Faro Information

Faro is the administrative centre for the whole of the Algarve region with a population in excess of 58,000 people. The city has both Arab and Roman ruins, but most of the present older buildings were built after the massive earthquake in 1755 and the earlier one in 1532.

The old part of the city, still surrounded by the ancient Roman walls, is particularly attractive. Inside a spacious open square that was once the site of a Roman Forum is a 13th Century Cathedral that faces an 18th Century Episcopal palace.

An interesting building is the neighbouring 16th Century Convent that is has now been turned into the home of the city's archaeological museum. Within it is a section devoted to the Arab occupation. The 'golden' church of Nossa Senhora do Carmo is claimed to be the finest example of gold-leaf woodwork in southern Portugal. It also contains the macabre spectacle of a chapel lined with the bones of 1,200 monks!

Bordering the Praça de Dom Francisco Gomes is a small Navel Museum composed of scale model boats and galleons showing the maritime history of the coast. Much of the city is now made up of apartments along with many attractive shops and a particularly artistic theatre.

Faro is also the home of the Ria Formosa lagoon, a nature reserve of over 17,000 hectares and a stopping place for hundreds of different birds during the migratory periods of spring and autumn.

The beach is around 7km from the city and it is a long sandy spit reached by crossing a bridge not too far from the International Airport. The municipal council has an active cultural department organizing different and various events during the year.