Situated on the extreme South of Portugal, the Algarve was the last to be conquered from the Moors by the Portuguese king in 1292. Traces of the Moorish presence are still seen in its unique architecture – terraces, chimneys and whitewashed houses.
Faro is the administrative centre for the whole of the Algarve region. The city has both Arab and Roman ruins but most of the present attractive older buildings were constructed after the disastrous earthquake of both 1755 and 1532.
Particularly attractive is the old part of the city surrounded still by the Roman walls which date back to the 9th. Inside a spacious open square that was once the site of the Roman Forum is a 13th Century Cathedral that faces the 18th Century Episcopal palace. An interesting building is the neighbouring 16th Century Convent that is now turned into the home of the city’s archaeological museum. Within it is a section devoted to the Arab occupation. Next to the small boat basin bordering the Praça de Dom Francisco Gomes is a small Naval Museum composed of scale model boats and galleons showing the maritime history of the coast. Much of the city is now composed of apartments and there are attractive shops and a particularly artistic theatre.
Apart from the wealth of available water sports facilities (the marinas of Vilamoura and Lagos deserves special mention, amongst the various ports and harbours), there are other alternatives, such as tennis courts, famous golf`courses, luxury hotels or quaint holiday resorts and an exciting nightlife.
In recent years the numbers of visitors travelling through Faro airport has increased as more and more low-cost airlines compete to offer cheap flights to Faro. One of the best means of transport is car hire. For the cheapest car hire Faro it is advisable to visit some of the many car rental websites offering prebooked car hire at Faro airport. At Faro airport there are several car rental companies offering car hire at reasonable prices.
The advantage of a rent a car is that it is easy to visit the surroundings by car. In the northern part of the Algarve, the hills of Espinhação de Cão, Monchique and Caldeirão shelter the coast from strong winds. This brightly coloured region, with its fig trees, orange groves and almond trees in blossom, is also the most verdant and fertile. The southern coastline consists of a long stretch of fabulous sandy beaches, broken up by extraordinary rugged cliffs and fantastic grottoes.
