Must-see attractions in Faro

  • Downtown of Faro with Se Cathedral in the morning with orange tree in the foreground, Algarve, Portugal
1472097846
building, view, orange, portuguese, historical, faro

    Faro

    The centrepiece of the Cidade Velha, the sé was completed in 1251 but heavily damaged in the 1755 earthquake. What you see now is a variety of Renaissance…

  • View to Ria Formosa Natural Park, Algarve, Portugal
1889985748

    Parque Natural da Ria Formosa

    Faro

    Encompassing 18,000 hectares, this sizeable system of lagoons and islands stretches for 60km along the Algarve coastline from west of Faro to Cacela Velha…

  • Portugal, Algarve, Ilha de Faro, footprints on sandy beach

    Praia de Faro

    Faro

    On the Ilha de Faro, 9km west of the centre, the town's beach has sweeping sand, windsurfing and kitesurfing operators, and a handful of cafes. It's…

  • Museu Municipal

    Faro

    Faro’s domed 16th-century Renaissance Convento de Nossa Senhora da Assunção, in what was once the Jewish quarter, houses the town's local history museum…

  • Centro Histórico Judaico de Faro

    Faro

    The last vestiges of the first post-Inquisition Jewish presence in Portugal are found at this small Jewish cemetery. In use between 1838 and 1932, and…

  • Igreja de São Francisco

    Faro

    The foundations of this monastery's church were laid in 1679 and it was enlarged during the 18th and 19th centuries. Behind its blinding white facade are…

  • Arco da Vila

    Faro

    Enter the Cidade Velha (Old Town) through the neoclassical Arco da Vila, built in 1812 by order of Bishop Francisco Gomes do Avelar, who oversaw the city…

  • Museu Regional do Algarve

    Faro

    Three of the four halls at this worthwhile museum house exhibitions on rural life in the Algarve, including mock-ups of 19th-century shops and rooms, a…

  • Arco de Repouso

    Faro

    You can leave the Cidade Velha (Old Town) through the medieval Arco de Repouso (Gate of Rest). Apparently Afonso III, after taking Faro from the Moors,…

  • Galeria Trem

    Faro

    This converted military warehouse displays contemporary art with temporary exhibitions by local and international artists – painters, photographers,…

  • Igreja da Misericórdia

    Faro

    The 16th-century Igreja da Misericórdia, opposite the Arco da Vila, was originally built in Manueline (Portuguese late Gothic) style but is now nearly all…

  • Igreja de São Pedro

    Faro

    While the exterior of this 16th-century church is unassuming, the tri-nave interior has magnificent 18th-century azulejos and intricately carved woodwork,…

  • Arco da Porta Nova

    Faro

    At the southwestern end of the Largo da Sé is this small 15th-century town gate connecting the old town with the waterfront, where some boats depart.

More destinations you need to see