Go Back To Loulé

100% yes from me, Loulé is a lovely traditional Portuguese town. A lovely day out away from the tourist destinations of the Algarve.

Top Tips

1. Try and get to Loulé early to experience the market in full flow.

2. Time your visit well – Loulé plays host to a number of festivals through the year. The main ones are Loulé Carnival held in February and Noite Blanca, a celebration marking the end of the summer.