How To Spend One Day In Silves, Portugal: Best Things To Do
We went on a day-trip to Silves on our visit to Portugal in June & it was one of our favourite places! It was refreshing to see somewhere a bit different than the beachy, coastal towns of the Algarve & we loved how much history this inland town has.
In this post, we’ll share with you how to spend one day in Silves & the best things to do there, as well as some helpful tips! Enjoy your trip to Portugal!🌞
Is Silves, Portugal Worth Visiting?
We absolutely think Silves in Portugal is worth visiting! Particularly if you have an interest in history & spending your vacation sightseeing. There are so many interesting things to see & do in Silves, not to even mention how beautiful this place is! So if you enjoy a more cultural experience on vacation, it’s definitely a place you should put on your bucket list for Portugal!
How Do I Get To Silves
The city of Silves is located in the Algarve region of southern Portugal. It’s situated inland, rather than on the Algarve coast.
Click Here To Find Silves On The Map!📌
The closest airport to Silves is Faro International Airport, which is around 46km away or a 50-60 min drive.
We were staying in Albufeira, so we’ll share mostly how to get to Silves from there:
BY CAR 🚗 : We drove to Silves for the day in our rental car, which we hired through the Discover Cars website a few weeks before we arrived in Portugal.
From Albufeira (where we were staying), it took us 30 minutes to get there, which wasn’t so bad at all!
The roads are in good condition & it was really easy to find our way with the satnav on. We loved having the car in Portugal as it gives you the freedom to explore places you may not see otherwise!
BY PUBLIC TRANSPORT 🚏: There is a direct bus from Albufeira to Silves which takes 45 minutes & goes every 4 hours. For the bus timetables head to the Vamus Algarve website.
BY TOUR BUS 🚐: If you like guided tours, there are plenty that will take you to Silves & other areas of the Algarve on the same day! Many will have hotel-pickup & drop-off making it super easy! Click here to check out ALL the top-rated tours to Silves (including wine tasting tours!)
BY TAXI 🚕: It wouldn’t be our favourite option but you can get a taxi from Albufeira to Silves. It will cost around €30-45 each way (possibly even more)!
How Long Should I Spend In Silves
We arrived in Silves around 10am & spent about 3 hours there. We seen MOST of the main attractions in this time apart from a few. You could spend longer here depending on what you want to see & how long you like to spend exploring. We also didn’t stop to eat anywhere in that time so you may want to have breakfast or lunch in Silves too! We’d say anywhere from 3-5 hours is plenty to see everything but you could totally spend a full day here if you wanted!
Where Can I Park In Silves
You can either drive right into Silves & try to find a parking spot on one of the small streets, or you can park in one of the bigger car parks on the outskirts & walk in.
We chose to park on the outskirts as we didn’t want to get lost driving round the tiny streets or get stuck going the wrong way 😂!
The car park we went to is located here right beside the Burger Ranch restaurant & the Silves Sign! It was free & we got a space pretty easily. Took us about 5 minutes to walk over to the main town area.
There are also two other main car parks: one here beside Almutamid Square & nearby here. Both of which are in a good location to start going uphill & exploring the historical attractions.
There’s plenty of on-street parking too, especially on the main road as you enter over the bridge. We’d just suggest avoiding the VERY centre of the town as some of the streets are narrow & there are a lot of pedestrians!
If you don’t fancy walking up to the castle we did notice a parking area here at the very top of the town, just a few minutes walk away from the castle.
Best Things To Do In Silves
1) Explore Silves Town
Silves has lots of brightly coloured streets to explore with cute outdoor cafes, restaurants & small shops dotted about everywhere.
Even though you’ll still see plenty of tourists wandering about, it has a different ambience than the coastal towns of the Algarve. Very peaceful & homely!
One thing to note is that Silves is quite hilly, so be sure to bring some water with you especially if you’re going all the way to the top!
2) Silves Castle
The castle is well worth visiting on your day trip to Silves. For one adult admission is €2.80 or you can get a combined ticket for the castle & archaeological museum for €3.90.
Once you’re inside the castle walls, it’s all mostly outside, with only a few small exhibitions & artefacts inside some of the turrets.
There’s a walkway that will take you all the way around the perimeter of the castle (just be careful as there are no railings!) However there are some unbelievable views from the walkways & further up in some of the towers – which make it well worthwhile visiting!
There’s actually a restaurant inside the castle aswell which is pretty cool if you fancy a coffee or a quick bite to eat!
If you want more info about visiting the castle check out the Silves website!
3) Silves Cathedral
This large Gothic style cathedral was built in the 13th century, but has since had some renovations due to an earthquake in 1755. It’s proper name is the ‘Sé Catedral of Silves‘. You’ll come across it on your way up to the castle.
Admission is only 2 Euros (as of 2024), so it’s worth going inside for 10 minutes & checking out the interior architecture.
Note: We’ve read that you need to have your shoulders & arms covered inside the cathedral – but that they provide shawls if necessary!
4) Muralhas de Silves Viewpoint
If you’ve read any of our other posts, you know we appreciate a good viewpoint!🤣 This one is located HERE, right at the very top of the town, not too far from the castle.
It is quite random, in that you have to walk through a car park to get to it lol, but we’d say it’s worth getting a photo of if you’re up that way anyway!
This spot gives you a gorgeous, uninterrupted view of the Silves countryside & the mountains in the distance!
5) Silves Town Hall
The Câmara Municipal de Silves or City Hall is a grand building which overlooks the main square.
We wish we’d actually gone in here to take a look as we’ve since seen pictures of it’s stunning interior. So if it’s open, do take a peek in to check it out!
6) Letreiro Silves
By luck we had actually parked right beside the Silves ‘Letters’, otherwise we may not have seen them! Click here to see the location on Google Maps!
Not much to do here other take a fun photo to commemorate your trip to Silves!
7) Torreão das Portas de Ciudade
A must-visit in Silves is the old city gates, which leads into the historical centre of Silves. There were 3 gates leading into the city, this is the last one standing – Porta da Almedina.
It overlooks the plaza on the other side, & is really worth seeing. A really great spot to take some pictures too!
8) Praça da Município
As you walk through the old city gates, you’ll come onto this beautiful square – one of our favourite spots in Silves if we do say so ourselves!
There’s a lovely fountain here to look at, & it’s really lovely with the palm trees & beautiful buildings surrounding it. A good place to get some shade lol!
If you need a caffeine fix or fancy a sweet treat, Café da Rosa is a highly recommended spot right on the square! We’ll definitely be going there for a pastel de nata next time!
9) Statue Of José Vitoriano
Walking down from the castle past the back of the cathedral & the popular Café Inglês, you’ll stumble upon this ‘bust’ of José Vitoriano, a famous Portuguese politician from Silves.
This is a good spot to take a rest for a moment & enjoy the views, or even have your lunch at one of the picnic tables!
What Else To See & Do In Silves
There where a few other spots & sights we missed which we have on our list for when we visit Silves again.
So we thought we’d just add them here for you just so you don’t miss them!
- Ponte Romano Bridge – An old Roman bridge just as you enter Silves, supposedly built back in the 15th century!
- Praça Al Mutamid – Absolutely gutted we missed this beautiful square, it looks like a lovely place to relax & the Al-Mutamid monument looks stunning!
- Archaeological Museum of Silves – If you are interested in the history of Silves, then definitely visit the museum! It’s only a couple of euros to enter or you can buy a combi-ticket for the castle too.
Best Places To Eat In Silves 🍕🍜🍝🍽️
🍴 Rainha Restaurante & Bistro
🍴 Cafe Da Se
🍴 Segredo dos Mouros – Moorish Secret
🍴 Parsley & Thyme
🍴 Compromisso
Where To Stay In Silves, Portugal
There are SO MANY gorgeous, quirky places to stay in Silves – we think it would be quite difficult to choose which place to book!
Here are some of our favourite top-rated accommodations in Silves:
💗 Quinta das Piteiras Turismo Rural
💗 Casa Nova
💗 Casa Margarida Azul
💗 Silves History Guest House
💗 Casa Doce
💗 Casa da Sé
Click here to explore all accommodations in Silves & find your favourite!
We hope this post has given you some inspiration for a day trip to Silves! Let us know in the comments if you are planning to visit Silves soon or would like to in the near future!
Quick Resources For Your Trip To Silves🌞:
🏨 Find hotels & apartments in Silves via Booking.Com
🚗 Rent a car for your trip to Silves through DiscoverCars.com
🏝️ Book Silves day trips, tours & experiences on GetYourGuide
More posts about Portugal you might enjoy reading:
- Albufeira Marina: Things To Do & Complete Guide 🚤
- Praia Da Vigia, Albufeira: How To Find This Secret Beach 🏖️
- Do You Need To Rent A Car In The Algarve, Portugal? 🚗
- Praia dos Arrifes, Albufeira: Getting There, Photos & Tips
- Vale de Parra, Portugal: All You Need To Know
- 6 Very Best Things To Do In Carvoeiro, Algarve
Pin this post to read again before your day trip to Silves, Portugal 📌
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Planning to go to Silves in April from the first to the eighth to visit my friends family! any other suggestions or info would be appreciated! Loved the post by the way!
Gina Diana
Hi Gina! Thank you so much for your comment & so glad you liked the post! I am sure you’re looking forward to visiting Silves! It’s such a lovely place. We definitely recommend visiting the castle, the views from up there were absolutely beautiful! Are you renting a car whilst you’re there or just staying in the town?