From Wikitravel
Faro is a city in the Algarve region of Portugal.
Understand
A popular destination for sun-seekers from northern Europe and
the UK, Faro
has a reputation as being an overrun party beach town for much of
the year. Visitors who use it as a base to explore the more remote
areas of the Algarve in the off-season will experience much more of
what southern Portugal has to offer; but those looking for no more
than a tan and cocktails won't be disappointed. In winter, it is a
beautiful, peaceful corner of Southern Europe with plenty of sun
bleaching the white-washed town with colonial and
Moorish-influenced architecture. The people are more friendly than
other parts of Europe. Many speak a bit of English, but are very
appreciative of any attempts at Portuguese.
- Faro Airport (IATA:
FAO) (ICAO: LPFR), [1].
Many package tour and discount airlines arrive from the UK and
Ireland, mainland Europe and Canada. There is a large group of Car
hire agencies if you turn right after the main exit.
- The Alpha Pendular - a high-speed train, runs at least
twice a day to and from Lisbon. About 2,5 hours, €20 one way, €25 on
first class. The Inter City trains run more frequently but take a
little longer, with more stops - about 3.5 to 4 hours.
There are also reginal trains along the Algarve coast to Lagos.
By car
Car hire is an option for visitors. You can arrange car hire at
the airport, however, as with many tourist locations it is wise to
arrange your vehicle hire prior to arrival - this can save both
money (the airport car rental desks can be far more expensive) and
disappointment as availability during peak season may be very
limited. Organising it from home before you arrive is now a very
simple process with numerous companies specialising in pre-booking
car hire in Faro.
Roads can be quite busy, but if you want to see a bit more of
the city and indeed the Algarve region then driving by car is an
easy option. Driving in the Algarve region is far easier than in
the rest of Portugal, there are more non-toll roads and road-signs
are plentiful and relevant.
By bus
There is a daily bus service from Lisbon and Porto in the north of Portugal, as well as from
Madrid and Seville in Spain. A fare from Lisbon to Faro costs either 18
EUR (for a "Expresso" connection takes about 4 hours, stopping in
Albufeira, Vilamoura and Quarteira) or 19 EUR (for a
"Expresso Qualidade" direct connection which takes just over 3
hours and includes a movie projection, a stewardess, and a mini-bar
service) and can easily be bought at the bus station just before
boarding. This bus station in Lisbon is next to a subway stop
called Jardim Zoológico.
By boat
Main harbours: Portimao, Faro.
Get around
By bus
Buses 16 and 14 go around the city and the airport of Faro.
Tickets can be bought from the driver.
By car
It can be difficult to find a parking slot in the center. Most
of the parking stations near the restaurants and shopping malls are
payable. However, there is a huge free parking station next to the
ship yard from which tour boats depart.
On foot
Walking in the center is enjoyable.
- Fans of automotive engineering will be intrugued by some of the
weird and wonderful vehicles on Faro's streets. These include
pick-up trucks with motorcycle front-ends, and various mopeds and
micro-cars that never made it across the Channel. Renault 4s, now
almost extinct in their native France, are still a common site in
Faro.
- If you're in a macabre mood then check out the Capela dos Ossos
in the Igreja do Carmo church. This is a chapel decorated with the
skeletal remains of over 1,200 former monks. There is a small
admission charge.
- Centro Historico - The Old City, or Cidade
Velha, is a well-preserved section of town off the harbor with
cobblestone streets and 18th century Portuguese and
Moorish-influenced architecture. It is great place for a peaceful
and almost private walk back in time in an area that has been
virtually untouched by modernity.
- Rio Formosa - Take a boat trip into the Rio
Formosa - a nature reserve that stretches along the tip of Portugal
into Spain. A two and a half hour trip costs €20 (in 2007) and
includes a 40 minute stop-over on an island. The boat leaves from a
jetty by the Centro Historico.
- Praia de Faro - This beach is several
kilometers long and so should never get crowded, even in the height
of summer. Most of the beach is gently sloping though it can take a
sudden dip in places. There are the usual beach-side stalls and a
public lavatory, but no showers. Praia de Faro is just past the
airport, the airport bus stops there and costs €1.65 (in 2009). A
lot of people with early check-outs and late flights seem to go
there on their last day.
- Faro Jewish Heritage Centre, Rua Leao
Penedo (In fron of Faro
Hospital), ☎ 289829525, [2]. 9.30-12.30 and 14.00-17.00. Oficially established in 1851, the Faro Jewish
Cemetery is the only remaining vestige of the first
post-Inquisition Jewish presence in Portugal. It served as a burial
place for a thriving 60 family community (also known as "Little
Jerusalem"). The Jews of Portugal fled the Inquisition from the end
of the XVth century and settled in Gibraltar and North Africa.
After the devastating 1755 Lisbon Earthquake their descendants have
been invited by the Marquis of Pombal to help rebuild the economy.
Although the community is long gone, the Cemetery still remains to
remind citizens and travellers of its former glory. The Faro Jewish
Heritage Centre features over one hundred graves in Sephardi style,
with beautifully engraved slabs instead of headstones. Although the
land has been purchased by the Jewish community in 1851, the first
burial, that of Rabbi Toledano, dates back to 1838. Apart from the
Cemetery, there is also a museum, housing many objects linked to
the history of the Jews of Faro, like the furniture from one of the
two non-existent synagogues of Faro or the facsimile copy of
Gacon's 1478 Pentateuch in Hebrew - the first book ever printed in
Portugal! free. edit
Sleep
Faro has a thriving trade in both package deal hotels and
short-term apartment rental. If that fails, locals have become very
comfortable renting out every scrap of space in their homes to
desperate travellers. Book months in advance for the high season
and note that many places are closed during the low season.
- Pousada de São Brás de Alportel - São Brás, Charming
Hotel, 8150-054 São Brás de Alportel,
☎ +351-289 842 305/289 842 306 (recepcao.sbras@pousadas.pt,
fax: +351-289 841 726),
[3]. A charming hotel located in the
Algarve mountain range, only half an hour from the coast and near
the most famous beaches in Portugal, this has and still maintains
the most genuine characteristics of the region's culture. Near this
charming Algarve hotel are some golf courses, such as the Monte
Rei, the Benamor and the Quinta da Ria golf course, these are some
of the best greens for the practice of golf in Algarve.
edit
- Hotel Eva is a 4-star hotel overlooking the
harbor and the Cidade Velha. It is walking distance from everything
and is well worth the few extra euro.
- Hotel Faro is also a 4-star hotel overlooking
the harbor and the Cidade Velha.
- Hotel Ibis Faro, E.N. 125 Pontes de Marchil,
☎ (+351)289 893 800,
[4]. edit
- Hotel
Mónaco, Rua
João Baptista Severino Urb. Monte da Ria - Montenegro 8005-237
Faro (From all
directions take directions to Faro/airport. Once on the EN125-10
(airport road - dual carriage way) take exit signs
(Montenegro/Universidade), on the flyover roundabout follow the
exit towards Faro and sign Hotel, descending from the roundabout,
take the immediate right turn. Hotel is 100m away.), ☎ +351289895060, [5]. checkin: After 2pm; checkout: Before noon. Hotel Mónaco is the nearest hotel to Faro
airport, Algarve University and Algarve Stadium. Low/High: 45/55 EUR (single), 52/70 EUR (double or
twin). edit
- Serra de Monchique
- Lagos
- Silves
- Alte
- Tavira
- Sagres
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