Castro Marim and Vila Real de Santo António Marsh Natural Reserve in Vila Real

Well worth a visit and even the climb if you are interested in history.

2 fantastic places

One of our favourite areas to visit

Much cleaner than VRSA.

Lots to see. Beautiful towns.

Well worth a visit to both fort ,(recently restoredand castle (under restoration lunch at one of the quiet restaurants in the village below - well worth the trip

A nice place for a quiet walk. Parking and picnic area, and a few flamingos when I was here in November.

Great walk from VRSA. We saw the Castle and had beautiful views of the City!

Beautiful area, made more interesting by castles, salt ponds, sculptures off the highway and gorgeous birds including flamingos.

Nice dirt roads and paths to cycle or walk while birdwatching.

I was disappointed with the nature reserve: its a joke. Its smaller than the average back yard, but the concrete and brick visitor centre is hugh. Try the satellite view before you decide to visit. And, yes, cows are grazing inside the reserve (and yes, there is cattle wire?!. Still, of course some birds do use it as a refuge...

A village which should have more publicity. A Castle dating back to the 14 century. A joy.

Staff excellent, manage English, Spanish German and French...maybe more.Clean and modern. Staff very friendly. Coffee excellent.

Do not miss Castro Marim if you are nearby. One of its top attractions is the medieval fair that usually takes place mid August. This fair gathers lots of people. Local restaurants setup tables inside the castle where you can dine as if you have gone back in time to the 13th century. Great for kids! Unfortunately due to the covid 19 pandemic it was cancelled in 2020. Nevertheless explore the salt fields just outside the city. You will not miss them if take the main road to Vila Real de Santo Antonio and look east. If you are into something different there is a spot where you can bathe in a salty pool/spa! :)

Lovely little castle that recounts the history of the region and the Knights Templar. Would have been a four star review except that the Torture Museum mentioned in other posts was inexplicably closed. Although the views were lovely.

Its pretty and clean but if you on the large size of life (like me), all the chairs in the cafes/restaurants have arms and I just didnt fit, which is embarrassing. Spent most our time walking around trying to find some where that didnt have arms on the chair. My problem not the area.Few shops to enjoy but same stuff after the 2nd or 3rd. You have to pay to park around there if you drive. Lots of people on bikes, even in February when we visited. Pleasant but in no rest to go back. Lovely hour spent strolling around.

Nice place for a walk, maybe even spot a bird or two. Flamingos, storks and others.

Nice view from the top

Senic area on both sides of the road, punctuated by salt collecting basins. A lot of birds can be seen here. Well worth a visit, especially at dawn and sunset.

We did not visit but got fantastic views fro Castro Marin castle.

Great views and well-preserved ruins. Today was a cloudy day, we recommend to vist on a day like this.

Lovely. You can not just see the border, u can feel it. And Vila real is a superb city, on which the rebuilding of Lisbon after 1765 earthquake was based.

Amazing atmosphere. Very lively and interesting. Lovely surroundings - castle is gorgeous. Good food/drinks and awesome shows. Visit during the medieval festival and you won’t regret it!!

Still quaint & unspoilt after 30 years

If you are a dedicated Bird watcher then go spend a few hours driving the salt pans there were 26 species of bird there, many wed already seen, but fun anyway. Take a picture of the bridge.However if you are looking for help at the local wildlife visitor centre youll be disappointed, no one there could assist. Staff were scarce (we could hear voices).The lesser short toed lark was nowhere to be seen.... maybe next time.

Castro is a lovely small town woth old fortress on top of the hill. Perfect for a lazy afternoon

Parked in the aire right on the estuary watching Spain with twinkling lights on the river. Very close to a nice town. The hotel school restaurant was full so book in advance.

Very beautiful vistas. Excellant teachings. Real artifacts. Excellant walking tour.well worth the visit.

Very good if you like walking, you need a good pair of binoculars to see the birds and fauna, (hides not open when we were therelot of interesting flora n

Nice village. Great monthly market. Lots of little cafés. Interesting accessible castle.

A terrific nature reserve for the bird life, well worth an early morning or late evening visit at the right time of year

The "Centro de interpretacao" at the Revelim de Sto Antonio should be your starting point, near the Chapel and the restored windmill. The excellent model with video projection of GIS layers gives you the perspective of the territory. From this belvedere you can see the bridge to Spain, the saltpans and the surrounding communities. The film about the cultural aspects is fascinating. Then walk up to the castle.

The information centre at Castro Marim nature reserve is closed at weekends. The building is now looking very shabby with some of its cladding falling off. The information boards are bleached white or broken and on the ground. The access to the hide near to the bridge to Spain is and always has been locked. Portugal should be ashamed of this site and the centre which must have cost a lot of EU money to build.

Wetlands and also salt pans caused by confluence of the coastal Atlantic Ocean and the River Guardiana (which is the border between Spain and Portugalmeet in Portugal just outside the adjacent towns of Vila Real Santo Antonio and Castro Marim Paradise for birdwatchers with huge variety of costal birds, waders, sea birds, herons egrets etc and other species such as storks and flamingos.

Not a fortress, just a wall that you pay 3 euros to get behind to scrubland and cliffs, however the wave roar hissing high out of caves is impressive,and people fishing ( and catchingoff a 100+ ft cliff is amazing.

Unbelievable location. Perfect climate and low cost of living.

Medieval Fair in August is well worth a visit. Very authentic. Vila Real Marina and town square with shopping street and cafes pleasant.

If you are looking for a very safe and peaceful place to holiday, then this is the destination. Golden sandy beaches and friendly locals. Only a stone through from Andalusia, Spain. And 40 minutes from Faro Airport.

Relaxed, friendly. Pure Algarve without the tourists.

I met Noel Pena to discuss my plans to build nearby. He was helpful, professional and generous with his time and knowledge.

This is the nearest place for bird watching if you stay in Monte Gordo. But do not go there after heavy rain!

Nice view and a good history lession available for 2 euros a person.

Quiet, sleepy village overlooked by impressively situated castle and fortifications. Amazing 360° panorama. Genuinely local bars well priced. Good place to pass a few hours.

Good parking gor a couple of daysClose to shops and services. Clos to Aires for fresh water and toilet emptying. Nice village to look around.

Beautiful friendly historical castle and fortifications. Peaceful town and very good coffee.

Great spot for a walk. Terrible signage and lots of litter at the parking spot. When you get away from this its lovely.

What a nice Offroad trip this was. Safari throughout the hills 👌

Good place to visit

The beauty and simplicity of a rural village by the sea. I was luck to catch the Medieval days at Castro Marim (late Augustand it was absolutely lovely and in true medieval spirit! Recommeded!

The medieval festival was truly amazing