Faro Travel Guide — Algarve Capital, Ria Formosa & Old Town

Faro is a city of around 65,000 people and the regional capital of the Algarve, Portugal’s southernmost region. Most people who land at Faro airport transfer directly to western Algarve resorts and see nothing of the city. That’s a consistent underestimation — Faro has a compact walled old town, a cathedral, a bone chapel, and sits directly on the Ria Formosa, a protected coastal lagoon with some of the best birdwatching in Portugal and easily accessible barrier island beaches.

It’s more relaxed, less developed, and cheaper than the western Algarve resorts while being a more useful base for anyone interested in the eastern Algarve (Tavira, Olhão, Castro Marim).

Getting There

By air: Faro airport receives direct flights from across Europe and is the main Algarve gateway. It’s 4km from the city centre.

From the airport to the city: Bus 14 or 16 from outside arrivals, 15–20 minutes, €2.35. Taxis cost €10–15. Car hire is available at the airport. For stays at resorts further along the Algarve coast, pre-booking an airport transfer to your hotel avoids the car hire queue and covers fixed-price delivery to any Algarve destination.

By train along the Algarve: Faro is on the Algarve railway line connecting Lagos in the west to Vila Real de Santo António on the Spanish border. Lagos takes about 1h45; Tavira takes 30 minutes; Vila Real about 1h15.

From Lisbon: Bus (Rede Expressos, 3h30, from €18) or train via Tunes junction (around 3h30–4h depending on connection).

Faro Old Town (Cidade Velha)

The historic centre is enclosed within Roman and Moorish walls, entered through the Arco da Vila — an 18th-century arch above which storks nest in a Gothic tower. The walled area is small (a 10–15 minute walk covers it) but intact. Inside:

Faro Cathedral (Sé de Faro): Built in the 13th century on the site of a mosque, subsequently modified in Gothic, Renaissance, and baroque styles after partial destruction by Sir Francis Drake’s 1596 raid and the 1755 earthquake. The interior mix of styles is somewhat incoherent but historically layered. Climb the bell tower for views over the old town and Ria Formosa (€3.50). The orange tree courtyard inside the cathedral complex is a quiet spot outside peak tourist hours.

Museu Municipal: Housed in a former convent adjacent to the cathedral, with Roman mosaic floors (the Oceanus mosaic, 2nd–3rd century AD, is the highlight), Moorish artefacts, and Portuguese paintings. Entry €2.

The area around the old town gates — particularly the harbourfront and the streets to the east — has a reasonable concentration of restaurants and cafés at lower prices than western Algarve resorts.

Igreja do Carmo and Bone Chapel

The Carmelite church (1713) on Largo do Carmo is notable for two things: its elaborate gilded baroque interior and the adjacent bone chapel (Capelinha dos Ossos). The chapel was built in 1816 using bones exhumed from the Carmelite cemetery — approximately 1,245 individuals. The walls and ceiling are covered in bones and skulls set in mortar. It’s smaller than the Évora bone chapel but similar in concept and significantly less visited.

Church entry is free; bone chapel entry costs €3.

Ria Formosa Natural Park

The Ria Formosa is a 60km tidal lagoon running from Ancão to Manta Rota, enclosed by a series of barrier islands and peninsulas. It’s one of the most important wetland habitats in Europe, providing feeding grounds for migratory birds and resident populations of flamingos, spoonbills, herons, and wading birds.

Boat tours from Faro harbour run to the various islands throughout the day. The main options:

• Ilha Deserta (Barrier Island): An uninhabited island with a long wild Atlantic beach. One restaurant and toilet facilities at the landing point. 30-minute crossing.
• Ilha da Culatra: An island with traditional fishing villages (Culatra and Farol), accessible by ferry (€5 return). The Farol village has a lighthouse and a beach facing the open Atlantic on one side and the calm lagoon on the other.
• Ilha de Faro: Closest island to the city, connected by road causeway and a 5-minute boat from the harbour. Has beach bars and a longer beach facing the Atlantic.

The lagoon-side beaches on all islands have exceptionally calm, warm water — significantly calmer than any west-facing beach. Water temperatures reach 23–25°C in August.

Birdwatching is good year-round but best from October to March when migratory species are present. Flamingos can be seen in the channels visible from the harbour in any month.

What to Eat

Faro has a good range of seafood restaurants at reasonable prices. The cataplana (a sealed copper pot cooking method producing a shellfish or fish stew) is the Algarve’s signature preparation. Portas do Mar on the harbour is popular and reliable. The Mercado Municipal building on Largo Dr Francisco Sá Carneiro has a row of fresh fish stalls where several restaurants source their daily catch. See our Faro food guide for specific restaurant recommendations.

Where to Stay

Faro has mid-range hotels in the city centre and several boutique guesthouses in the old town or near the harbour. Prices are lower than western Algarve resorts (Albufeira, Lagos) and it makes a calmer base for exploring both the city, the eastern Algarve, and the lagoon. Browse options in our Faro hotels guide.

Day Trips

Faro’s position on the Algarve line makes it a good base for exploring both the eastern Algarve and the dramatic western coast. Tavira (30 min by train) is the most beautiful town in the eastern Algarve. Olhão (15 min) is worth visiting for the covered market and ferries to the Ria Formosa islands. Lagos (1h45) is the gateway to Ponta da Piedade sea stacks and the Benagil cave coast. For transport details, costs, and what to do at eight destinations, see our full day trips from Faro guide.

Best Time to Visit

April to June and September to October for beach use without extreme heat. July and August are the warmest (28–33°C) and busiest months. Ria Formosa birdwatching is best November to March. Winter in Faro is mild (14–18°C) and the old town is peaceful — a good off-season destination in the Algarve.

Faro vs Lagos

Deciding whether to base yourself in Faro or head west to Lagos? See our Faro vs Lagos comparison — it covers transport links, beach access, cost, and which suits different trip styles. For a structured 10-day plan combining the Algarve coast with Lisbon, see our 10 days in Portugal — Algarve focus itinerary.

Faro in Context

Faro is the Algarve region’s main transport hub. The Algarve region guide covers how the eastern Algarve (Faro’s area) differs in landscape and price from the western Algarve around Lagos. For boat tours in the Ria Formosa, our Algarve boat trips guide covers Ria Formosa lagoon trips and dolphin watching excursions departing from Faro and Olhão. For dolphin watching specifically, the dolphin watching Algarve guide covers Vilamoura operators — closest to Faro — and the encounter rates you can expect. For surf, the nearest quality breaks are at Sagres (60km west) and the Costa Vicentina north of Lagos. The 7-day Algarve road trip builds a circuit starting and ending at Faro airport. For eastern Algarve food including Dom Rodrigo sweets and cataplana, see the Portuguese food guide and our Portuguese seafood guide for the lagoon species from the Ria Formosa.