Getting from New York to Faro Faro, Portugal was a long haul, but arriving on June 6th gave us plenty of time to settle in. We spent our first full day walking through the Arco da Vila Arco da Vila, Faro. It is the main entrance to the old town and feels much more grounded than the guidebooks suggest. We spent a few hours at the Museu Municipal de Faro Museu Municipal de Faro, Faro and walked through the Faro Cathedral Faro Cathedral, Faro before stopping for a quiet lunch at O Coreto O Coreto, Faro.
On June 8th, we headed to Restaurante Ria Formosa Restaurante Ria Formosa, Faro for lunch before walking along the Parque Natural da Ria Formosa Parque Natural da Ria Formosa, Faro. Later, we took a boat excursion from Portas do Mar Portas do Mar, Faro. The water is calm, and seeing the coast from the boat helps you understand how the islands protect the mainland from the Atlantic swell.
“The transition from the city center to the quiet islands takes less than thirty minutes by ferry.”
The next few days were a mix of city sights and island trips. We visited the Capela dos Ossos Capela dos Ossos, Faro and walked through Jardim Manuel Bivar Jardim Manuel Bivar, Faro on the 9th, followed by a simple dinner at Tasquinha Cruzeiro Tasquinha Cruzeiro, Faro. On the 10th, we took the ferry from Faro Marina Faro Marina, Faro to Ilha da Culatra Ilha da Culatra, Faro. We ate at Restaurante O Zeca Restaurante O Zeca, Faro and spent the afternoon at Praia da Culatra Praia da Culatra, Faro, which was much less crowded than expected for early June.
We ventured out to Estoi on the 11th to see the Ruínas Romanas de Milreu Ruínas Romanas de Milreu, Estoi and the Palácio de Estoi Palácio de Estoi, Estoi. It was a nice change of pace from the waterfront. We grabbed a bite at O Convés O Convés, Faro nearby. By the 12th, we were back in the city to see the Igreja do Carmo Igreja do Carmo, Faro and browse the Mercado Municipal de Faro Mercado Municipal de Faro, Faro. We finished the stretch with a dinner at Tertúlia Algarvia Tertúlia Algarvia, Faro, which is worth visiting for the local fish dishes.