Porches Pottery
Porches Pottery
4.5
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Monday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Tuesday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Wednesday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Thursday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Friday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 2:00 PM
About
Porches Pottery creates the original and most distinctive handpainted ceramics of the Algarve. This working pottery is a family-run, local business that was founded over 50 years ago by two famous artists; Patrick Swift and Lima de Freitas. It was their dream to show that old crafts and artistic traditions did not have to die in our modern, plastic age. Porches Pottery is now world-famous for its colourful pots and tiles, all made by a small team of talented local artists, many of them trained by the founders. Together they continue a tradition that is thousands of years in the making. All year-round, on any weekday visit, you will see highly skilled artisans at work. Visit Porches Pottery to discover unique, hand made ceramics and take home a truly unique souvenir of Algarve. After your visit, stay and relax, and enjoy a light, refreshing lunch in the beautiful gardens of our Bar Bacchus café.
Duration: 1-2 hours
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
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4.5
160 reviews
Excellent
97
Very good
44
Average
14
Poor
4
Terrible
1
JoRo989
London, UK13 contributions
Jun 2021 • Family
There are many pottery shops in the area but this is the real McCoy - the others trade off the superb reputation and products of this one. Friendly staff, plenty of stock and a great place to stop for a snoop around. I have been retuned many times of a number of years - budget airlines have richly benefited from my overweight luggage. They do offer shipping to the UK..!
Written June 2, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you very much for your kind review! We work very hard to maintain high standards, and to keep the tradition of hand painted majolica pottery alive here, and it is not always easy! So, we really appreciate your support and your custom. We hope to see you again soon!
Written February 17, 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Cathyjr12
Edinburgh, UK23 contributions
Sep 2020 • Family
A really interesting pottery shop with beautiful tiles and crockery. The pottery is much heavier than most we had previously looked at.
We had lunch in the garden and really enjoyed the beautiful ceramic tiles that decorated the outdoor space. Lunch was great freshly made and very tasty. A really enjoyable visit .
We had lunch in the garden and really enjoyed the beautiful ceramic tiles that decorated the outdoor space. Lunch was great freshly made and very tasty. A really enjoyable visit .
Written September 8, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for your generous and thoughtful review!
So pleased you had a lovely lunch and enjoyed the tiles. These tiles were all painted by the pottery's founder and his daughters, two of whom run the pottery to this day.
One of the reasons our pottery is a little heavier is that most pieces are wheel-thrown from clay that is manually sourced here in Portugal. This lack of refinement adds to the charm of the pottery, but also to the weigh a little bit!
Look forward to seeing you again soon.
Written September 10, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Susan Joy
Naples, FL57 contributions
Jun 2022 • Couples
My husband and I stopped by on our travels and frankly were disappointed. We love to find unique, local products and were left underwhelmed, especially based on the hype of the shop. The women seemed to be having a very good time painting but the works are very “casual” to the point of sloppy in my opinion. In addition, we were the only customers and the staff didn’t even bother to greet us. We are quite familiar with hand painted pottery having purchased an entire set in Tuscany last fall but this didn’t even compare. Frankly, I am such a pushover for pottery so if the staff had made any effort at all I am sure I would have purchased (and shipped home) and entire set despite my overall feeling. There is a lovely cafe where we ordered a fresh squeezed orange juice and an espresso and sat in the courtyard but again the staff were not very friendly. Such a shame.
Written June 30, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Q8020EDwendyr
Wellesley, Canada18 contributions
Feb 2020
The pottery is very good quality, but very expensive. Enjoyed watching two women painting the pottery by hand. Many items available. Decor is beautiful if you like the blues and whites. The little cafe was a highlight. Good food, well priced.
Written March 5, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jeremy B
Wells, UK12 contributions
Jul 2022
Well worth visiting both the pottery and the cafe. Wide range of high quality hand-painted pottery. There is a cafe attached where staff are friendly and there is a good selection of drinks, cakes and light meals.
Written July 10, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Lesterbeach
Winnipeg, Canada4,501 contributions
Feb 2020 • Friends
One of the famous pottery stores in the Algarve. Most pottery is painted in the north but this simply styled pottery is painted on site. Nice attached cafe/ restaurant. Beautiful gardens. A section of seconds at reduced prices.
Written February 20, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi Lester, thank you for your positive review. We have one little correction, all of our pottery - every piece - is painted right here in Porches by our artists, and always has been. For fifty years, we have specialised in painting a wide array of pieces from large decorative pots, tile murals of any scale, to colourful wall plates and a full collection of functional table ware. All of which are hand painted by us right here. There are many other shops, both nearby and further afield, that stock wares from elsewhere - but not us.
We are so pleased you had a good visit, thank you for taking the time to write a nice review, and we hope to see you again soon.
Written February 24, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Bruce W
Mijas, Spain1,775 contributions
Oct 2019
Porches and its pottery can be found about a kilometre and a half from Lagoa along the N125.
Historically, the Algarve has been the focus of attention by a number of civilisations for many hundreds of years, situated as it is on a key trading route for Greeks, Phoenicians, Romans and Moors. Between them they have left behind a comprehensive and artistic deposit of artefacts. Potters were quick to adopt the designs utilised by the many trading visitors and expand their designs accordingly.
In the nearby town of Lagoa local skilled artisans continued these traditions of hand thrown and decorated clay pots. However, little by little, the industry declined and by the 1960s there were but two potters in Lagoa. In 1968 two artists, Patrick Swift and Lima de Freitas, united to share a dream of preserving the skills of creating the handcrafted clay ware and the Olaria Algarve - Porches Pottery was established.
Patrick Swift created the initial designs based on medieval, or older designs, gradually broadening the range to include contemporary forms. The kilns were replaced with more modern units to improve the quality of the clay ware and new glazes were formed to enhance the pottery.
The next generation of Patrick Swift’s family, his daughters Estella and Juliet, continued the development of Porches Pottery, both on the creative and management sides. Now, there are new artisans helping to maintain the traditions of this unique family business.
WE were tempted to join one of the classes, or, workshops that the Pottery offers to visitors on a Saturday, but for us, there just was not enough time to fit everything into a very short visit to Portugal.
In a delightful location adjoining the Pottery is the Baccus Café offering a primarily vegetarian menu that enables you to have enjoyable food in a peaceful setting, along with a glass of wine and/or a cup of coffee.
There is plentiful parking on site and the Pottery is open Monday to Friday, 9:00am to 6:00pm and on Saturdays from 10:00am to 2:00pm. Unfortunately, the access to Porches Pottery is not really suitable for wheelchair users as there are many steps and changes in level.
Thanks for reading this and if you've found it helpful I'd appreciate a ‘thumbs up’ below.
Historically, the Algarve has been the focus of attention by a number of civilisations for many hundreds of years, situated as it is on a key trading route for Greeks, Phoenicians, Romans and Moors. Between them they have left behind a comprehensive and artistic deposit of artefacts. Potters were quick to adopt the designs utilised by the many trading visitors and expand their designs accordingly.
In the nearby town of Lagoa local skilled artisans continued these traditions of hand thrown and decorated clay pots. However, little by little, the industry declined and by the 1960s there were but two potters in Lagoa. In 1968 two artists, Patrick Swift and Lima de Freitas, united to share a dream of preserving the skills of creating the handcrafted clay ware and the Olaria Algarve - Porches Pottery was established.
Patrick Swift created the initial designs based on medieval, or older designs, gradually broadening the range to include contemporary forms. The kilns were replaced with more modern units to improve the quality of the clay ware and new glazes were formed to enhance the pottery.
The next generation of Patrick Swift’s family, his daughters Estella and Juliet, continued the development of Porches Pottery, both on the creative and management sides. Now, there are new artisans helping to maintain the traditions of this unique family business.
WE were tempted to join one of the classes, or, workshops that the Pottery offers to visitors on a Saturday, but for us, there just was not enough time to fit everything into a very short visit to Portugal.
In a delightful location adjoining the Pottery is the Baccus Café offering a primarily vegetarian menu that enables you to have enjoyable food in a peaceful setting, along with a glass of wine and/or a cup of coffee.
There is plentiful parking on site and the Pottery is open Monday to Friday, 9:00am to 6:00pm and on Saturdays from 10:00am to 2:00pm. Unfortunately, the access to Porches Pottery is not really suitable for wheelchair users as there are many steps and changes in level.
Thanks for reading this and if you've found it helpful I'd appreciate a ‘thumbs up’ below.
Written December 3, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
RDF25087
20 contributions
Aug 2017 • Solo
TripAdvisor recommends Porches Pottery as one of the top attractions to visit in Porches, and it's easy to see why. The area of Porches itself isn't exactly awash with places to visit and things to do, but there is definitely an abundance of stores selling pottery and ceramics and Porches Pottery stands head-and-shoulders above the rest.
I took a 9km walk to visit Porches Pottery and I stopped in at some of the other stores advertising artisanal pottery along the way - my pain means you don't have to, as the quality, range, designs and price at Porches Pottery are far superior and offer you better value for money.
The shop offers a wide range of products from bowls and dishes to house numbers, tiles, jugs and lamps - they'll even do commissioned work for anniversaries etc... All of the products are hand-painted (you can see the artists at work on most days) and I was surprised by the hefty weight of the pieces - it gives you a real sense of the quality. I checked out their website before I went, and although it gives you a good idea of the type of designs they do I felt it didn't adequately show off their range of goods - I couldn't find lamps on the website but in-store there are several different styles. Note also that the store is closed on Sundays.
What I was most surprised about though was the price. I bought a table lamp for 40 Euro - when considering the quality of the item and the hand-painted design, it's a bargain - you'd certainly pay twice that for something similar in the UK.
There is also a café on site offering the usual range of hot and cold drinks, snacks and meals. Unfortunately, I cannot testify to the quality of the food as I merely bought a water to fortify me for my long walk back to the hotel with my weighty lamp.
I took a 9km walk to visit Porches Pottery and I stopped in at some of the other stores advertising artisanal pottery along the way - my pain means you don't have to, as the quality, range, designs and price at Porches Pottery are far superior and offer you better value for money.
The shop offers a wide range of products from bowls and dishes to house numbers, tiles, jugs and lamps - they'll even do commissioned work for anniversaries etc... All of the products are hand-painted (you can see the artists at work on most days) and I was surprised by the hefty weight of the pieces - it gives you a real sense of the quality. I checked out their website before I went, and although it gives you a good idea of the type of designs they do I felt it didn't adequately show off their range of goods - I couldn't find lamps on the website but in-store there are several different styles. Note also that the store is closed on Sundays.
What I was most surprised about though was the price. I bought a table lamp for 40 Euro - when considering the quality of the item and the hand-painted design, it's a bargain - you'd certainly pay twice that for something similar in the UK.
There is also a café on site offering the usual range of hot and cold drinks, snacks and meals. Unfortunately, I cannot testify to the quality of the food as I merely bought a water to fortify me for my long walk back to the hotel with my weighty lamp.
Written August 27, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I hope you have recovered from the long walk, and in the heat too no less!
Thank you so very much for your thoroughly researched, thoughtful and generous review. It has truly made our day! I have printed it and shared it with my colleagues, who were very flattered.
You are quite right about our website, where we keep a small collection of pieces aimed at the dining table in just a few key patterns. It is not a true reflection of the range in our shop.
The beauty of our completely hand-made and hand-painted way of working is that we are free to create pottery in a huge array of colours and patterns. Though, as you can imagine, this approach this does not lend itself easily to a catalogue.
Our new big website idea is to feature a small number of hand-picked "Special Pieces”, which we will rotate on a monthly basis (or thereabouts). These pots and tiles will be once-offs, there will be only one of each available, and when they go, that's it! They’re gone!
We hope that you can make it to visit us again soon!
Many thanks from all the team at Porches Pottery.
Written September 29, 2017
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Twiglet65
Burnham-on-Crouch, UK111 contributions
Jun 2019 • Couples
We visited after I’d read the reviews of this place. The shop is fully stocked with many items but nobody seemed to be working there. The cafe looked inviting but we had really come to see the pottery being made. As there was little or no activity in the actual pottery, we left disappointed
Written June 10, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Porches Pottery is a small team of artisans, and we hand paint all of our pottery on the premises, however sometimes we are busy unloading kilns and other tasks that are essential to the handmade process.
If you would like to see our pottery being hand painted, we recommend that you time your visit during the week days, outside of the lunch hours. This way you will almost certainly be guaranteed to see the pottery being decorated by our skilled artisans.
Written July 15, 2019
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
zuleica g
Sao Paulo, SP309 contributions
Feb 2019 • Family
Been there to buy some pieces. The owner is very friendly, I felt like home. Their cafeteria is very nice. Don’t miss the lemon cake. I think their prices are fair for the beauty and quality of their pieces. Worth the visit.
Written March 13, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for your review, we are happy to know that you felt welcomed and enjoyed your visit. We will let the Bar Bacchus managers, Tina and Carlos, know that you also enjoyed the bar and especially the lemon cake! We hope that your pottery got home safely and hope you can return again one day.
Written May 18, 2019
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Dear madam, sir,
we will be spending a family holiday in Albufeira in April/May and would like to include a creative element into our program. We were thinking about a pottery workshop. Does your pottery offer the opportunity to make your own pottery? Or do you happen to know of such a facility nearby?
Kind regards,
Rianne Bouwman
Amsterdam
The Netherlands
Written December 20, 2016
Dear Rianne Bouwmann, thank you for contacting us. Unfortunately we only offer pottery decorating workshops, where you can paint a tile or other piece of pottery. These take place on a Saturday morning, between 10.30am and 1.30pm, and cost about €25.00 per person, depending on how many pieces are decorated. The pottery then takes one week to glaze and fire in the kiln. We are happy to take a minimum of 1 person and maximum of 7 people. It is necessary to book in advance by e-mail.
We wish you a Happy Holiday Season and New Year.
Written December 21, 2016
I don't know but you can use the local bus service
Written September 7, 2016
Cómo llego allí desde el Hotel Vila Vita?
Written March 19, 2016
Bom dia, vai até a Vila de Porches, depois segue na direcção de Lagoa na estrada nacional 125, e a nossa Olaria fica no lado esquerdo approximadamente 1km da Vila de Porches. Os nossos dados GPS são: 37º7'35.01"N 8º24'40.54"W
Também pode ver a mapa no nosso site: porchespottery
Written March 21, 2016
What is the best way to get here from Albuferia.
Written February 9, 2015
If you are travelling by car, follow the EN 125 road to Porches village roundabout, then carry on following the 125 road for approximately 850m and you will see the Pottery on your left. If you are coming by bus, take the Portimão direction and ask the driver to stop at the Porches BP petrol station stop, then walk for approximately 800m west, direction Portimão and you will find us on the left. We are just next to the umbrella pine trees, if you get to the International School, you have gone too far and must turn back towards Porches. Boa Viagem!
Written February 10, 2015
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