One of the best starting places for a tour of the entire city is in fact an attraction in itself, the Praca de Dom Francisco Gomes features an obelisk erected in 1910 which commemorates the diplomat Ferreira d’Almeida, an important figure in Faro’s history.

From there, those looking for some peace and quiet can enjoy the Jardim Manuel Bivar, a garden featuring wonderful flower beds, tall palms and jacaranda trees. On the east side of the park you can see the Igreja de Misericordia, a 14^th century church.

Beyond the Jardim, you can see the Arco da Vila, which is an arched gateway, surmounted by a bell tower and a statue of Faro’s patron saint, St. Thomas Aquinus. Through the gateway you’ll see the very attractive historical centre of Faro.

The historical centre of Faro is dominated by the Cathedral, which saw most of its original Gothic look destroyed by the 1755 earthquake, however the tower and south window still remain from the initial building. It was of course later rebuilt and renovated and it now features elements of Gothic, Romanesque and Baroque architecture.

The interior is very quiet and reminiscent of a basilica, definitely a must-see for those who have a thing for religious buildings.

Then there’s the Largo Se, in the square in front of the cathedral, you can see the town hall and the Bishop’s Palace.

A bit to the south of the Cathedral, on the Praca Afonso III, you’ll find the Archaeological Museum, which is housed in what used to be the convent of Nossa Senhora da Assuncao, founded in 1518.

These are still not all of the attractions in the city, but only a few, make sure you employ our Faro car hire services in order to see them and many more while on your trip there.

The Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima

This site is by far one of the most famous Marian shrines in the entire world. The main building is the Basilica of Our Lady of Fatima, whose construction started on the 13^th of May 1928, a wonderful Neoclassical church that was later consecrated on October 7^th 1953.

The central spire is a slender construction that rises sixty-five meters and the church itself is flanked by monumental colonnades which overlook a very large open plaza. The center of the plaza is dominated by the Monument to the Sacred Heart of Jesus which was built in 1932, being situated over a spring that according to the shrine, has been ‘the instrument of many graces’.

The basilica has fifteen altars dedicated to the fifteen mysteries of the rosary and it also houses the tombs of the young visionaries.

The other mains stop at Fatima is the Chapel of Apparitions, an open-air chapel built on the original site of the appearances, which is open year-round for regular services and can even  be virtually visited via high-res webcam.

The Convento de Cristo in Tomar

The Convent of the Order of Christ was built in 1160 by the Knights Templar in order to defend the very volatile Muslim-Christian border at that time.

This is quite a unique monastic fortress, first of all because it is a monastic fortress and then because its construction was an on-going project for somewhere close to five centuries, which turned the initial Templar stronghold into a gallery of Portuguese architectural styles.

There are many things to see here, actually everything is interesting however we’ll just mention a couple, starting with the portal of the church which was designed about 1530 and richly decorated in the typical Manueline style.

To the left of the portal you’ll find the 16^th century rectangular Manueline nave, which replaced the older Gothic nave, and a large interior arch links the Romanesque round church to the Manueline nave.

We could talk about these religious destinations in much more detail and we probably will do so in the future, but keep in mind that you can see them for yourself with the help of some Algarve car rental services.