Faro is the capital of the Algarve region and most people visit
for the excellent beaches that are within easy reach and for a taste
of Portugese culture in the Algarve. The warm climate, the beaches
and the sunny weather, makes Faro district a very popular summer
resort. Faro is the chief seaport town of the province, and is located
on the Rio Fermoso, near its mouth.
Faro has an important Maritime history and next to the small boat
basin bordering the Praade Dom Francisco Gomes is a small naval
museum. The international airport where most of the tourists arrive
is also located in Faro, so for many people this is the starting
point for their visit to the Algarve and or Portugal. Faro international
airport is the main gateway to the Algarve, most flights arrive
from European cities, with additional charter flights in the season.
Faro Airport is located 3 km to the west of Faro.
Faro is a modern, lively city with great shops, good restaurants,
and a busy nightlife, and yet it still retains the feel of a true
Portuguese fishing port. Tourist's who explore Faro will find a
charismatic city bursting with history.
Faro itself is known for some pretty graceful architecture, featuring
flat roofs and fluted chimneys with elegant detailing on extremely
bright white-washing that the resident population of giant storks
just love to build on. Faro’s most famous attraction is a
macabre one at the Igreja do Carmo, which features a chapel whose
walls are decorated with the bones of more than 1,200 monks disinterred
from the neighbouring cemetery. In the Medieval age, the town was
plundered by the Earl of Essex with his fellow crusaders on their
journey to the Holy Land, who took the books of Bishop to the Bodleian
Library in Oxford; another interesting thing about the history of
Faro was that some Jewish inhabitants kept busy printing copies
of the Old Testament.
The Ria Formosa which is a beautiful natural lagoon can be found
in Faro as can the ever-loved pink flamingo, often seen taking off
from the different beaches. The thousands of hectares of estuary
that surround Faro are visited every year by hundreds of different
migrating birds and are also home to many other species of animal.
Near to Faro is the small town of Almancil where nearby can be found
the church of S'o Louren'o de Matos renown for its 18th Century
blue tiles.
The coast of The Algarve has some beautiful beaches and your holiday
to Portugal would not be complete without visiting at least one,
why not try Albufeira beach which stretches all the way from Faro.
Getting to Faro has never been easier with Easy Jet and Ryanair
low cost direct flights from main UK airports. There are not any
trains at Faro Airport but you do have a choice of whether to catch
the airport bus, take a taxi or pre-book a private airport transfer.
There is a local bus service operating between the airport and Faro
centre about every hour. Hotel Eva is located right next to the
marina in the centre of Faro.
