Faro

Portugal

Things to do in Faro:

View the Gallery Vale do Lobo Ocean

Faro Restaurants

Cheap (47)

Caf� do Coreto

With outdoor seating facing Faro's marina and brisk waiter service, this is a lovely spot for an al fresco salad, pizza, sandwich or drink. read more
Affordable (44)

Adega Dois Irm�os

Once a welder's shop but now a beautifully tiled restaurant with its own patio garden, this is the best place in central Faro for good-value fresh fish and seafood, much of which you can admire... read more
Good quality (36)

Casa do Lago

One of Quinta do Lago's oldest restaurants,with a great terrace facing a lake, Casa do Lago specialises in fresh fish and seafood. There are cataplana stews, rice and pasta dishes as well as steaks... read more

Faro Nightlife

Chilled (38)

Hotel Faro

Head to the top floor of this modern hotel for its roof terrace bar (open to non-guests). The views from the terrace are sublime, looking out across Faro's harbourside gardens and the sea beyond. read more
Live Music (31)

Sociedade Recreativa Artistica Farense

Faro's Recreational Arts Society is a small club where local bands cut their teeth: these can be hit or miss, but you can sometimes catch an up-and-coming rock, folk or jazz gem. read more
Clubbing (33)

T Clube

The upmarket resort of Quinta do Lago's place to be seen, T-Clube is where the rich and famous like to party. So look your best and expect to queue at weekends to hit this sophisticated club. read more

This Month in Faro:

By Matthew Hancock

Shopping: Just west of Faro, Quarteira is both a resort and lively fishing port and its market is one of the best in the entire region for fish and seafood. On Wednesdays, a weekly flea market sells everything from bargain clothes to tools and ceramics.

Sightseeing: The world's best drivers on water head to Portim�o for the Grand Prix F1 Power Boat World Championships (f1h20.com) on 21-22 May, a hugely impressive race around the estuary of the Rio Arade.

Key areas: One of the Algarve's loveliest beaches, Praia do Faro, is minutes away from Faro's airport: a fantastic stretch of narrow sands on an elongated sandspit island.

Day trips: Head to F�ia, the Algarve's highest mountain with dazzling views over the coast. At the adjacent village of Monchique, the Atacar o Maio festival welcomes in the month with bolo do tacho, a cake made from honey and chocolate, washed down with schnapps-like medronho.

Faro News & Gossip

Longevity Wellness Resort

FARO

Inland from the Algarve's cobalt sea, where the mountainous terrain offers cooler air and fresher foliage, you'll find the Longevity Wellness Resort.

Built into a hillside a few kilometres from the small town of Monchique, the luxury hotel is at one with its natural surroundings. Describing itself as the first resort-based medical spa in Portugal, the 195-suite complex has a team of doctors, dieticians and other therapists on hand for visitors who can sign up for a detox or have their diet assessed. Don't be put off: there are no 5am colonics from stern nurses. Indeed, nothing is a must-do: you might just like to relax by one of the pools and dine in the excellent restaurant, with a menu that has been nutritionally balanced, so it's healthy as well as delicious. Be warned: it's not lively - but sometimes that's just what the doctor ordered. From �122, book at hotels.easyJet.com

Faro Trivia

May: White storks nest on virtually every tall tree and tower in the Algarve in spring: it's considered bad luck if the storks do not return to nest each year.
April: Many egg-based desserts are made with recipes first used in Portugal's convents, which is why they have names such as Priest's Pudding and Nun's Belly.
March: The Algarve and southern Portugal's cork groves produce nearly half of the world's entire supply of cork.