Nowadays, this town is mainly composed of blocks of holiday apartments,  which in the  summer months  overflows with tourists and in the rest of the year  offers a wonderful peaceful holiday location. Not very long ago this town was nothing more than a collection of small shacks where the local residents from the nearby town of Pera used to maintain their fishing boats, a fishing village, a focal point for fishermen attracted by the abundance of fish especially, sardines and tuna, which was salted and sold in the south and centre of Portugal. Centuries ago, to defend the settlement against raids from pirates and corsair, a small fort was built in the 17th century at the initiative of a prosperous boat owner. One of the walls of this old fortification with a doorway and above it the royal coat of arms, still stands on a slight elevation overlooking the sea. The chapel inside, which is dedicated to Santo Antonio (Saint Anthony), dates from the same period and is worth a visit.
These days, the fishermen's nets can still  be seen on Praia dos Pescadores (Fishermen's beach). But it is to the tourists who come for its broad sands and warm waters that Armação de Pêra now owes its lively, cosmopolitan atmosphere.