FARO is not a resort town. It is an earnest Portuguese provincial capital. The airport, about 7 km from the centre, is the closest most visitors get to it. This is a pity because it has a number of attractions.

Best of all is the old walled town with its quiet, cobbled streets and its 16th, 17th and 18th century buildings. To get there, follow the centro signs to the Praça D. Francisco Gomes next to the harbour. Here you will find the Manuel Bivar gardens, at the enclosed end of which, next to the Turismo, stands the imposing Vila do Arco. Go through the archway and you are immediately in the old quarter.

The small Cathedral in the centre of the Largo de Sé dates from the mid-13th century and was probably built on the site of a Moorish mosque. The fine old buildings on the perimeter of the square include an 18th century episcopal palace and the current town hall. The statue in the square is of Bishop Francisco Gomes, who co-ordinated the rebuilding of Faro after it was destroyed by the great earthquake of 1755.
A short walk away, but still within the walled town, is a smaller square with a grander statue. It is that of Dom Alfonso III, who conquered the last strongholds of the Moors in Portugal in the 13th century. He is standing in front of the former Convent of Nossa Senhora da Assunção, now Faro's Archaeological and Lapidary Museum full of fascinating artefacts from prehistoric to modern times.

Faro has two other museums. The Ethnological Museum gives an insight into the traditional lifestyles of the region. The Maritime Museum has lots of models, including Vasco da Gama's ship São Gabriel, and an elaborate tuna-catching trap.
The most lavishly adorned of Faro churches is that of Nossa Senhora do Carmo. It is also the spookiest. It has a bone chapel with the skeletal remains of 1,245 former monks. An inscription over the doorway translates to: "Stop here and think of the fate that will befall you."

See the official Faro council site for more information (Portuguese language)