Faro Old Town

Faro's Cidade Velha is a compact walled quarter on the edge of the Ria Formosa, entered from the marina through the Arco da Vila, a neoclassical gateway of 1812 built over an earlier arch that incorporates a horseshoe-arched Moorish doorway visible inside the passage. Behind it are quiet cobbled streets, the cathedral - Romanesque and Gothic in origin, largely rebuilt after the 1755 earthquake, with a tower that can be climbed and its own small bone chapel - the episcopal palace, and the municipal museum in a sixteenth-century convent with a Roman mosaic. White storks nest on the cathedral, the walls and the chimneys, clattering their bills, and are a constant presence. Faro is the Algarve's capital and airport city, and most visitors pass through it rather than stopping, which is why the old town is usually calm.

What you actually see

• The Arco da Vila - an 1812 gateway with a Moorish horseshoe arch inside the passage.
• The cathedral tower - a climb with views over the old town and the lagoon.
• The storks - nests on the cathedral, walls and chimneys throughout.
• The museum - a sixteenth-century convent holding a Roman mosaic.

When to go

April to October. Half a day. Most visitors go straight from the airport to the beaches, so the old town stays quiet even in summer.

Honest expectations

Small - the walled quarter takes an hour to walk. The cathedral tower stair is narrow and steep. Museum and cathedral close on some days and over lunch. Faro city outside the walls is ordinary and offers little.

Nearby

Ilha Deserta and the Ria Formosa boats leave from the marina; Estoi is north.