Faro Travel Guide
Travel guide to Faro, Portugal with comprehensive information about events, shopping, and major Faro sporting events to help you enjoy your visit more.
Faro Overview
Faro is located in the Algarve district of Portugal, one of the country's primary tourist destinations. The city has a population in the region of 55,000 people, a large number of whom work in the tourist trade or associated service industries.
During the summer it is quite astonishing how busy the place can be, with tourists coming here for some guaranteed sunshine, absolutely gorgeous beaches and a variety of restaurants and bars. Away from these busy periods though, the city takes on a different guise, more representative of the people here. There is an informal atmosphere and a more relaxed feel to the place. The pace is comfortable and nothing is too much trouble. The dedicated tourist areas, with their hotels and clubs seem a lifetime away from Faro proper.
The whole of the Algarve area is wonderfully green and verdant, with golf courses and tennis courts making the most of this scenery to create some stunning destinations. With a plethora of top courses here the golfer is spoilt for choice.
One of the signatures of the area is the freshly caught and prepared seafood, which must be tried by all who come here. The squid and octopus are real delicacies, and ought to be experienced by everyone at least once.
The Algarve is also one of the few places that flamingos can be seen naturally, using this as a stop off point as they do on their migrations, so it is clearly a place where new experiences abound.
Top Faro Attractions
The Old City is a well preserved reminder of life dating back in parts to the 9th century. With traditionally built architecture, cobbled streets and defensive walls it is like walking in the past, and the area can be eerily quiet at times, which further emphasises the feeling of the area.
Shopping in Faro
Faro offers a blend of shops, from some designer stores through to a good number of more traditional shops and stalls offering handicrafts, local produce and so on. They are all pretty much city centre based, so walking between shops and the different areas is not a problem.
Faro Sporting Events
There are two primary sports here in Faro and the surrounding Algarve area. The first is golf, with many overseas visitors coming here to enjoy some especially beautiful and well-manicured courses that offer a real test. The weather means that breaks out of the regular summer months are ideal, with wonderfully mild conditions perfect for golf. The other key one is water sport, with skiing and diving especially popular. These are more for the summer months it must be said, when the influx of tourists is at its peak.