Day trip

Best adventure:

Praia de Faro

The Algarve is famed for its beaches, but one of its best is often overlooked. A stone’s throw from the airport and a short hop from Faro, Praia de Faro is a narrow sandspit island reached by a little bridge. With miles of soft sand, it’s a stupendous space and makes a great day out, whatever the weather. The hardy take to the Atlantic waters all year round, or you could walk for miles, resting at the many beachside cafés and restaurants that line its expanse. One of the best for families is Restaurant Paquete, east of the road bridge, with a big terrace facing the sands and superb, inexpensive snacks and sandwiches.

Where: Praia de Faro, southwest of the airport, reached by bus 14 or 16 from opposite Faro’s bus station via airport arrivals

Reserva Natural da Ria Formosa

Faro’s marina looks out across the tidal mudflats of a fantastic nature reserve, the Reserva Natural da Ria Formosa, an area rich in bird and marine life and fringed by some of the best beaches in the entire region. Natura runs a range of tours into the reserve from the nearby town of Olhão. The leisurely nature tours point out various exotic birds as you cruise to an oyster farm, pausing to sample them fresh from the sea over a glass of the local bubbly. This can be followed by a relaxed lunch in the fisherman’s village of Culatra, an offshore island with a superb stretch of beach. If all this sounds too sedate, Natura also offer a testosterone-fuelled power boat tour which takes in the seas around the reserve, with the chance to spot dolphins and the occasional whale.

Where: Natura, Marina de Olhão, Olhão. Tel: 918 056 674

Website: www.natura-algarve.com

Gem

Best secret gem:

Portuguese water dogs

This rare breed of web-footed poodle – bred to help chase fish into nets – has become better known now that President Obama has one, “Bo”, for his kids. You can visit the kennels where they are bred in the beautiful nature reserve 20 minutes west of Faro (closed weekends).
Where: Quinta da Marim, Quelfes.
Website: www.caodaguapt.org

Gifts

Best souvenirs:

Forum Algarve

Though there are some great shops in central Faro, this attractive shopping complex on the way to the airport has a huge range of stores where clothes, drinks and souvenirs are generally far cheaper than elsewhere.
Where: Forum Algarve, EN125 (the main Faro-to-airport road)
Website: www.forumalgarve.net

J. Carminho

This jam-packed store has two branches on Faro’s main pedestrianised street, Rua de Santo António. You could spend hours browsing the local crafts, and though some of it is a tad tacky, you’ll also find quality embroidery, beautiful tiles and ceramics, copperwork and a range of T-shirts and souvenirs.

Where: J. Carminho, 21 & 29 Rua de Santo António, Faro. Tel: +351 289 826 522

Website: http://www.igogo.pt/j-carminho

Arco de Santo António

There are plenty of shops in Faro selling ‘traditional’ souvenirs, but it can be hard to find quality products that really do represent the region. If you thought cork was something to be disposed of once removed from a bottle, Arco de Santo António will make you think again as it specialises in a range of beautifully crafted bags and accessories mostly made from cork. There are fashionable cork bracelets and pendants, even cork shoes, not to mention cork handbags that will certainly make any fashionable wannabe do a double-take. Portugal has traditionally supplied the world with almost 50% of its entire stock of cork wine stoppers, but with the industry under threat because of screwtops, this shop proves the entirely sustainable product has life in it yet.

Where: Arco de Santo António, 19 Rua de Santo António, Faro.

Tel: +351 289 827 238

Family

Best family attraction:

Zoomarine

Less than an hour down the main N125 from Faro, this is a fantastic zoo-come-theme park filled with swimming pools, rides and various animal enclosures, including a fine aquarium. The highlight is the impressive dolphin show, though there are various other shows throughout the day.
Where: Zoomarine, Estrada Nacional 125, Guia.
Website: www.zoomarine.com

Dining

Best restaurant:

Adega Nova

On an unpromising street near the train station, Adega Nova is nevertheless a gem of a restaurant that never fails to pack in the locals. Get there early to guarantee a table inside this barn-like building with gallery seating and walls covered in wine barrels and quirky artefacts. Fresh fish is always good value, though the grilled meats are hard to beat, including a sizzling bife na pedra: a steak that you can cook to your own taste on a hot rock. The house wine is extremely quaffable and with the diners lined up on benches like a wedding party, you may well find yourself with a new group of friends by the end of the evening.

Where: Adega Nova, 24 Rua Francisco Barreto, Faro. Tel: +351 289 813 433

Faz Gostos

Faro’s Cidade Velha is the quaint, mostly walled old town of cobbled streets and bright white house fronts, so it’s something of a surprise to find the city’s smartest restaurant bang in the middle of it. Founder Duval Pestana specialises in taking traditional Portuguese cuisine and giving it a 21^st-century makeover, resulting in a fantastic blend of local ingredients served with an international twist. The concept has been so successful that Duval has since opened Faz Gostos LX in Lisbon’s most fashionable quarter, but the original chef – his wife – continues in Faro’s old town. Take your pick from the likes of Iberian pork stuffed with smoked game sausage, John Dory with clam rice or bacalhau (dried cod) with scallops. The owners are also fans of the slow food movement, so a good tip is to take your time. This will give the added bonus of making room for the sublime desserts such as flambéed crepes Suzette or the incredibly sweet Algarve speciality, Morgado.

Where: Faz Gostos, 13 Rua do Castelo, Faro. Tel: +351 289 878 422

Website: www.fazgostos.com

Architecture

Best photo op:

The Cathedral

Head inside Faro’s striking cathedral (Sé) to see some dazzling 18th-century glazed tiles, then clamber up its clock tower for the best views over the coast and the terracotta roof tiles of the old town, its churches and spires dotted with storks’ nests.
Where: Sé, Largo da Sé, Vila-Adentro, Faro.
Website: www.cm-faro.pt (the town council website with a link to the church)

Best museum:

Museu Municipal de Faro

One of the Algarve’s most charming museums is also one of the oldest in Portugal, dating back to 1894. The Museu Municipal de Faro nestles around the beautiful central courtyard of a 16^th-century former convent. The ground floor rooms shelter a fascinating hotchpotch of remains and artefacts that have been gathered around the region, including Roman statues, pots and graves, the highlight being a virtually intact mosaic of Neptune, dating from the 4^th century. The Moors settled in the Algarve for around 500 years and their legacy can be admired in the form of some intricate vases, bowls and lamps. Upstairs rooms display more modern treasures, including Renaissance paintings.

Where: Museu Municipal de Faro, 14 Largo Afonso III, Faro. Tel: +351 289 897 400

Website: www.cm-faro.pt