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📍 Faro
Faro (Faro) is the southernmost city in Portugal and the capital of the Algarve (Algarve) region (Algarve). Algarve is the third-richest region after Lisbon and the Madeira archipelago. Apart from summer tourism, seafood and fruit production also drives the local economy. Today I would like to introduce you to a few selected locations.
📍 Arco da Vila
Arco da Vila is the gateway to the Old Town of Faro (Old Town), and its history dates back to when the Moors (Muslims) occupied Portugal. This arch was built in 1812, and has a statue of the Italian Catholic missionary Thomas Aquinas on the interior wall. The interior preserves the horseshoe-shaped gate of the Moorish wall. It is a unique arch in the Algarve region. Currently, many bird nests have also been built above the arch, making it a home for migratory birds.
📍 Capela dos Ossos Human Bone Church
Capela dos Ossos (Chapel of Bones) was completed in 1816 and is located behind the main church of Nossa Senhora do Carmo (Nossa Senhora do Carmo). Since Catholicism regards death as a sacred thing, the church used the bones of more than 1,000 Carmelite monks to build a church to symbolize supreme praise by offering the body to God. The church has the title “Pára aqui a ar que a este estado has-de chegar” which means “stop here and think, you will reach this state too”. Catholicism is not afraid of talk or death, and once again conveys the religious idea of “life is short.” A full introduction to the Church of Human Bone can be viewedThis travelogy.
📍 Municipal Museum of Faro
The Faro Municipal Museum is the first museum founded in Algarve. The collection includes artifacts from prehistory, Rome, and the Middle Ages. The time we visited coincided with the reorganization of the museum, so several exhibition halls were in preparation. Each exhibition hall introduces Portugal in the past with different themes, such as the daily lives of Islamic people living in Portugal, mosaics from the 1st to 2nd century, and the works of the Faroese artist Joaquim Viegas.
📍 Fado No Museu United Nations Intangible Cultural Heritage
Every Friday to Sunday, the Faro Municipal Museum hosts three traditional music shows, including admission tickets to the museum. The theme of the music is Fado (Portuguese “fate”), which was popular in Portugal in 1820-1830, and is closely related to the social environment and the rise of cities. Fado was declared an intangible cultural heritage by the United Nations in 2011 and is an important element representing Portuguese culture. The organizers will first broadcast a pre-recorded video in English, explaining Fado's history and importance to Portugal. The performers then slowly progressed, including an ensemble of five guitar songs and an ensemble of pure music. The singer also encouraged all the audience to hum along to one of the songs, and the atmosphere was very lively. After the performance was over, the host gave each person a glass of Don Pablo's sweet red wine, which was sweet and easy to eat.
📍 Ria Formosa 7 natural wonders of Portugal
The Ria Formosa Nature Reserve is one of Portugal's seven natural wonders. It is not only a place for migratory birds in spring and autumn, but also a habitat for various marine life. There are many boat houses near Faro seaport offering Ria Formosa tours. Among the many options, we have selected the most detailed Ecoramine Algarve to introduce to us. The entire tour lasts 4 hours from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., and the guide will introduce us to the marine life and birds that live in the Atlantic Ocean, and stop at the two southernmost islands. After 4 hours, on the way back, I was able to see the difference between the naturally formed terrain between the rising tide and the receding tide. A full description of the trip can be viewedThis travelogy(To be announced soon).
📍 COMUR Portugal's long-established canning shop
The COMUR factory was inaugurated in 1942 in the Murtosa community (Murtosa) and is one of the important brands in the Portuguese canning industry. From a commitment to exporting eel to diversified canned fish, we now have more than 20 branches in Portugal. The store offers more than 20 types of canned food for visitors to choose from. In addition to the most famous octopus, there are also sardines from different years or traditional cooking methods, and more fish to choose from. Since the canned goods in the store are more exquisite and of higher quality than the canned goods you see in supermarkets on weekdays, even though they are more expensive, they have become the best choice for many travelers to buy souvenirs. A full overview of the store can be viewedThis travelogy.
🍴 The Old Tavern
The Old Tavern is a tavern located in the old town. Although the decoration is not classy with other restaurants, it is friendly to the people and the local design makes you feel more comfortable. The quality of the food here is very high, which is why we visited here twice in just 2 days. The friendly staff will introduce the menu to each table, and only provide a selection of one type of wine for us to match with the most suitable wine in advance. A full introduction to the restaurant and food can be viewedThis travelogy.
🍴 Pigs and Cows
Pigs and Cows is a restaurant founded by a French owner and a Portuguese owner to express their love for cooking and the concept of enjoying a leisurely meal time. Since the menu in the restaurant changes regularly, every guest is required to select the three-course set (starter, main course, dessert) from the tablet. I was constantly impressed by this dining experience, and I was able to deeply feel the love and confidence of the owner, the couple and the waiters for the restaurant. Although all the dishes are prepared by the owner and his wife, the owner will carefully introduce each dish for the guests and actively inquire about our impressions. A full introduction to the restaurant and food can be viewedThis travelogy(To be announced soon).
🏠 Eva Sense Hotel
The four-star hotel we booked this time, the Eva Sense Hotel is located next to bus terminal 16 to and from the airport. Facing Faro's harbour, the sea-view room has an open terrace where you can relax. In addition to the sea-view rooms, the top floor of the hotel also has a rooftop where guests can enjoy the sunrise and sunset. The restaurant on the top floor is a place to eat in the morning. Apart from having outdoor seating facing the marina, it also has a wide variety of food options. My personal favorite is its smoked ham, a bite of Portuguese sauce and Detox juice. The hotel staff gave roses to every female guest, and there was also a live piano performance, which made the whole restaurant even more elegant.
How to get to Faro?
From Faro Airport (FAO), you can reach downtown Faro in 30 minutes by bus 14/16.
💡 Transportation:Airline ticket price / European train prices
