Faro Guide: Old Town, Lagoon and Beaches

Descubra Faro

For most visitors, Faro is just the airport they pass through on the way to Albufeira, and that's a shame. The town has a walled old centre with a cathedral, bishop's palace and convent, stork nests on every other tower, and a chapel whose walls are lined with the bones of 1,000 monks. But the main thing is that Faro sits on the shore of the Ria Formosa lagoon — 60 km of shallow water, channels and salt marshes separated from the Atlantic by a chain of sandy islands. That means the town has no classic waterfront promenade lined with hotels: the beaches lie on islands and are reached by boat from the harbour below the city walls. That's exactly why the mass tourism seen elsewhere in the Algarve is absent here, prices are about a quarter lower, and on the streets you'll meet local university students rather than tour groups. The season runs from April to November, and the town carries on through winter regardless.

What to see

The places worth your time in Faro, and what to expect at each

Cidade Velha and Arco da Vila

Old Town

The old town, ringed by walls from the Moorish period, entered through the neoclassical Arco da Vila arch, built in 1812. Inside are just a few cobbled lanes, a square with orange trees, the cathedral and the bishop's palace. Storks nest on the arch.

Tip: Above the gate there's a viewing tower with a wooden staircase that hardly anyone knows about — entry is from the tourist information centre right next door, and it costs a fraction of the cathedral.

Admission:: free
Time needed:: 2h

Sé Cathedral

Old Town

A cathedral on the site of a mosque, and before that a Roman forum, built in the 13th century and rebuilt after the 1755 earthquake. Inside is a Baroque organ case with Chinese motifs and an ossuary in the garden. A narrow staircase leads up the tower.

Tip: The ticket includes the tower, and that's the main reason to go in: from the top you can see the whole lagoon, the islands and stork nests on nearby rooftops. There's room for about 10 people up there, so avoid midday.

Admission:: from €4
Time needed:: 1h

Bone Chapel at Carmo Church

Centre, 400 m from the walls

The Capela dos Ossos behind the Baroque Nossa Senhora do Carmo Church, its walls and ceiling lined with the skulls and bones of around 1,000 monks exhumed from the cemetery. Above the entrance an inscription reminds you that you too will end up this way.

Tip: The chapel is small, and by midday a queue forms from tour-bus groups. Come right at opening, at 10am. Entry is only through the church, and on Sunday mornings you can't get in at all because of Mass.

Admission:: from €2
Time needed:: 30 min

Ria Formosa Lagoon

around town

A natural park with 60 km of shallow channels, salt pans and marshes, starting right behind the last house in Faro. Thousands of birds nest here, the common chameleon lives here, and most of Portugal's mussels are farmed here.

Tip: The cheapest way to see the lagoon isn't a boat tour but the Ludo trail — 10 km along dykes between salt pans, starting from Praia de Faro beach. Flamingos are there in the morning, and you won't meet a soul.

Admission:: free, boat trips from €25
Time needed:: half a day

Ilha Deserta

lagoon, 40 min by boat

Portugal's southernmost point and the only island in the lagoon with no permanent residents: 7 km of sand, a single restaurant on stilts, and a wooden boardwalk over the dunes. No shops, no hotels, no shade except what you bring yourself.

Tip: Boats leave from the harbour below the city walls around 4 times a day, and the last return trip is around 6pm. Bring water and a sunshade — on the island it's only sold at the restaurant, and at double the price you'd pay in town.

Admission:: boat from €12
Time needed:: half a day

Ilha da Culatra and Farol

lagoon, 45 min by boat

An inhabited island in the lagoon with 2 settlements: the fishing village of Culatra, without a single road, and Farol, with its lighthouse and rows of beach houses. There are no cars — you walk on wooden boardwalks and sand — and electricity only arrived in the 1980s.

Tip: The ferry stops first at Culatra, then at Farol. Get off at Culatra, walk the 40 minutes along the boardwalk to the lighthouse, and board again at Farol — you see both for the price of a single ticket.

Admission:: ferry from €4.50
Time needed:: full day

Praia de Faro

9 km west

The only beach reachable from town by road: a 6-km sandy spit on Ancão Island, connected to the mainland by a narrow bridge right by the airport. On one side is the open ocean, on the other a calm lagoon suitable for children.

Tip: The bridge is one-way and controlled by traffic lights, so queues build up here in season. Take bus number 16 from the centre or the airport — it runs every half hour and drops you right at the beach, no parking search needed.

Admission:: free
Time needed:: half a day

Estói Palace and Roman Milreu

Estói, 11 km north

A pink Rococo palace from the 19th century with terraced gardens, mosaic benches and statues, now a state-run pousada hotel whose gardens are open to the public. A kilometre below it lie the remains of the Roman villa Milreu, with baths and fish mosaics.

Tip: You can enter the palace gardens for free through the gate to the left of the main entrance, even if you've never stayed at the hotel. Combining it with Milreu takes half a day, and the bus from Faro runs roughly every 2 hours.

Admission:: gardens free, Milreu from €3
Time needed:: half a day

Municipal Museum at the Assunção Convent

Old Town

An archaeological museum in a Renaissance convent with a 2-storey cloister, into which an orange tree grows. The collection spans from the Bronze Age to a Roman mosaic of Neptune, found right beneath the town's streets.

Tip: The cloister itself is prettier than the collection, and at midday it's often the only shade in the whole old town. Admission is cheaper than the cathedral, and it's usually free on Sunday mornings.

Admission:: from €2
Time needed:: 1h

Photos: Cidade Velha and Arco da Vila — Arne Müseler (CC BY-SA 3.0 de) · Sé Cathedral — Abrget47j (CC BY-SA 3.0) · Bone Chapel at Carmo Church — Kritzolina (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Ria Formosa Lagoon — Arne Müseler (CC BY-SA 3.0 de) · Ilha Deserta — No machine-readable author provided. OsvaldoGago assumed (based on copyright claims). (CC BY-SA 3.0) · Ilha da Culatra and Farol — João Domingos (CC BY-SA 3.0) · Praia de Faro — Kritzolina (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Estói Palace and Roman Milreu — Unknown authorUnknown author (CC0) · Municipal Museum at the Assunção Convent — Sónia Lopes (CC BY-SA 3.0)

Where to stay

Areas and districts, matched to the kind of trip you are taking

Cidade Velha

Best for: a first visit and quiet

The old town behind the walls, with the cathedral, the museum and a few small guesthouses in converted townhouses. The lanes are cobbled and cars are practically banned, so it stays quiet even in season. There are only a handful of restaurants inside, and for dinner people head out through the gate.

Baixa and Rua de Santo António

Best for: shopping and restaurants

The pedestrian zone north of the walls, the town's main shopping street, cobbled and lined with cafés and most of the hotels. Everything is within a 10-minute walk from here, including the harbour and the bus station. The most practical place to stay if you don't have a car.

Doca and the harbour

Best for: boat trips and evening strolls

A strip between the walls and the railway, with the marina from which boats set off into the lagoon and to the islands. In the evening people stroll along the water, and the surrounding streets have the most seafood restaurants in town. A few hotels here offer views over the lagoon.

Praia de Faro

Best for: a beach-based stay

A sandy island 9 km from the centre, with a row of apartments and restaurants squeezed onto a narrow strip between the ocean and the lagoon. The only place near Faro where you step straight from your accommodation onto the beach. The downside is aircraft noise, as the airport is right across the bridge.

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Getting around

From the airport

The airport is 4 km from the centre, the shortest transfer anywhere in the Algarve — a taxi costs around €12 and takes 10 minutes. City bus number 16 runs from the terminal to the bus station and the beach roughly every half hour. Faro is also the terminus for long-distance trains from Lisbon, a 3-hour journey, and it's the starting point for the coastal railway to Lagos. Flixbus and Rede Expressos coaches connect the town with both Lisbon and Seville.

Faro (FAO) · 4 km

Bus No. 16 to the centre· 20 min· €2.50
Taxi or Bolt· 10 min· €12
On foot to Praia de Faro beach· 25 min· free
Hotel transfer· 10 min· included in your stay

Around town

Faro is small, and you can walk to everything important in town in 20 minutes. A car is more of a burden here: the old town is closed to traffic and parking in the centre is paid, with free spaces only by the stadium or the car park near the lagoon. City buses run to the beach and the airport, and boats to the islands leave from the harbour below the city walls. The coastal train is the cheapest way to reach Olhão, Tavira or Albufeira.

On footThe old town, pedestrian zone, harbour and train station are all within 1 km of each other. · free

Ferry to the islandsFrom the harbour below the city walls to Deserta, Culatra and Farol; the last return trip is in the early evening. · €4.50

Coastal train10 minutes to Olhão, 40 to Tavira, and 40 to Albufeira in the other direction. · €2

City busLine 16 goes to the airport and Praia de Faro; other lines serve the outer neighbourhoods. · €2.50

Useful apps: Google Maps, Moovit, Bolt, IPMA

When to go

Unlike the resorts, Faro is alive year-round, so it works even as a winter trip — in January the air reaches 16°C and restaurants stay open. Swimming season runs from June to October, with the sea peaking at 22°C in August and September. April, May and October are the most pleasant, when you can comfortably walk around town and along the lagoon dykes. In July and August the old town gets stuffy, as the stone alleys don't cool down.

Best time

May, June and September

What to avoid

midday in July and August, when the old town has no shade

Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Day	16°	17°	19°	20°	23°	26°	29°	29°	27°	23°	19°	17°
Night	9°	9°	10°	11°	13°	17°	19°	19°	18°	15°	12°	10°
Rainy days	6	5	5	5	3	1	0	0	3	6	6	7
Sea	16°	16°	16°	17°	18°	20°	21°	22°	22°	20°	18°	17°

Food & drink

Faro lives off its lagoon: mussels, oysters and clams are farmed a few hundred metres from town and reach the plate the same day. The most typical dish is ameijoas à Bulhão Pato — small clams in garlic, coriander and white wine, mopped up with bread. Restaurants around the harbour are pricier; the best ones are in the side streets north of the pedestrian zone. Fish is charged by weight, so ask the price per kilo beforehand. Lunch is served from noon to 3pm, and a set lunch menu costs around €10.

What to try

Arroz de marisco

A loose seafood risotto served in a clay pot, thicker than soup and looser than rice. Ordered for 2 people, it's the best value-for-taste dish on the Portuguese coast.

Cataplana

Seafood stewed with sausage and paprika in a sealed copper pot that gives the dish its name. It's cooked for 2 or more people and takes 40 minutes to prepare, so it's ordered right at the start of the meal.

Sardinhas assadas

Sardines grilled over charcoal, eaten with bread and boiled potatoes. The season runs from June to October; outside it they're frozen and not worth it.

Bacalhau

Dried and salted cod, Portugal's national ingredient, prepared in hundreds of ways. The most common are bacalhau à brás (shredded with matchstick potatoes and egg) and bacalhau com natas. It's desalted for 2 days before cooking, which is why you can't just knock it up at home from scratch.

Caldo verde

A potato soup with shredded kale and a slice of chouriço sausage. Cheap, filling and found in every eatery; typically served as a starter at dinner.

Pastel de nata

A puff-pastry tart with custard cream, served lukewarm with cinnamon and icing sugar. At a bakery it costs around €1.20, double that by the beach.

Vinho verde

A young, fresh wine from the north with a light fizz and low alcohol, around 9%. Served chilled with fish, it's the one wine at lunch that won't leave you dozing off in the afternoon.

Ginjinha

A sweet cherry liqueur macerated in aguardente, drunk as a shot after a meal, sometimes with a cherry left in the glass. In the Algarve, medronho — a spirit distilled from strawberry-tree fruit — is more commonly offered instead.

What it costs

Espresso (bica)

€0.70–1

2-course lunch menu

€9–12

Plate of ameijoas clams

€12–16

Beer, 0.33 l

€1.50–3

Cathedral entry with tower

€4

Ferry to Ilha da Culatra and back

€4.50

Boat trip around the lagoon

€25–40

Night at a 3-star hotel in the centre

€70–120

Indicative prices that change over time — treat them as a guide, not a price list.

Practical information

SocketsCEuroplug, two round pinsFSchuko

Voltage230V / 50Hz

Tap waterTap water is drinkable — Tap water is safe and monitored throughout Portugal, though in the south and on the islands it's hard and tastes of chlorine. Bottled water costs around 30 cents for 1.5 litres at a supermarket. Restaurants don't usually serve tap water — order "água" and they'll bring a bottle and charge you for it.

TippingTipping isn't expected in Portugal, and locals themselves leave little — small change at a café, 5% or rounding up at a restaurant. 10% is generous and reserved for genuinely good service. Card terminals usually have no tip option, so it's left in cash on the table.

Driving on theright

SafetyThe only real risk is pickpocketing — on trams, at the market, and on restaurant terraces where bags are hung on chair backs. Carry documents and money separately. Evenings are safe even in the centre; the only real hassle tourists face is street sellers offering drugs, who move on after a single "não, obrigado". The emergency number is 112, and the operator speaks English.

Opening hoursSmaller shops close for a lunch break roughly from 1pm to 3pm, while shopping centres run continuously until 10pm, including Sundays. Museums close on Mondays, and many offer free entry on Sunday mornings. Restaurant kitchens open at noon for lunch and half past 7 for dinner; arrive at 6pm and you'll only find the bar open.

Customs & etiquetteLunch is eaten between noon and 2pm, dinner from half past 7 — Portuguese eat earlier than Spaniards. Whatever the waiter brings to the table unordered (olives, pâté, cheese, bread) is the couvert, and it's charged; if you don't want it, just politely send it back and nothing is billed. Greetings are with a handshake, or 2 kisses between acquaintances. Swimwear belongs on the beach, not in shops or a café on the promenade.

A few local wordsHello — Bom diaThank you (male / female speaker) — Obrigado / ObrigadaPlease — Por favorThe bill, please — A conta, por favorCheers — Saúde

How to plan your days

1 day

A day in Faro

1Morning: the bone chapel at Carmo Church, right at opening and without a queue.
2Through the pedestrian zone to Arco da Vila and into the old town.
3The cathedral, and up the tower for the view over the lagoon.
4Lunch in a side street outside the walls, then the afternoon ferry to Ilha da Culatra.
5Evening walk along the harbour and a seafood dinner.

2 days

2 days with the lagoon

1Day 1 as above.
2Day 2 morning: the Ludo trail among the salt pans, watching flamingos.
3Afternoon: Praia de Faro by bus number 16, and a swim in the ocean.
4Early evening: the municipal museum at the convent, and dinner in the pedestrian zone.

3 days

3 days including the surroundings

1The first 2 days as above.
2Day 3: bus to Estói for the gardens of the pink palace and Roman Milreu.
3Return to Faro, then in the afternoon by train to Olhão for the harbourside market.
4Early evening back to Faro for dinner — the train journey takes 10 minutes.

Day trips

Olhão

9 km · 10 min by train

A fishing town with 2 brick market halls on the waterfront, where fish is sold in the morning and the market closes in the afternoon. The flat-roofed, terraced architecture is reminiscent of North Africa. Ferries to the islands of Armona and Culatra leave from here, cheaper than from Faro.

Tavira

37 km · 40 min by train

The best-preserved town in the Algarve, with a Roman bridge over the River Gilão, castle ruins and 37 churches. Compared with the western Algarve, tourist numbers here are a fraction of the crowds. A ferry crosses the river to Ilha de Tavira, with 5 km of empty beach.

Albufeira

40 km · 40 min by train

The region's biggest resort, visited from Faro as a day trip for the beaches beneath orange cliffs and boat trips from the marina. The train stops at Ferreiras, 6 km from the centre, with a connecting bus from there. By car on the A22 motorway it's half an hour.

Frequently asked questions

Does Faro have its own beach?+

Not in town — by the water there's only the lagoon, with channels and a muddy bottom. The nearest beach is Praia de Faro, 9 km west on a sandy island, reached by bus number 16. The other beaches lie on islands in the lagoon and are reached by boat from the harbour below the city walls.

Is it worth staying in Faro, or heading straight to a resort?+

For 2–3 days, it's worth staying. Faro is about a quarter cheaper than the resorts, has a genuine historic centre, and offers the best access to the Ria Formosa lagoon. For a week-long beach holiday, though, a resort is better, since from Faro you always have to travel to reach a beach.

How do I get from the airport to the centre?+

The airport is 4 km from town. Bus number 16 runs to the bus station roughly every half hour for €2.50 and takes 20 minutes. A taxi or Bolt costs around €12 and takes 10 minutes. You can even walk from the airport to Praia de Faro in about 25 minutes.

What is Ria Formosa?+

A natural park with 60 km of shallow lagoon, channels and salt pans, separated from the Atlantic by a chain of sandy islands. Thousands of birds nest here, including flamingos, the common chameleon lives here, and most of Portugal's mussels and oysters are farmed in it.

Which island in the lagoon should I choose?+

Ilha Deserta, if you want an empty beach and don't mind bringing your own water and shade. Culatra and Farol, if you're curious about life in a car-free fishing settlement and want to walk the island on foot. Ilha da Armona, from Olhão, is the cheapest and quickest to reach.

Is Faro expensive?+

It's the cheapest city in the Algarve. A 2-course lunch menu costs €9–12, coffee is under €1, and beer starts from €1.50. A hotel in the centre works out at €70–120 a night in season, roughly a third less than in Albufeira.

Is the bone chapel worth visiting?+

Yes, but expect the visit to take 10 minutes. The walls and ceiling of the small chapel behind Carmo Church are lined with the skulls and bones of around 1,000 monks. Entry is only through the church, it's usually closed on Sunday mornings for Mass, and a queue forms around midday.

Can I take a day trip from Faro to Seville?+

Yes, by bus it's around 3 hours, with several departures a day. By car on the motorway it's 2.5 hours. Remember that Spain is 1 hour ahead of Portugal — the return bus runs on Spanish time, and that's the most common reason people miss it.

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Números de emergencia

Police112 Ambulance112 Fire112

Idioma

Portuguese

Moneda

EUR

Huso horario

GMT+0

Prefijo

+351

Población

10.3M

Área

92,212 km²

Voltaje

230V / 50Hz

Lado de conducción

Derecha

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