Top Things to do in Silves
10 Things to Do in Silves That You Shouldn't Miss
Discover the best top things to do in Silves, Portugal including Quinta Do Frances Winery, Quinta dos Vales, Algarve Freedom Kayaks, Algar de Benagil, Carvoeiro Boardwalk, GRASPaWASP, Praia de Benagil, Porches Pottery, Wildwatch Algarve, Slide & Splash - Water Slide Park.
Restaurants in Silves
1. Quinta Do Frances Winery
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 180 reviews
Winery with guided tour, wine tasting and wine shop in the Algarve. Owned by a French man which produces high quality red, rosé and white wines. Open all year.
Reviewed By PeterHarvey - Norwich UK
French owners from scratch - hence the name - in fact the owner is a still-practising French doctor, and unsurprisingly french varietals are mainly grown here. Lovely rural setting in the Odelouca valley not far from Silves, all wine from estate-grown fruit. Very fancy and well-appointed winery and visitors' / sales room, informative and relaxed tour with Tania (thanks). Wines are pretty decent and relatively good value, though not inexpensive. Their flagship eponymous red is delicious; a blend of cab,syrah, tempranillo and trincadeira, for around £15. We made an appointment but I think that casual callers to taste and buy are welcome, though they close for a couple of hours mid day.
2. Quinta dos Vales
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 113 reviews
Reviewed By PeterHarvey - Norwich UK
We were doing a comprehensive tour of Algarve wineries and I'm afraid were underwhelmed by the wines here, in comparison with most others we visited. "The avant-garde" statuary and installations were bizarre and self-indulgent. Is this a winery or an art gallery ? The wines were competent but unremarkable, we had the entry level and middle level tasting flights plus a couple of freebie add-ons and, to be fair, despite competing with the onslaught of 2 tour buses-full we were well looked after. One rosé I wanted to try was opened and pronounced corked which I disagreed with, but was withheld and we had to have a cheaper example. But the other - off the list but just bottled - was a Syrah / Viognier (as in Cote Rotie) which was OK, but not cheap. A contextual comment is that in our opinion, Cliff Richard's place Quinta de Miradoro has some much better wines and a more interesting tour.
3. Algarve Freedom Kayaks
Overall Ratings
5 based on 266 reviews
We are a small company offering Kayak Tours and on the Golden Coast of the Algarve (between Ferragudo and Carvoeiro)visiting some of the most spectacular caves and coastline of the region.
Reviewed By Laura W
We had a really good day with freedom kayaks. We booked on for the BBQ kayak tour. It was great paddling in and out of caves and tunnels and we saw some really beautiful coastline.
The BBQ was on a secluded beach and we had lots of time to swim, snorkeling and relax here. The food was freshly cooked (chicken, sausage, ribs, shrimp, tuna, salad, fruits and cookies plus soft drinks) and there was plenty for everyone to eat.
The tour was meant to be 4 hours but as there was no afternoon tour we were out for 6.5 hours allowing us lounger at the beach.
The kayaks are stable sit on tops and a safety boat is never far away from anyone who needs to stop paddling. The guide was good and we felt safe throughout the trip. The safety boat tows the kayaks the first couple of km and after paddling around 7km of coastline the boat can also tow you back to port of you can't manage the return paddle.
Get to Ferragudo from Praia da Rocha using the ferry taxi which costs €6 return and leaves from the marina.
This trip is well worth the €40 (€25 without BBQ)
4. Algar de Benagil
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 56 reviews
Reviewed By funtaina25 - Sunnyvale, California
This beach was very tiny but cute. The view, the waves, and the sand so nice. Now, keep in mind most of the Beaches in Portugal around this area, the water is cold. This beach was not as cold as the one in Praia Dona Ana. The parking in the area was a bit crazy as well but you can manage to find something but again the beach was crowed
5. Carvoeiro Boardwalk
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 763 reviews
Reviewed By Sabine K
Carvoeiro built this boardwalk about 2 1/2 years ago and it is excellent and good fun, especially with nice weather (which is 310 days in a year), and blue skies. At the end you can have lunch at the ALGA SECO Restaurant. Good quality and all very fresh, especially the fish, which the fisherman from Carvoeiro delivers every morning! Service is friendly and quick! The view over the blue pools directly to the ocean is spectacular!! Go there on a nice sunny day, you won´t be disappointed. We live in Carvoeiro for 6 months every year and we always have lunch there when we feel like it!
6. GRASPaWASP
Overall Ratings
5 based on 168 reviews
GRASPaWASP, Scooter, Vespa, Convertible Cars and Bike Rental. GRASPaWASP TOURS: Guided Tours by Convertible Car and Scooter guided tours. Let GRASPaWASP kick-start your vacation into high gear! Rent your Scooter and experience Italian timeless style, combined with modern 4 stroke engines! An unforgettable and environment-friendly mobility! Easy online booking and scooter Delivery to your place! GRASPaWASP TOURS offers you an extraordinary adventure driving a Convertible Car. Cruise natural landscapes that only the Algarve can offer in which you will discover places, that is much more than sun and sand!
Reviewed By cuty777 - Washington DC, District of Columbia
I don't think I have ever been treated better by a business. Actually, to tell you the truth, I think even my friends are not quite as nice half of the time.
The communication with the owners happens in real time, they respond within minutes with very detailed information - pre-set Google maps, phone numbers, location, you name it.
Ralf and Ilenia delivered the scooter to our apartment, gave me an opportunity to try it out and when I did not prove to be quite as a capable rider as I thought, offered to take us on a tour in their convertible for no extra charge. (I almost rode the scooter into a store and they still let me ride it around the block for a proper test :))
Ilenia arrived on time, did an amazing job navigating narrow and hilly streets all the while chatting effortlessly about a variety of subjects (what an interesting life she's had!). She brought snorkeling equipment, swam to the caves with us, offered to take pictures, laughed and made our tour absolutely wonderful. There was no rush, it felt like we were out with a friend for an afternoon of swimming.
I would highly recommend working with this company - capable, patient, genuinely enjoying their job, providing the highest level of customer service.
7. Praia de Benagil
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 815 reviews
Reviewed By Artem L
This place worth the trip. When we came to the beach there are no supsurfs available to reach the cave. So we went to the nearest shop and bought inflatable mattress, bought sparkling wine and swam to the cave. And now I am seriously recommend to go to the cave for 2-3 hours with some food and wine and have a really good time in this beautiful place. but the fact that you DO NOT NEED TO DO exactly is to take a boat trip. Because we saw people who go into the cave, but they can not land on the cave shore. It's horrible.
8. Porches Pottery
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 101 reviews
Reviewed By lllaroo - Atlanta, Georgia
We visited several other pottery shops in the area and the quality at Porches Pottery is exceptionally high. Beautiful patterns and a wide selection of handmade pottery. The shopkeepers were very helpful, in particular by working with us to ship our selections to the U.S. Shipping is very expensive, but the prices are so reasonable that even with the shipping cost, we thought everything was a fair bargain. Also, there is a very nice cafe right in the building with the shop. The proprietor was friendly and the food was good.
9. Wildwatch Algarve
Overall Ratings
5 based on 213 reviews
Wildwatch Algarve is dolphin watching and more. We leave from Ferragudo. After the trip in our dolphin watching center, you get extra information, coffee, tea and cookies and we show you the video of the dolphin trip... We offer unique cave trips, kayak and snorkelling trips as well as sailing adventures.
Reviewed By joannet723 - Exeter, United Kingdom
An incredible experience for the whole family. The company are passionate about conservation and very informative about their work in the area. The boats were well equipped and speedy, leave your sunglasses and hats at the base! We spent a couple of hours following a...Moreobrigado :)
10. Slide & Splash - Water Slide Park
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 2 reviews
Opened on June 10, 1986, Slide & Splash has been considered one of the best and largest water parks in the country and Europe. With a total area of 7 hectares, the park offers many aquatic entertainments for all tastes and ages, as well as lawns or sun loungers, zones with animal shows, massage and fish spa, several restaurants and a shop. Slide & Splash guarantees the visitor the best possible fun, always with the maximum conditions of safety, hygiene and comfort, in accordance with the law decree nº 5/97 of March, which regulates the activity of the water parks in Portugal.
Reviewed By 4plusadogandcat - London
So said my 12 year old. This is the rest of her review:
"I really enjoyed going to Slide And Splash since there were lots of slides for every skill level. I went on most of the rides, however I couldn't quite conquer the Kamikaze or drops. My personal favourites were the Big Wave and Tornado. There's a wide range of slides which are all very different and are suitable for birth kids and adults. Around the perimeter of the park there are paths which are great when the main paths are hot. These paths, however, do not cover the whole park and where there aren't water paths, the floor is very bumpy and uncomfortable to walk on - this includes the steps to each ride. The day after visiting the park, my feet hurt which was very annoying but this would definitely not stop me from going again. Overall it was a great experience with fun slides, exciting wildlife shows and friendly workers."
From a adult perspective, a great fun water park aimed squarely at the family market. Older teenage thrill seekers should look elsewhere. Coffee great too, unusually for these places. We did visit near to the end of the season so virtually no queues - perfectly warm enough and water fine too.
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