Olhão, Portugal

Olhão sits on the eastern edge of the Ria Formosa in southern Portugal, where roughly 46,000 residents live beside the largest fishing port in the Algarve. The 1842 Cubist-style waterfront market hall pairs two red-roofed blocks across 1,200 m² of stalls, while the 1719 Nossa Senhora do Rosário church displays a tiled facade of 9,000 blue-and-white azulejos depicting biblical scenes. The Ria Formosa Natural Park protects 18,000 hectares of lagoons and five barrier islands beyond the town. Ferries depart the harbour for Armona, Culatra, and Farol year-round.