Faro

Faro is the administrative capital of the Algarve, with 67 622 inhabitants across 203 km², and a city with a long history on the edge of the Ria Formosa.

Faro Airport, in the parish of Montenegro, serves the city and the whole region, and the Universidade do Algarve has its main campuses in Faro. Rua de Santo António is the main shopping street.

Beaches and islands in Faro

Praia de Faro: beach on the Ancão peninsula, reached by a bridge over the ria, with the Faro Mar Central, Nascente and Poente beaches.
Ilha Deserta: uninhabited barrier island reached by boat from the Cais da Porta Nova, with Praia da Barreta.
Ilha da Culatra: barrier island with three small fishing communities, Culatra, Hangares and Farol, and the Culatra Mar beach.
Hangares: settlement named after the seaplane hangars built there in the early 20th century.
Farol: settlement around the Farol do Cabo de Santa Maria lighthouse, with the Ilha do Farol beaches.
Ilha do Coco, Ilha das Alturas and Ilhéu do Alcorão: small islets worked year-round by shellfish gatherers.

Monuments in Faro

Old town: walled historic centre entered through the Arco da Vila, the Arco do Repouso and the Porta Árabe, a horseshoe arch from the Islamic period still in its original place.
Sé de Faro (Igreja de Santa Maria): 13th-century cathedral with Gothic, Mannerist and Baroque work, gilded woodwork, azulejos and reliquaries.
Monumento do Bispo Francisco Gomes de Avelar: statue in the cathedral square of the bishop who rebuilt much of the city after the 1755 earthquake.
Igreja do Carmo: 18th-century Baroque church at Largo do Carmo, with azulejos and gilded woodwork.
Capela dos Ossos: 19th-century bone chapel next to the Igreja do Carmo.
Igreja da Misericórdia: church with Manueline and 17th-century work.
Igreja de São Pedro: church whose Capela do Santíssimo has a Baroque altarpiece.
Ermida de Santo António do Alto: 16th-century chapel with Gothic, Manueline, Baroque and Rococo features.
Igreja de Nossa Senhora do Pé da Cruz: church with 17th-century interior decoration.
Convento de Santo António dos Capuchos: 17th-century convent with a plain facade.

Museums and culture in Faro

Museu Municipal de Faro: museum of regional history in the Convento de Nossa Senhora da Assunção, with a Renaissance cloister, facing the statue of King Afonso III.
Centro Ciência Viva do Algarve: exhibitions on science and the Ria Formosa ecosystem.
Museu Marítimo Almirante Ramalho Ortigão: three rooms on fishing, instruments and tools, next to the Doca de Faro.
Ruínas Romanas de Milreu: Roman villa with mosaics, in the parish of Estoi.
Palácio de Estoi: palace begun in the late 18th century, now a pousada.

Markets in Faro

Mercado Municipal de Faro: fresh local produce and fish.

Nature in Faro

The Ria Formosa Natural Park, one of the 7 Natural Wonders of Portugal, is a lagoon system protected by barrier islands that runs along the coast from Ancão to Manta Rota.

Ludo Trail: path of about 7 kilometres through lagoons and salt marshes at the western entrance of the ria, between Quinta do Lago and Praia de Faro.
Jardim Manuel Bivar: tree-lined central garden of the city, with cultural events.
Parque Ribeirinho de Faro: riverside park with three green zones beside the fishermen's houses facing the ria.

Marinas in Faro

Doca de Faro: moorings for leisure craft next to the Ginásio Clube Naval, which has a sailing school.
Cais da Porta Nova: quay for boat trips through the Ria Formosa and to the islands.

Sport in Faro

Estádio de São Luís: home ground of the city's football club.

Parishes of Faro

Estoi (3 823 inhabitants · 47 km²): village with the Milreu ruins and the Palácio de Estoi.
Montenegro (8 613 inhabitants · 21 km²): parish with the airport and the university campus of Gambelas.
Conceição (4 508 inhabitants · 22 km²) and Santa Bárbara de Nexe (4 379 inhabitants · 38 km²): parishes in the barrocal hills north of the city.