Faro · Portugal Capital
In the destination Algarve.
In the photo: Arco da Vila in Faro
Illustrative images. The pictures in this guide are illustrations based on the real place, not photographs, and may differ from it.
The city
Capital of the Algarve, Faro sits on the edge of the Ria Formosa. The Cidade Velha, surrounded by walls, is entered through the Arco da Vila and contains the Sé and the Museu Municipal. Outside the walls, the Igreja do Carmo houses the Capela dos Ossos. Boats depart from the quay to the islands of the Ria Formosa, and Praia de Faro is on an island connected by a bridge.
There's no accommodation in the guide yet in Faro.
how to get there · how many days · itinerary · questions
The local experience
The old core of Faro, enclosed by walls of Roman and Muslim origin, with cobbled streets, Largo da Sé and the Câmara Municipal. The main entrance is the Arco da Vila, from the 19th century, with stork nests on top.
Cathedral built after the Christian conquest of 1249, on the site of the former mosque, mixing Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque styles. The entrance tower-portal is a remaining Gothic feature.
Baroque 18th-century church, with a two-tower façade and gilded woodwork inside. At the back is the Capela dos Ossos, from 1816, with walls covered in bones and skulls of Carmelite friars.
Museum housed in the Convento de Nossa Senhora da Assunção, from the 16th century, with a Renaissance cloister and a large Roman mosaic of the god Oceanus found in Faro.
Coastal lagoon protected by sand islands along about 60 km of the eastern Algarve coast, with channels, marshes and island beaches. Boat trips leave Faro for islands such as Deserta and Culatra.
Brazil
Argentina
Chile
Colombia
Peru
Uruguay
Germany
Belgium
Spain
France
Greece
the Netherlands
Ireland
Italy
the United Kingdom
Switzerland