Pet-Friendly Attractions in Portimão

The Arade riverfront and marina form the lively heart of Portimão, with moored boats, open promenades and waterside cafés that make for an easy leashed stroll. It is also where the dolphin-watching and Benagil cave boat trips depart, several of which welcome dogs aboard if you arrange it in advance.

Portimão's old town centres on the leafy Largo 1 de Dezembro, a garden square famous for its tiled benches depicting moments in Portuguese history, surrounded by pedestrian shopping streets and pastry cafés. It is a pleasant, shaded place to wander with a leashed dog between the river and the church of Nossa Senhora da Conceição.

At the eastern end of the Praia da Rocha boardwalk stands the 17th-century Fortaleza de Santa Catarina, guarding the mouth of the Arade with sweeping views over the beach, the river and Ferragudo opposite. The viewpoints and the clifftop boardwalk around it are open-air and easily enjoyed with a leashed dog.