Via Algarviana

Name Via Algarviana
Status Concluded
Location Albufeira, Alcoutim, Aljezur, Castro Marim, Tavira, São Brás de Alportel, Loulé, Silves, Monchique, Lagoa, Lagos, Portimão e Vila do Bispo
Entity Almargem Association

More information:
website
facebook

Pedagogical Guide to Schools:

Download pdf

About the project

Via Algarviana is a network of footpaths installed mainly in low density areas in the Algarve region. This infrastructure was set up with the aim of encouraging ecotourism, promoting the environmental and cultural heritage of these areas and boosting the local economy. We want to show that there is another Algarve to discover.
It was inaugurated in 2009. Since then, Via Algarviana has grown in partnership with the 13 municipalities that are now part of its routes, and with other local partners. Besides the 300 km of the Great Route (Alcoutim - Cape St Vincent), there is a network of other complementary routes and thematic ones, totalling 800 km (in 2021) which can be covered on foot, or by mountain bike.
The Via Algarviana has been the occasion for environmental education activities, in coordination with the region's schools, in the conviction that sustainable development is only possible if we all get to know and value our territory from an early age.

New European Bauhaus framework

This project is more than just a pedestrian route: the local people are an integral part of these infrastructures, as they are the main differentiating element of this Pedestrian Route, with their traditions and culture.
The "Via Algarviana Territory" shows a more genuine Algarve, where the traditions, arts and crafts that make up the heritage of its cultural heritage still prevail. It informs and encourages the population and visitors about this heritage, appealing to environmental and social responsibility. It acts on a fundamental premise: only if we provide people with knowledge of the area they pass through will we succeed in captivating them into valuing, preserving, protecting and caring for it.