Silves castle is a major Algarve holiday attraction visited by numerous holiday makers all year round.
The impressive fortified walls of the Castelo de Silves are an impressive sight and if you delve into the somewhat treacherous history you can see that they needed defending on a number of occasions during the middle ages.
Richard the Lionheart was one of the many crusaders from kingdoms throughout Europe who assisted the Portuguese Christians in overthrowing the Moors who conquered the city and renamed it Xleb. Fortunes were reversed on a number of occasions until it was finally conquered and held for Portugal during the time of Alfonso III whose statue stands before the castle today.
Built from red sandstone and a mixture of sand and sandstone devised by the Moors, known as taipa, the walls of Silves castle have a distinctive red hue which changes with the sunlight during the course of the day.
Inside the walls, which include eleven square towers, there is nothing left of the buildings which once lay within. This is the largest castle in the Algarve and well worth a visit.
We have an excellent range of Algarve holiday villa accommodation as well as numerous villas in Portugal with private pools all around the coast. If you require any assistance with planning your travel to the Algarve or choosing a place to stay or are just looking for ideal of what to see and do there then please do use the experience of our travel advisors who will be more than happy to help you. You can call using our freephone telephone service or send an email and we will respond within 24 hours.