However, there is the possibility of getting there via the ecological path, the “Caminho dos três Pauzinhos”, with access reserved for pedestrians, bicycles and a train that runs in the summer.

The train runs for 30 to 45 minutes, with stops in front of the Tennis Club, on Avenida Ministro Duarte Pacheco, next to the volunteer fire station and next to the LIDL roundabout (Tourist train route and stops).

Monte Gordo Bay is located at the eastern end of the Ria Formosa Natural Park. A long stretch of sand with calm waters, it is home to one of the best beaches in the Algarve.

The artisanal fishing boats, when they finish their work and reach the area, and the seagulls landing on the sand create a colourful landscape.

The dunes are wide, especially to the east and west of the town, as the tourist area dominates the centre. The walkways take visitors down to the sand and have surveillance and support equipment during the bathing season.

Praia da Manta Rota offers long walks on the bright sandy beach, along the foamy shore with its slow-moving waves that hardly ever rise. The increasingly touristy area has transformed a fishing village into a major international tourist centre.

The Cacela Velha Peninsula, already within the Ria Formosa, lies on a thin strand of sand that can be reached by boat. It’s a magical place, because at one point you’re surrounded on one side by the Ria channel and on the other by the infinite ocean.

All the beaches in the municipality of Vila Real de Santo António have infrastructures that guarantee safety and access for visitors, lifeguard surveillance, bars and terraces.

The European Blue Flag attests to the quality of all our beaches. The turquoise of the sea, the green of the pine forests, brushstrokes of colour that seduce the eye and express the beauty of Vila Real de Santo António and its municipality.

The city was born on the site of a former fishing village called Santo António da Arenilha.

Throughout its history, the Kingdom of Portugal and the Kingdom of the Algarves have always had political problems with neighbouring Spain, which is why special care has always been taken with the region’s border regions. The mouth of the Guadiana River divides the south-eastern tip of Portugal from the south-western tip of Spain, and for many years the only Portuguese town that protected national territory in this area was Castro Marim.