I recently took a city-break to the Algarve’s capital, Faro – a stopover that’s often overlooked in favour of Portugal’s other tourist hotspots. Unlike some of the more crowded resort towns in the south, the city provides visitors with a distinctly Portuguese slice of life. Bustling cafes and late-night bars line intricate and wonderfully preserved medieval streets, while its historic old town offers a mesmerising backdrop for Faro’s well-groomed parks and plazas. Its lively shopping precinct has endless open-air eateries and boutiques tailored to suit the Portuguese consumer.
One of the highlights was undoubtedly a daytrip to the magical Ria Formosa National Park – an awe-inspiring area of vast mudflats and saltwater lagoons that’s become a well-known paradise for bird-watchers. The continual movement of the winds, currents and tides means the area never quite looks the same from one day to the next.
Tours of Ria Formosa leave daily from the harbour and you can also day-trip to Faro’s tranquil white sand beaches, which tend to be some of the quietest in the country. Situated on three sandbar islands, daily ferry services will take you to these beaches, which are both beautiful and vastly underdeveloped.
Just 10km north of Faro is the scenic little town of Estoi. There’s a regular bus service connecting the towns, meaning easy accessibility for travellers. Estoi has a beautiful palace as well as some well-preserved Roman ruins that are well worth the half-day excursion.
Just a short hop east, there’s also the watery world of Olhão, Portugal’s largest fishing port. It’s energetic waterfront makes for a pretty stroll, and while there aren’t a huge number of attractions, the port’s Moorish neighbourhoods and top-notch seafood restaurants make it a memorable day out.
