Faro

Come visit Faro and discover the rich historic side  that this city, capital of the Algarve, has to offer, with the help of a bike.  

In our map you can find the most important historic spots of the city using roads with low traffic ideal for the use of bikes. Visit the downtown of Faro or if you prefer go the Faro Beach (located near the airport)to contact with nature, 

Maps:


See Faro in a bigger map

Catch the train to Faro and see the culture of the Capital of the Algarve.

Interesting Points

Municipal Theatre

In the Municipal Theatre of Faro, near the Forum Algarve, you can find several shows in diferent areas, such as Theatre, Dance, Music, Cinema and New Circus.











Ria Formosa

The Ria Formosa is a protected area designated as Natural Park, and covers the municipalities of Loulé, Faro, Olhão, Tavira and Vila Real de Santo António, covering an area of about 18,400 acres along 60 miles from the river Ancão to the beach of Manta Rota. Here you can find a huge quantity of wildlife and allows you to be in direct contact with Nature.




St. Luís Chapel

St Luís Chapel is a "remarkable" building of Faro.

Small temple located in St. Luís Square, in front of the soccer stadium with the same name, it was built in the seventeenth century as the seat of a small rural coterie (though today the city has already integrated it in the local urban fabric).




Shopping Street

The Shopping Street is located in Faro downtown, near the marina, and here you can find good restaurants, snack bars and several stores with several  shops with several items. 

Faro Marina

In the Marina of Faro you can enjoy a relaxing tour next to the boats that are here, you can catch the boat to the nearby islands(Culatra, Farol...), you'll find several touristic animation agencies that allow tours in the Ria Formosa or you can  take a cultural tour of this part of the city.

Vila Arch

One of the ex-libris of Faro, was ordered to build by the bishop Dom Francisco Gomes de Avelar, in the place where once was a medieval gate,  and was constructed by the italian architect Francisco Xavier Fabri.
The arch marks the entrance of the Vila Adentro, the historic centre of the city, and in it you can see a niche with the image of St. Tomás de Aquino.

Has curiosity, notice the top of the edification, where the storks like to do their nestings.

St. Pedro Church

The primitive Chapel, ordered to build by the Mariners, was totally rebuilt in the middle of the XVI century. Affected by the earthquacke of 1755, was proceded to it's reconstruction. On the façade, the porch is framed by two pairs of Ionic columns that support the cornice topped with a niche with a statue of St. Pedro. Inside, has three naves and head composed of the chancel and two side chapels.

Sé Cathedral of Faro

The Sé Cathedral of Faro, also known as Sé Church or Santa Maria Church, is a "remarkable" building of Faro located in Sé Square.

It was built after the Christian reconquest in 1251 by the Archbishop of Braga D. Joao Viegas. It was later handed over to the Order of St. James.

In 1577 became headquarters of the of the episcopal seat of the Diocese of the Algarve, and a few years later (1596) was been looted and burned by the British troops of the Earl of Essex.

Rebuilt after these events, the earthquakes of 1722 and 1755 motivated other works. The unfinished bell signals the busy life of the building).

In the interior, stands the organ and the carving, while in the exterior should be noted the excellent view, over the city and the estuary, that is possible to have from the top of the bell tower. 

D. Afonso III Statue and Municipal Museum

This was the first museum created in the Algarve. In 1894, in the 5th centenary of the birth of Infant D. henrique, the City Hall of Faro inaugurated the Archaeological Museum and Lapidated the Statue of this infant.

In 1914, the estate was transferred to the church of the former Convent of Santo António dos Capuchos and remained there until 1969. The archaeological remains are the most significant, with pieces of prehistory and the Roman and medieval times.Other collection of high quality are the paintings from the XVI to XIX centuries. It is composed mainly of religious specimens that formerly belonged to religious temples in the Algarve.
In November 2005, the Municipal Museum of Faro received the Award for Best Portuguese Museum during the three years 2003-05, awarded by the Portuguese Association of Museology.


Castle

What is left of the Castle, is part of a defensive structure of the city, that has roman origin and was posteriorly reinforced by the arabs.
The castle seems to have been rebuilt, after the cristian reconquest of the Peninsula, over the Alcazaba that has muslim origin.

In 1596, Faro suffers an attack of the british forces, and is sacked and burned, having to be the target of reconstruction work over several years and in the seventeenth century, more works are done to adapt the castle and city walls for the use of artillery.
In the eighteenth century, the castle was headquarters of the Artillery Regiment of the Kingdom of the Algarve and in the late nineteenth century, was leased to a company that turned it into a alcohol factory.

The changes made to function as a factory, much misrepresented the castle, which was also a victim of the opening of a street through the walls, the current Castle Street.

Carmo Church

The Nossa Senhora do Carmo Church or Carmo Church is a "remarkable" building of Faro, located in Carmo Square.
It was founded in 1713 by Bishop D.António Pereira da Silva, but the responsible for the initial project was the priest Frei Manuel da Conceição, of Lisbon. the middle of the century the building underwent major renovation and additions, having been destroyed the original facade.The new layout was designed by master mason Diogo Gonçalves, in 1747. The works extended until 1878 (namely with the construction of the facade towers).

In the Interior you can see the sacristy decoration, the "acervo de imaginária da Procissão do Triunfo" and a Bones Chapel.


Live Science Center of Faro

A center where the visitor is invited to participate and discover the real and virtual world, through a exposition about the sun,  navigation in CyberSpace, planet observation and Mediatheque.

Schedule:

• Monday to Sunday
• Saturdays, Sundays and Holidays from 15h00 to 19h00
• Tuesday to Friday from 10h00 to 17h00


Arch Gallery

Open since 1990/1991 along with the Trem Municipal Gallery, hosts temporary exibitions of national contemporary artists.

Currently operates as one of the poles of the Municipal Museum of Faro, hosting the Toy Museum Center, consisting of a extensive collection of old toys, recently acquired by the municipality.

Schedule:
Summer - Monday and Saturday 14H30 to 18H00 / Tuesday to Friday 10H00 to 18H00;
Winter - Monday and Saturday 14H00 to 17H30 / Tuesday to Friday 09H30 to 17H30;

Promotional Videos

Historic City

Interest Areas

Faro Cathedral