Faro, Portugal Tourist Attractions
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The busy industrial town and port of Faro (altitude: sea level), chief town of its district in the south of Portugal, lies at the north end of a lagoon dotted with saltpans and islands.
Praça de Dom Francisco Gomes
The Praça de Dom Francisco Gomes to the northeast of the harbor is a good starting point for a tour of Faro. The obelisk erected in 1910 commemorates the diplomat Ferreira d'Almeida, who was born in Faro and who, during his period of office as minister of naval affairs, founded a naval college and promoted the fishing industry.
Jardim Manuel Bivar
Peace and quiet can be enjoyed in the Jardim Manuel Bivar, to the south of the square. This garden with its attractive flower beds, tall palms and jacaranda trees is a favorite haunt of the elder citizens of Faro who sit here and watch the world go by. On the east side of the park stands the Igreja da Misericórdia, a 14th C. church that was restored after the 1755 earthquake.
Arco da Vila
At the south end of the Jardim Manuel Bivar stands the Arco da Vila, an arched gateway built by the architect Francisco Xavier Fabri, surmounted by a bell tower and a statue of Faro's patron saint, St Thomas Aquinus. Through the gateway lies the very attractive historical center of Faro, part of which is still surrounded by a 13th C. wall.
Cathedral
The center of the Old Town of Faro is dominated by the Cathedral. Large parts of the originally Gothic church were destroyed in the 1755 earthquake and rebuilt later; of the original building only the tower and a south window remain. Overall, the cathedral presents elements of Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque.The pleasing interior is light and almost basilica like. The nave has three aisles separated almost imperceptibly from one another by three slender pillars. Above the choir is a coffered barrel vaulted ceiling. The Capela de Santo Lenho to the right of the chancel contains the tomb of António Pereira da Silva, Bishop of the Algarve from 1704 to 1715.
Largo Sé
In the square in front of the cathedral, the Largo Sé, stand the town hall (Câmara Municipal) and the Bishop's Palace (Paço Episcopal). The long west wing was added to the original building in the 18th C.
Archeological Museum
A few hundred meters south of the Cathedral, on the Praça Afonso III, stands the Archeological Museum, housed in the former convent of Nossa Senhora da Assunçao, a house of St Clare founded in 1518. In addition to the exhibits (especially finds from Milreu), the two story cloister is particularly worthy of attention. Other rooms grouped around the cloister house the private collection of the diplomat and art lover Ferreira d'Almeida, including mainly 19th C. paintings but also portraits, silver and glass.
Igreja de Sao Francisco
The church of St Francis, on the spacious Largo de Sao Francisco, is reached through the Arco de Repouso. The 17th C. church once formed part of a Franciscan convent, now occupied by the military.
Museum of Regional Ethnography
The Museum of Regional Ethnography, just north of the Franciscan church, affords an insight into the way of life and folk art of the local people.
Museu Maritimo
The harbor commander's office in the north of the harbor houses a Maritime Museum. The exhibits provide a background to seafaring and fishing in the Algarve.
Igreja de Sao Pedro
To the northeast of the Museu Maritimo the church of St Peter stands on the Sao Pedro (St Peter's) Square. It is dated originally from the 16th C.
Igreja do Carmo
To the north of St Peter's Square lies the wide Largo do Carmo, dominated by this twin towered Baroque church.
Chapel of Bones
Through the sacristy is a cemetery and the Capela dos Ossos, which was dedicated in 1816. The vaulted ceiling and the walls are made of human skeletons.
Cafe Aliança
There are plenty of cafes and restaurants in the center of Faro where visitors can refresh themselves after a tour of the town. The most traditional of these is the Cafe Aliança on the Praça Francisco Gomes (corner of Rua 1° de Maio), which opened in 1908.
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Map of Faro Attractions
Map - Faro
