Jan 3, 2025 • 7 min read
A first-time guide to Faro, Portugal
16.12.2024 - 10:21 / lonelyplanet.com
Dec 15, 2024 • 9 min read
Somehow, even as the Algarve took off as one of Europe’s great getaway spots in recent years, Faro, the region’s principal city, seemed to fly under the radar.
Yet that’s all changed now.
Southern Portugal’s regional capital has slowly cemented its city-break credentials. And today, this exciting city is rightly considered one of the country’s best year-round destinations.
Since the city lacks beaches and accompanying resort development on its doorstep, Faro’s Cidade Velha (Old Town) remains wonderfully Algarvian: lived-in, laid-back and lacking the tourist throngs elsewhere along the coast. With its whitewashed streets, Roman ruins, urban vineyards, sandbar-like islands and unfussy yet excellent restaurants, Faro justly deserves a visit on its own merits – or can serve as an ideal base for Algarve exploring.
Here’s how to plan the perfect first visit.
In many of the Algarve’s tourist-centric towns, the off season means closed businesses and waters more suited to wetsuits. Yet Faro is inviting year-round. Museums, restaurants and events take place throughout winter, and accommodation deals are plentiful. It’s also one of Europe’s warmest winter destinations, with daytime temperatures often reaching 16°C (61°F).
July to September delivers long, sunny days; numerous festivals, including the seafood-focused Festa da Ria Formosa and traditional FolkFaro; and lifeguard-manned beaches – all reflected in elevated accommodation prices. Thankfully, Faro rarely feels crowded – and unlike Spain’s southern cities, which sizzle in summer, Portugal’s Atlantic breeze keeps temperatures to a delightful 29°C (84°F).
My insider tip? Come in April, May or October. These months are the best time to enjoy the Algarve’s reliable weather, restaurants without reservations and island ferries without a wait.
Faro is the Algarve’s most populous city – yet in the compact Cidade Velha, most attractions are only a few minutes' walk away. If your Algarve itinerary is tight on time, you could tour the city’s highlights, including the historic walled village, cathedral and a couple of museums, in one efficient (if slightly rushed) day. Just avoid Sundays and Mondays, when some attractions close.
Yet life in southern Portugal is best lived slowly. Plan to stay for two or three nights: to enjoy a full day relaxing on the silky sands of the idyllic barrier islands, visit the nearby Roman ruins and take a dolphin-spotting boat trip.
Faro also makes a decent base to explore the Algarve’s best spots. Spend a week here, and you’ll have easy access to the nearby fishing town of Olhão; pretty, traditional Tavira; and the creative workshops of Loulé, where you can learn to make azulejo, Portugal’s signature, hand-painted ceramic
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