The sweeping view from the 13th century Marvão castle which is perched atop this hilltop village in Northern Alentejo. The castle was built to protect the Serra of Alto Alentejo from the Spanish just across the nearby border.

The Capela dos Ossos (Chapel of Bones) in Evora is a wonderfully macabre reminder of our own mortality. It is located to the rear of the Igreja de São Francisco and was built during the 16th century by one of the Franciscan monks who thought it a nice idea to make his fellow monks contemplate on their own mortality. It seems things got a little carried away as the inside is covered in over 5,000 skulls plus a couple of desiccated corpses dangling from the ceiling!

The lavish interior of Faro's Igreja do Carmo. The gilded carved wood is typical of churches throughout Portugal but the decor on offer here is the work of master sculptor Manuel Martins. The money to pay for ehis lavish interior is said to have paid for by Brazilian gold back in the days when Portugal had an empire.

The Baroque façade of the Igreja do Carmo church in Faro is easy to spot with its twin bell towers and flaking whitewash. Built during most of the 18th century this is one of Faro's finest churches both inside and out. The interior is fairly extravagant and also includes the somewhat macabre Capela dos Ossos (Chapel of Bones).

The cathedral (or Sé) in Faro dates back to the 13th century when the town was reconquered from the Moors. Work began almost immediately on this, the church of Santa Maria.

Much of what you see dates back to this time, although the church was extended and also repaired after the 1755 earthquake. It is a different story for the interior though. In 1596 British troops under the command of the Earl of Essex looted and burned the cathedral, gutting it. However, the wood carving and gilding that replaced the original interior are suitably sumptuous and will not dissapoint.

The Anchor Graveyard (Cemitério das Âncoras) is located on the Ilha de Tavira behind the beach at Praia do Barril. This strange arrangement of anchors is in fact a kind of memorial to the lost tuna fishing industry that once thrived here. The anchors themselves were used to keep the nets in place as opposed to mooring the boats.

Peeking over the dunes and past the river towards the vast expanse of sand that is Bordeira. At low tide this beach stretches for around 3km up the coast.

This is the exposed west coast of the Algarve and has a much wilder feel than around the corner. Instead of cliffs there are sand dunes and the waves here are far bigger and more powerful.

An aerial view of Praia da Falésia (beach) which is situated about halfway between Albufeira and Quarteira. The name of the beach comes from the distinctive red cliffs which back onto it

The beach at Vale de Centeanes is set at the base of steep cliffs a few miles to the east of Carvoeiro. It is a Blue Flag beach and fortunately access isn't as difficult as you'd imagine from this view.

Located in the Algarve's 'Golden Triangle' Praia do Garrão is yet another fantastic sandy beach within striking distance of the Vale do Lobo resort. In the distance you can make out the beachfront apartments and hotels of Quarteira.

As a Blue Flag beach there are plenty of facilities here and the beach is both accessible and lifeguarded.