Tourist Attractions in Faro, Portugal

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.

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.

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.

Fair of regional handicrafts, folk displays.

A wide variety of entertainments take place at the same time as the industrial fair.

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.

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.

To the north of St Peter's Square lies the wide Largo do Carmo, dominated by this twin towered Baroque church.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.