FARO TRAVEL GUIDE
The Algarve, PortugalIf you are looking for a holiday hotel or apartment in Faro, the following information may help by giving you an overview on the resort.
Visitors arriving at Faro airport could be forgiven for judging the Algarve capital to be a dusty industrial town with nothing to offer. Yet, at the centre of all this, there is a quiet walled city of huge historic character, as well as a lively shopping centre, where people meet for lunch in the outdoor cafes of the traffic-free streets, or stroll after work in the cool of the evening.
Faro port is the best area to begin a tour of the city. The 18th century Alfândega [Customs House], with its elegant wrought-iron balcony, is to the north of the port overlooking an obelisk commemorating Ferreira d’Almeida - the former naval minister and citizen of Faro.
The impressive Arco da Vila [Town Gate] is a baroque archway with its stork’s nest and statue of St Thomas Aquinas, Faro’s patron saint, and serves as a stately entrance to the calm street of the old walled city. The 13th century wall that protects the old city was solid enough to survive the 1755 earthquake, but the handsome stone palaces that line the streets, and the convent buildings of the main square, all date from the latter end of the 18th century. There is a great contrast between the huge cathedral and magnificent bishop’s palace, and the more domestic streets to the south and east of the walled city.
From the intimacy of the walled city, the Arco de Repouso [Arch of Repose] leads out to the huge Largo de São Francisco, a square that is used for carnivals and feast days. Crossing the square, it is a short walk up Rua do Bacoge and left into Rua de Portugal to the regional museum, and from there to Rua de Santo Antonio, the shop and café-lined pedestrian street that leads back to the harbour.
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Disclaimer:
By its very nature much of the information in our travel guides is subject to change at short notice and travellers are urged to verify information on which they are relying with the relevant authorities. Corona Holidays [UK] Limited cannot accept any responsibility for any loss or inconvenience to any person as a result of information contained above.
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