Description Alcoutim

Booking.com

Alcoutim is a Portuguese village located in the District of Faro, and region and sub-region of the Algarve, with about 900 inhabitants. Until the administrative division, established in 1832, it belonged to the province of Alentejo.

Alcoutim, with its 576.57 km2 of area, is the municipality that is most northeast in the Algarve. The Vascão stream separates it from the municipalities of Mértola and Almodôvar to the north. To the west it borders Loulé and to the south Tavira and Castro Marim.

Away from the crowds and hustle and bustle of tourist centers on the Algarve coast, Alcoutim is a haven of tranquility between the Serra do Caldeirão and the Guadiana River, a natural border with neighboring Spain.

The village of Alcoutim is the seat of this municipality with 2,917 inhabitants (2011 censuses) and which is subdivided into four parishes - Union of the Parishes of Alcoutim and Pereiro, Giões, Martim Longo and Vaqueiros. The region has preserved its archaeological heritage, with emphasis on the Menjo do Lavajo, the Roman Villa of Montinho das Laranjeiras and the Archeology Center at Castelo da Vila, and keeps its handicrafts alive, eminently linked to rural life, with pieces that go from traditional wool blankets or rags to jute dolls.

Hunting, pork and lamb and river fish form the basis of a rich and diverse gastronomy, which also features an appetizing sweets, reflecting the abundance of honey, figs and almonds in the Algarve.