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 history of this once tiny hamlet isn’t very well known till around the middle of the 13^th century when the Moors conquered it and placed it under the control of the larger nearby Silves. The hamlet later become an official town, only for it to be mostly destroyed during the earthquake of 1755. however the settlement continued on, becoming an administrative town in the area which lived off agriculture, in the past. This is a very short Lagoa guide, meant to give you a better idea of the place’s history as well as present.

One of the main attractions of modern-day Lagoa comes from the start of the 19^th century when the parish church was inaugurated, however there’s an older church, the Igreja de Misericordia which dates to the middle of the 18^th century. The parish church features a very pleasant Baroque facade which is enhanced during the months of May and June when the surrounding jacaranda trees blossom. There also a war memorial erected nearby which pays tribute to the Lagoan soldiers who fell during the African colonial wars.

One other interesting building in the city is the Convento do Sao Jose which was built in 1713 and managed to survive the 1755 earthquake. Nowadays the building is used as a place to exhibit various art collections as well as house a small theater for cultural events. The building has an intriguing little feature in the style of a turn-box door, which was used to pass unwanted babies to the nuns in the convent. The mother would place the baby and any other small possessions on a shelf in the box and talk through a small aperture with the nun on the other side. The revolving door meant that the baby would reach the nuns without the mother having to show her face. Just a little piece of the curious history around this building and town.

During the month of August, the town plays host to a major commercial and rural produce fair named Fatacil. The fair exhibits products from all across the country, not just the region. This turns into a more major event because it offered something of an excuse for national bands and singers to do what they do best.

We mentioned earlier something about wine. During the months of September and October, the country lanes are packed to bursting with trucks and carts which shuttle freshly-picked grapes to the various wine-makers from the fields. The majority of the wine produced here is red and high in alcohol content, usually aged in a solera under a film of flor yeast which imparts a nutty character to the wine, making it taste something like a fine sherry.

The surroundings of the town are very interesting to explore as well, for instance the nearby town of Estombar is an even older settlement. This is where the famous 11^th century Arab poet “Ibn Ammar” lived and is a place of many legends related to subterranean passages stretching for up to twelve kilometers.

The nearby beach of Carvoeiro is located just a few kilometers south of Lagoa and its claim to fame being that it is amongst the most photographed and painted scenes in the entire region of the Algarve. This place too, used to be a simple and small fishing village, but thanks to investment from tourism development in recent years, it has grown into a fully-fledged holiday resort. It now features two golf courses, a tennis complex and even a riding centre nearby. Also close-by is Porches, a small town well-known for its very high-quality potteries and other hand-painted ceramics.

It should be noted that both these destinations can be relatively easily accessed from Lagoa with the help of some Lagoa car hire services. Also a near by is Portimao and Lagos that are very interesting to visit as they have many options for the shopping and for the night life.

Whether you’re planning to spend your entire trip here, or you’re just interested in visiting the place, our Lagoa transfers from Faro Airport can be employed to bring you here and back again, whether it’s to the airport or some other of our available locations, nothing could be easier.