Sao Bras de Alportel and the Museu do Traje

Sao Bras de Alportel is a country town about 17 km north of Faro in the Algarve region of Portugal, set in cork-oak hills at the foot of the Serra do Caldeirao. An Eva Transportes bus from Faro takes about 30 to 40 minutes and costs roughly EUR 3 one way, although services are limited on weekends. A taxi or Bolt takes about 20 minutes for roughly EUR 25, and a hire car via the N2 takes a similar time. The centre of the visit is the Museu do Traje, the costume museum on Rua Dr. Evaristo Sampaio, housed in a 19th-century mansion. It displays traditional Algarve clothing, textiles and everyday objects of rural and urban life, and it also covers local trades. The town has long been a centre of the cork industry, and the surrounding hills are planted with cork oaks harvested every nine years or so, leaving the trunks marked with the year of stripping. Other sights include the Igreja Matriz, the Casa da Cultura and the shaded public gardens of the Jardim da Verbena. The countryside around the town offers walks and cycling on quiet roads, and the beginnings of trails into the Serra do Caldeirao start nearby. A suggested day begins with the bus from Faro in the morning, a visit to the Museu do Traje while it is cooler, then a walk through the town centre and gardens. Lunch can be taken at one of the local restaurants, which serve regional dishes such as pork with sweet potato, bean stews and local sweets made with almond and fig. The afternoon can be used for a short walk into the cork-oak countryside before a return bus. Spring is the best season, when the hills are green and wildflowers appear, while summer afternoons are hot. Municipal information is available at cm-sbras.pt. The town is quiet and slow-paced, suiting travellers who want a rural contrast to the coast.