Surroundings, Faro

Northwest of the town, beyond the airport, on an offshore island connected to the mainland by a bridge, stretches the extensive sandy beach of Praia de Faro.

Estói, a town typical of the Algarve hinterland, lies 12km/7.5mi north of Faro. It is known mainly for the Palácio de Estói, a palace built in the late 18th C. Visitors are not allowed inside. It is surrounded by an attractive small park. The gardens, which were laid out in the 18th and 19th C., are on several levels and lavishly decorated with azulejos and busts. Tiled steps lead down to the lower part of the gardens, with a grotto which is completely covered in mosaics from nearby Milreu.

At the western end of Estói, by the road leading to Santa Bárbara de Nexe, near the village of Milreu, lie the remains of a Roman town. Archeological digs were undertaken here as early as 1877. In Roman times Milreu was a "summer residence" for well to do families from Faro, then known as Ossonoba (Milreu is also sometimes called by this name). The remains of a Roman villa and thermal baths decorated with mosaics have been unearthed; they probably date from the A.D. first century. The walls of an early Christian church are relatively well preserved.

On the south coast of Portugal is the seaside town of Almancil. The town has developed into a tourist destination catering to northern Europeans, particularly travelers from the United Kingdom. Almancil has many restaurants, hotels, and cafés as well as nearby activities such as golfing.