Albufeira the tourist Metropole of the Algarve
Albufeira is a Portuguese city and a municipality in the district of Faro, Algarve. Its name came from the Arabic: lagoon. The city proper has a population of 13,646.The municipality has a population of 35,281 inhabitants and a total area of 140.6 km².
The population expands to an estimated 300,000 in the summer and New Year's as Albufeira is one of the leading tourist resorts of the region. Facilities include a marina, golf courses plus innumerable hotels, apartment blocks, restaurants and bars for the annual flood of visitors. Tourism and commerce are the main activities in Albufeira. Most tourists arrive via the nearby Faro Airport, a 40-minute drive away.
After sunset, the center of Albufeira comes alive with bars, restaurants, and shops to suit most tastes, from authentic Portuguese-fare to Irish pubs. The architecture of the town ranges from typically Algarvian narrow streets with pale white and sometimes tiled houses to very modern tourist developments. The apartments near the newly built Marina e Bryn are a unique splash of pinks, blues, and yellows, dubbed "Lego land" by the local inhabitants
A local culinary speciality is cataplana (steamed shellfish), a very well known dish from the Algarve region. Caldeirada (fish stew), and the simpler but also popular grilled sardines are also very appreciated and are traditional dishes across the entire country, especially in litoral areas. The nightlife on "The Strip", located near the Montechoro section of Albufeira, proves especially popular during the summer with all ages, especially the younger tourists.
Going down "The Strip", the most popular bars include Erin's Isle, Matt's Bar, Linekers, Café del Mar, Mustang, BJ's, Garage, Reno's, La Bamba, and Wild & Co. There is also an extremely popular nightclub, Kiss. Kadoc, located around seven miles away between Albufeira and Vilamoura near the town of Boliqueime