Monchique is a mountain town in the Serra de Monchique, with 5 462 inhabitants across 395 km², known for its thermal springs, its monuments and its natural areas.
The Serra de Monchique, known locally as the "Garden of the Algarve", rises to 902 metres at Fóia, the highest point of the Algarve.
Monuments in Monchique
Igreja Matriz de Monchique: 16th-century church with a Manueline portal carved with plant motifs and a small museum of religious objects.
Convento de Nossa Senhora do Desterro: ruins of a 17th-century convent among the trees above the town.
Nature in Monchique
Miradouro da Fóia: viewpoint at 902 metres over the western Algarve and the sea.
Caldas de Monchique: thermal spa village in a wooded valley south of the town.
Parque do Barranco dos Pisões: green space with picnic tables, a stream, a large old plane tree and a former watermill.
Cascata do Barbelote: waterfall into a pool among the trees.
Barragem de Odelouca: the main reservoir supplying water to the Algarve, south of the serra.
Parishes of Monchique
Alferce (391 inhabitants · 96 km²) and Marmelete (698 inhabitants · 140 km²): mountain parishes of the serra.
