Faro
Most visitors land at the modern international airport at Faro which is the capital of the Algarve.  From there, it is only a 20 minute drive to the villa.  The nearest beach to the villa is also at Faro - a long sandy stretch of coast which is accessed via a causeway.  The old part of the city is steeped in history, but on the outskirts is a very large and modern shopping mall.

Estói
The nearest town to the villa is Estói, which is famous for its 18th Century Palace and nearby Roman ruins.  It only takes about 5 minutes to drive there, and has a number of small grocery shops, butcher, chemist, banks and several restaurants. Once a month Estói holds a huge outdoor market which has a great atmosphere and where you can buy practically anything.

São Brás
A ten minute drive northwards takes you to the small town of São Brás where you will find pavement cafes, restaurants and supermarkets.

Loulé
With its colourful weekly market and good shopping centre, Loulé is about 10 miles to the west.

Olhão
Olhão is a typical Portuguese fishing town with a daily fish market on the waterfront.  There are several large supermarkets and numerous restaurants - many of course specialise in fish dishes!   From here you can take a ferry out to the islands of Culatra and Armona.

General Notes
Quinta dos Lirios is situated in a beautiful, unspoilt part of the Algarve.  As with most villas, its rural location and limited public transport means that hiring a car is essential.

If you wish to visit the 'commercialised' area of the Algarve, it only takes about ten minutes to get onto the motorway and then a further 25 minutes to reach Albufeira.