Faro is the historic and fascinating capital of the Algarve. Yet most visitors overlook it, rushing through for beach holidays elsewhere. After spending two decades exploring the Algarve, I can honestly say that there is a lot to love about the city.

Faro offers a distinctly Portuguese experience that is difficult to find elsewhere in the tourism-focused Algarve. The Cidade Velha (Old Town) sits at the heart of the city, fully enclosed by ancient Moorish walls. Inside, a charming labyrinth of cobbled streets leads to the Gothic Sé Cathedral and the elegant Bishop's Palace. Beyond the monumental Arco da Vila gateway lies a vibrant Portuguese city, with pedestrianised shopping streets, bustling cafés, and a surprisingly good food scene.

To the south of Faro lies the Parque Natural da Ria Formosa, a series of tidal lagoons and waterways, and a vital ecosystem for migratory birds and saltwater marine life. Join a guided boat tour to learn about the wildlife, or do as I do: hire a kayak and paddle the calm waterways.

Along the seaward side of the Ria Formosa sit three sandbar islands that offer calm sandy beaches. These beaches are ideal for a hot summer's day; however, I would never describe Faro as a beach destination in the same way as Albufeira or Lagos.

I have lived in and explored the Algarve since 2001, and together with my Portuguese wife, have come to know Faro deeply. We have visited for a spring holiday at Praia de Faro, as a city break during peak season, and as a stopover after flying into Faro airport. This guide draws on our two decades of firsthand experience to help you plan your trip.

 

 

Largo da Sé: The charming, cobbled plaza in the centre of Cidade Velha. Several important landmarks surround the plaza, including the Sé Cathedral, the Bishop's Palace, and the city hall

Parque Natural da Ria Formosa: So much more than some simple marshes and saltwater lagoons. Rich with aquatic life including tiny seahorses, an important stopover for migratory birds, and a place where traditional fishing practices are still preserved.

Ilha Deserta: A deserted sandbar island on the southern side of the Parque Natural da Ria Formosa, known for its unspoiled, 6km-long coastline of sandy beaches. At its tip is the Cabo de Santa Maria, the southernmost point of Portugal.

Capela dos Ossos (Bone Chapel): A macabre chapel decorated with the bones of 1,200 monks. These bones are not simply stored here but are integrated into the chapel's decoration, with skulls peering down and bones forming geometric patterns.
Related articles: Sights of Faro

For most visitors, Faro is best visited as a day trip from their beachside resort. If you are staying in the Albufeira, Vilamoura, or Quarteira regions, I highly recommend making time to visit. Faro offers an experience of both modern and historic Portugal that the tourism-heavy towns simply cannot provide.

Insight: The central Algarve region boasts many interesting day trips, such as the fishing port of Olhão and market town of Loulé. However, Faro is the best choice for a first day trip due to its wider array of sights and attractions.

To fully discover Faro, I would suggest planning at least three hours of sightseeing, and an extra hour for lunch. The first half of the trip should be spent exploring the Cidade Velha, wandering the city walls and visiting the Sé Cathedral with its wonderful viewpoint. The second half would take in the modern side of Faro, with its traditional shopping streets and plazas, along with the Capela dos Ossos, which sits to the northwest of the city centre.

Boat tours of the Parque Natural da Ria Formosa are often full-day activities, but there are shorter trips to the Ilha Deserta, if you wish to experience the Ria Formosa during your day trip.

As the largest city in the Algarve, Faro has excellent public transport connections from the surrounding region (details provided later). If you have a car, there is a large car park to the southeast of the city (GPS: 37.01, -7.93 - link to Google maps).

The interactive map below displays the route we use to show friends and family around Faro. The green line indicates the walking tour, starting from the bus station. (Note: zoom out to view all points)

Sights of the tour: 1) Faro Marina 2) Manuel Bivar plaza 3) Igreja da Misericórdia (church) 4) Arco da Vila (gateway) 5) Porta Nova 6) Sé Cathedral 7) Câmara Municipal (City Hall) 8) Faro Museum 9) Arco do Repouso (gateway) 10) Rua de Santo António (shopping street) 11) Igreja de São Pedro 12) Igreja do Carmo 13) Capela dos Ossos
Sights around Faro: 14) Cabo de Santa Maria 15) Ilha Deserta 16) Culatra fishing village 17) Forum Algarve (shopping centre) 18) Start of the N2 road*
Beaches: 19) Praia de Faro 20) Praia Da Ilha Deserta 21) Praia do Farol 22) Praia da Ilha da Culatra
*The N2 is the scenic road that extends along the entire length of Portugal, a popular route for road trips and motorcyclists.

Sights for a day trip to Faro
During a day trip to Faro you will pass by these sights, for my detailed guide to the sights of Faro please see this guide.
Faro Marina: A mix of fishing boats and pleasure craft moor here, but the height of vessels is severely restricted due to the railway bridge at its entrance.

Arco da Vila: The decorative Baroque gateway, constructed over the original Arabic gateway, leads into the Cidade Velha. The towers are a favourite nesting site for Faro's storks.

Porta Nova: This tiny gateway leads down to the waterfront and the "Cais de embarque de Faro", where the ferries and boat tours depart.

Rua de Santo António: The characterful shopping street of central Faro, lined with independent shops and cafés.

Cathedral Tower View: The view from the top of Faro cathedral offers panoramas over the city and the Parque Natural da Ria Formosa.

Igreja do Carmo: This grand Baroque church was funded by the spice trade with Brazil; the Capela dos Ossos is located in the rear courtyard.

The Parque Natural da Ria Formosa is the highlight of Faro's natural surroundings, but much of it is only accessible by boat. If you have half a day to spare, a guided tour is the best way to experience the lagoons, islands and wildlife.

My top recommendation is a boat tour of the Ria Formosa that visits two of the sandbar islands. These tours typically last around three hours and give you time to walk the beaches, see the Cabo de Santa Maria, and learn about the ecosystem from a local guide.
I have worked with GetYourGuide for the last seven years, and the best tours of the Parque Natural da Ria Formosa include:
• A boat tour of Ria Formosa visiting two islands
• A nature tour on a solar-powered boat
• A dolphin watching tour

So far this guide has focused on Faro as a day trip, as that is how most tourists experience the city. But Faro also works well as a holiday base or a stop on a longer Algarve trip, and I have stayed here many times over the years.

Faro makes an enjoyable, if slightly alternative, holiday destination. The city is ideal for an authentic Portuguese experience rather than a conventional beach holiday.

Faro offers history and culture, along with a varied selection of cafés, restaurants and bars. As a major city, the nightlife is vibrant and tends to cater to Portuguese patrons rather than foreign tourists. By day, Faro has an unhurried ambience, but by night it transforms into a buzzing social hub.

Insight: Faro has no beaches within walking distance of the city centre; a bus (to the Praia de Faro) or ferry (Praia Da Ilha Deserta) is required. Consequently, Faro is not a destination for a beach-focused holiday.

Faro is a strategic base for exploring the Algarve by public transport. Tavira is only 40 minutes by train to the east, Vilamoura is 30 minutes by bus to the west, and even Lagos, at the westernmost edge of the Algarve, can be reached by a direct train. This central location is often the reason I stay here, and I would highly recommend it if you want a holiday exploring the Algarve, particularly in the spring or autumn months when the weather is pleasantly warm.

Visitors considering a holiday to Faro should note that this is a major residential city, not a manicured resort town. Some sections of the city are dilapidated (though perfectly safe) and, unfortunately, are on the main bus route into the city, which can give a poor first impression. This perception invariably changes once the historic centre and harbour are discovered!

The city walls of Faro date from the Moorish era and encircle the entire Cidade Velha

I find that visitors stay in Faro for either one day, three days or a week.

A one-day stay is recommended for those arriving on a late flight who need a short stopover before heading to their main holiday destination. Faro can be easily explored in a single day, providing an interesting introduction to the Algarve before continuing on.

A stay of three nights allows you to fully discover Faro and the surrounding region. This duration provides time to explore the historic centre, tour the Parque Natural da Ria Formosa, relax on the Praia de Faro or Ilha Deserta beaches, and take a day trip to Estoi, Olhão or the Ilha da Culatra. In my opinion, three nights is the ideal length to experience Faro without rushing.

A seven-night stay is perfect for spending an entire holiday based in Faro. With the city's excellent public transport connections, you can explore the central Algarve via day trips while being based in a cosmopolitan city. From Faro, it is possible to take day trips to Olhão, Tavira, Loulé, Albufeira and Vilamoura, while longer train journeys connect to Silves and Lagos.

The Arco do Repouso gateway leading into the Cidade Velha.

For a city visit to Faro, I recommend being within 400m of the Jardim Manuel Bivar plaza and the Doca de Faro. Faro is a compact city, and this area covers the main tourist sights, the bus and train stations, and popular restaurants.

For hotels, the Hotel Faro and Eva Senses Hotel are both excellent choices that I have stayed at. Both feature rooftop terraces and are centrally located. A budget alternative I like is the Stay Hotel Faro Centro. For a very early departure flight, I have also stayed at the Hotel 3K, which is close enough to walk to the airport.

The map below displays the location of hotels and rental rooms in Faro; adjusting the dates to your holiday will display current prices:

Let me make this point very clear: Faro should never be considered a beach destination like Albufeira, Lagos or Vilamoura. There are beaches which can be travelled to, but if you come expecting pristine sands within walking distance you will be severely disappointed, especially after seeing the muddy lagoons of the Ria Formosa.

The beaches of Faro are found on the southern side of three sandbar islands (Ilha de Faro, Ilha Deserta and Ilha da Culatra) and require some type of journey to reach them, whether by bus, Uber, ferry or water taxi. All three islands share the same golden sands and calm sea waters, so the main difference between them is how easy they are to reach and what else is on the island.

The beaches on the Ilha de Faro are the most accessible and are where I head on a sunny day. The island has a 5km coastline of golden sands, referred to as the Praia de Faro. It amazes me that this beach and its little village, less than a five-minute drive from Faro airport, is barely known by foreign tourists. It has maintained a low-key atmosphere with relaxed tourist development. The island is connected to the mainland by a bridge, so can be reached by bus (Route 16) or Uber/Bolt.

The Praia de Faro, my go-to beach for a sunny day while in Faro

The Ilha Deserta, as the name implies, is a deserted island only accessible by boat. A wooden boardwalk crosses the island, though there is not much to see beyond sparse beach scrub. Along the southern shoreline is the Cabo de Santa Maria, the southernmost point of Portugal. Despite its secluded appeal and the novelty of being a deserted island, the beaches are no different from Praia de Faro, which is far easier to reach.

Slightly further away, the Ilha da Culatra is the third sandbar island and has a small fishing community alongside its sandy beaches. Since it is only accessible by ferry, Praia de Faro remains my recommended choice for a beach day trip.
Related articles: Faro beaches

The Cabo de Santa Maria is marked by a driftwood and sea-waste monument

One advantage of being based in Faro is that the city acts as the transport hub for the entire region. I find public transport very limited in the Algarve, but for the largest choice of routes to major destinations Faro is the best starting point. As a general rule, I use the train when heading east (Tavira, Olhão) or for longer journeys such as Lagos or Lisbon, and the bus for the west (Loulé, Albufeira, Vilamoura).

One piece of advice: there has been a rise in third-party websites selling transport tickets. These usually have additional booking fees and lead to complications when issues arise, such as cancelled or missed services. I have seen ticket staff direct visitors back to the third-party app to resolve problems, while people who bought directly were simply put on the next service. Always buy from the operators themselves.

The main public transport companies of the Algarve are:
• Comboios de Portugal (trains) - www.cp.pt
• Vamus (regional buses) - vamusalgarve.pt
• Rede Expressos (intercity buses) - www.rede-expressos.pt

Notably, none of these public transport services connect directly to the airport. So if you wish to head to your holiday destination using public transport, you must travel into Faro city first

The Algarve regional railway, and how I travel to Lagos from Faro. It is cheap but incredibly slow…

Public transport from Faro airport to the city is surprisingly poor (and the cynic in me thinks this is on purpose to provide more taxi and transfer driver jobs). The primary bus service is Route 16, operated by Próximo, which departs approximately every 30 to 50 minutes between 5:00 AM and midnight. A single adult ticket costs €2.85 and the service terminates at the Próximo Bus Terminal in the city centre, located right next to the intercity bus station and just 200m from the train station.

A taxi from the airport to Faro is a faster and more convenient option, costing €15 to €20. When using a taxi, always ensure the meter is switched on. Because I travel a lot outside peak season (July to August), I always take Uber, but there can be extremely high demand in summer with long waits to connect to a driver. An Uber from the airport to Faro will be around €12 depending on where your drop-off point is, but prices increase during peak times.

If you are organised and pre-book, you could arrange a private transfer starting from €25. This has the added convenience of the driver meeting you at the arrivals gate and helping you through the airport. I recommend Yellowfish Transfers, but honestly for the last three years I have just relied on Uber for this short journey.
Related articles: Faro airport to Faro city

The number 16 bus heading to Faro bus station

If you have more than a couple of days in Faro, there are many enjoyable day trips which you can take from the city. My favourites are the fishing town of Olhão, with its colourful waterfront and active fishing port, and the market town of Loulé. If you visit Loulé, try to go on a Saturday, when a large market is held on the edge of town.

Another day trip I recommend, which is less famous but equally interesting, is to the village of Estoi, home to the Palácio de Estoi and the Milreu Roman ruins. The Palácio de Estoi is the finest example of Rococo architecture in the Algarve, and the Milreu Roman ruins were once a luxurious villa with some beautifully preserved ocean-themed mosaics.
Related Articles: Olhão guide - Loulé guide

The beautiful azulejos tiles of the Palácio de Estoi gardens.

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