Where to Stay in Faro

The hub of tourist Faro. Ferries to the barrier islands leave from the pier below Jardim Manuel Bivar. Seafood restaurants line the promenade. The salt-tinged breeze off the Ria Formosa lagoon reaches every upper-floor room. This is where most of Faro's hotels sit, within sight of the floodlit old town walls at night.

Faro's walled old town, enclosed by Roman and Moorish stone ramparts. Cobblestone lanes lead to the Gothic cathedral tower, the eerie bone chapel, and near-silent streets that empty after 9 pm. Accommodation is scarce here and usually in converted townhouses. But the atmospheric payoff is unlike anywhere else in the Algarve.

The commercial spine of Faro, centred on the tiled pedestrian street Rua de Santo António. Ceramic shops and cafe terraces line the route between the bus terminal and the old town. The train and bus stations are both within easy reach, making this the practical choice for rail-linked Algarve itineraries.

A narrow barrier island 6 km from the city centre, connected by road and a summer passenger ferry. Fine pale sand stretches in both directions and the Atlantic breaks loud and cool on the ocean-facing shore. Accommodation here is almost entirely self-catering apartments rather than hotels. Sensible for longer stays, limiting for one or two nights.