Faro

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Arco da Villa Cidade Velha Faro Algarve Portugal

Getty Images/AWL Images RM

Overview

The Algarve’s capital has a more distinctly Portuguese feel than most resort towns. Many visitors only pass through this underrated city, which is a pity, as it makes for an enjoyable stopover. It has an attractive marina, well-maintained parks and plazas, and a picturesque cidade velha (old town) ringed by medieval walls. The old town's winding, cobbled pedestrian streets, squares and buildings were reconstructed in a melange of styles following successive batterings – first by marauding British and then by two big earthquakes – and are home to museums, churches, a bone chapel and al fresco cafes.

01 / Attractions

Must-see attractions

Sé
Faro
The centrepiece of the Cidade Velha, the sé was completed in 1251 but heavily damaged in the 1755 earthquake. What you see now is a variety of Renaissance…
Parque Natural da Ria Formosa
Faro
Encompassing 18,000 hectares, this sizeable system of lagoons and islands stretches for 60km along the Algarve coastline from west of Faro to Cacela Velha…
Igreja de Nossa Senhora do Carmo & Capela dos Ossos
Faro
One of the Algarve's most dazzling churches, this twin-towered baroque masterpiece was completed in 1719 under João V. After the 1755 earthquake, its…
Praia de Faro
Faro
On the Ilha de Faro, 9km west of the centre, the town's beach has sweeping sand, windsurfing and kitesurfing operators, and a handful of cafes. It's…
Museu Municipal
Faro
Faro’s domed 16th-century Renaissance Convento de Nossa Senhora da Assunção, in what was once the Jewish quarter, houses the town's local history museum…
Centro Histórico Judaico de Faro
Faro
The last vestiges of the first post-Inquisition Jewish presence in Portugal are found at this small Jewish cemetery. In use between 1838 and 1932, and…
Igreja de São Francisco
Faro
The foundations of this monastery's church were laid in 1679 and it was enlarged during the 18th and 19th centuries. Behind its blinding white facade are…
Arco da Vila
Faro
Enter the Cidade Velha (Old Town) through the neoclassical Arco da Vila, built in 1812 by order of Bishop Francisco Gomes do Avelar, who oversaw the city…