This place used to be infamous for taking the tourist driver into its centre then sending them round and round in circles in one way streets built for single donkey carts. Many a visitor to the Algarve has visited Portimão but not, necessarily, by choice, however, it is still possible to get lost by coming in via the Praia da Rocha road.
These days, when travelling up and down the Algarve, the tourist is diverted around Portimão via a spectacular new suspension bridge and bypass. A conscious choice has to be made to visit the town.
It is a shame that the number one highlight of this commercial fishing town, that of seeing the boats unload and then eating ultra fresh fish next to them, has been spoilt by the building of a new unloading area on the other (eastern) side of the river. This is not accessible to the public however, fresh fish can still be eaten at the restaurants by the old quay.
What else is there to do, well, there is a large shopping area with both Portuguese and tourist shops. There is also a new fish market (to the west of the centre) and, if you haven't visited a fish market then, this is well worth a visit just to oggle at the wide variety of fish and their size (have you ever seen a whole tuna?).
One word of warning - Watch out for the 'shady' looking people selling gold rings and chains. They can be as bad as time share salesmen.
See also the adjacent areas of Alvor, Lagos, Praia da Rocha and Ferragudo.