OLIVENZA Alqueva

The largest artificial lake in Europe was inaugurated in 2002. It extends over 250 square kilometres, covering land in Portugal and Spain. The municipalities of its basin in Spain are Alconchel, Cheles, Olivenza, Táliga and Villanueva del Fresno; in Portugal, it washes the shores of the municipalities and parishes of Alandroal, Capelins, Juromenha, Monsaraz, Mourão, Santiago Maior, São Brás dos Matos and Terena. The distance between the dam and the inlet (via the Ayuda Bridge) is 83 km and the highest point is 152 m.

Thanks to its 1160 km of coastline, the area has become a major tourist attraction for water sports and boat trips to discover the richness of the area, from ancient times to the present day. In fact, you can see dolmens from its waters and you can visit very interesting historical places.

This entire area, on the Spanish side, is also committed to quality tourism, having implemented the Integral System of Destination Tourism Quality (SICTED), under the name of "Tierras del Gran Lago de Alqueva", with a large number of distinguished member companies, making it an excellent tourist destination.

A series of piers are distributed along its banks, on both sides, which facilitate the development of water activities. In Olivenza, we have the one in the village of Villarreal, opposite the Portuguese town of Juromenha. Here you can do various types of water sports, river tours, etc…

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