Faro a splendid city of the south

During my intership in Portugal, i decided one day to discover the south of the country very famous for its splendid beaches and warm climate. The most famous region is Algarve where many famous poeple have their own property there very luxurious homes and hotels just for them to enjoy this magical city. I took a bus from the capital Lisbon to Faro with a duration of almost four hours.

In the extreme south of Portugal stands the beautiful city of Faro, capital of the Algarve, in my opinion this magical city is one of the most beautiful cities of the country. The city is often the starting point to discover the region of algarve and join the various seaside resorts of the Atlantic coast. However, its more advisable to walk a lot inside the streets o this beautiful town characterised by so original street art  before taking the road and discovering the rocks of the beach that are the most famous and strong point poeple go to discover in general. As from lisbon we can also discover another city that is Albufeira very beautiful also and not so far from Faro it can be discovered on one day and have amazing natural landscapes and conserved architecture.

Arriving to the city Faro, we discover a totally different aspects of the Portuguese cities, this city testifies of very rich cultural, historical and architectural heritage that we could see clear through the way the city was constructed in the first place, we firstly discovered Its citadel and the amazing church Nossa Senhora do Carmo that are in my opinion the most famous and conserved buildings that can write the history of the city the best! In addition to its monuments, the Portuguese city enjoys an exceptional climate and sunny throughout the year which make it I think the first destination for many people to spend their holidays. A climate like this is conducive to much joy and enthusiasm but also to the party, because Faro is a lively student city so we can see many times in the beach students having party with each other with music on and relaxing in very calm and cool way. For Portuguese fun, nothing better than visiting Faro and staying there for a while as it represents in my personal point of view the heart of Algarve.

Through our walking inside the city, we discovered that the heart of the old Town is very rich in monuments and fabulous historic buildings. The Faro Cathedral is may be one o the main emblematic historical attraction and conserved building we can see. We had the chance to be in the top of the Gothic tower, and we could discover a magnificent panorama of the city and the lagoons offered to poeple to enjoy the most incredible landscape ever ! The plaza in front of the cathedral is also a tresor, with its orange very original alleys. After visiting the cathedral, we went to discover the other monuments of the Old Town of Faro such as the Cidade Velha, another entrance to the Old Town from the marina. Poeple will also discover small buildings painted in white, that represent the Portuguese characteristic in this city, and we could also discover other small wonders. 

The coast of Faro is characterized by an immense lagoon that is  preserved and that represent the most beautiful and wonderful point that poeple can discover many lagoons exists in the region and poeple can go to swim inside as they have so much benefits in both relaxation to the body but also therapies as the water is natural and I think it's one hundred time more benefic than synthetic swimming pools where the water is of bad quality not really having the proper oxygen needed for its renewable process. Discovering this would lead most of the tourists to visit Faro ! Over a short boat cruise or even a kayak trip for the more athletic ones, poeple can enjoy and admire all the natural wonders of the region, especially that I think this city did not lost its absolute nature I could cleary see that by the vegetation and the animal of the Algarve like flamingos birds or storks! The local traditions of the region are also perfectly preserved in the outer sides of the city where poeple can discover farms where there is mussels, oysters and other seafood are grown. There is nothing more charming than the small fishing villages that have their reserves from the sea. The coastal part make really the charm and the fabulous style of Faro.

We continued our visit to Faro by visiting the great garden called Manuel Bívar Garden because it is very close to the bus and train station, where people can gather together in sunny days to do picnics and be in very relaxed mode laying down in the herb feeling the joy and happiness of the holidays. It is a very soothing place where the elderly play cards in the middle of buildings sheltering stork nests. The square overlooks the coastal part whose size of boats is limited because of its access under the railway bridge. My visit to Faro made me remember the old times when people were very friendly with each other and relaxing together, now the city is full of tourist and very famous people that owns homes destined exclusively to spend the holidays as they are mostly empty by winter days and they go to fulfill them in summer. In addition to its monuments, the Portuguese city enjoys an exceptional climate and sunny throughout the year. The city also has a very rich cultural, historical and architectural heritage that is very famous all over the world may be also due to the Islamic empire that was conquering the city previously and where all Algarve stood up as the most influencing in terms of economy and culture this can be explained by the fact that Algarve is originated from an Arabic word which is algharb meaning the south in Arabic language which I found really amazing and beautiful, it's exactly like the name of a station in the heart of Lisbon called alkantara this is also an Arabic name as in the Arabic of literature alkantara means the bridge and I could clearly see through the window of the metro Urbano the existence of a huge bridge in that region . This explains the cultural exchange that occured at that time between Arabic and Portuguese I can even say that manymof Portuguese man for example seemed to me so similar to Arabic poeple in their faces which also testified of the history the city shows , we could also enjoy an exceptional climate during our journey as faro  is almost sunny throughout the year so we can get rid of the rains that persisted a lot  through the winter season.

We were as a group of friends  wondering how to visit this amazing city during our stay, mainly to not miss the must-see things to visit in this beautiful Portuguese city:

1. The Arco da Vila

Our discovery of the Old Town of Faro began with the Arco da Vila, the gateway to the seafront. This opening in the old walls of Faro  was of course renovated as we could see a very conserved details in  its beautiful style with much detailed architecture and so much meaningful colors with the beautiful ring at its top and above the gate, poeple can see an original statue that marks our entrance to this wonderful, precious and historical city of Faro.

The Old Town is also very rich in monuments and fabulous historic buildings. The Faro Cathedral is the main emblematic monument that we could discover it marks the previous time the Gothic tower, a magnificent panorama of all the city and the lagoon is offered to poeple to enjoy! The plaza in front of the cathedral is also wonderful and splendid to see with its orange alleys. After visiting the cathedral, we went to discover the other monuments of the Old Town of Faro such as the Cidade Velha, that is another entrance to the Old Town from the marina part, I think it's very typical of the Portuguese style and we could also discover small buildings painted in white, very characteristic of the city.

2- Discover the Ria Formosa by boat

The coast of Faro is characterized by an immense lagoon of many kilometers, this part of the city is very conserved and preserved called Ria Formosa. Discovering it is a must if poeple decide to visit Faro because it represents a magical and very memorable place to be. The trip last one hour and we can discover so much splendid monuments and beautiful poeple too, the southern part is still remembering the authenticity of the country that even though it got renovated and modernity of course took part of its old buildings but in my opinion the city is still the same in the view of many Portuguese that took time to conserve it an preserve the natural lagoons the rocky place the vegetation testifying of real success of the city in attracting many people all over the world, the tourists much not in my opinion go there to destroy nature by leaving their trashs in the beach even though they party they do picnics in nature or they even sleep in tents in camping it's advised to not through things and preserve the city to be always an emblematic destination to visit.

4- The Faro beach

Thanks to its vast lagoon and numerous islands, Faro has a multitude of small paradise beaches. I think we surely got spoiled for our choice to stay in the warm sand. At that time we chose to discover the small islands of the region,  A ferry or a boat company droped us off for the day. Then we could  enjoy  la Praia de Faro, a beach accessible by bus or car. I could constate and and poeple also must also know that the Algarve beaches in general are very warm compared to the very cold ocean of the north so it gets much crowded in the summer to the point of reserving the places in the beach in advance.

5. Seafood

I think were not  surprised to see that the local cuisine is rich in seafood, fish and other seafood delights. The proximity of the sea allows to bring a lot of fresh and delicious products in the plates of the different restaurants of the city. Although seafood was not my most preferred dish in normal days, tasting the local specialties made me enter in a new world full of joy and happ kiiness so people poeple must really enjoy their stay to discover the local gastronomy.

6. Museu Arqueologico

Museums are multiple in Faro as the city is very rich by a strong patrimoine and very good culture, then we decided to visit the Museu Arqueologico that  appeared in our must see buildings. This museum is located in the old part of the city, which dates back to the previous times as a  small building decorated with very specific and so amazing architecture and culture. Most importantly, the museum houses remains from the previous times as well as religious pieces from the region. For lovers of culture a real magnificent journey await for them just by discovering the great history of the city. There are still more wonders and magical attractions to visit and activities to enjoy in the city and around the region like for example visiting  or the great rocks a very original characteristic for most of the poeple visiting the Portuguese south of the country.

These rocky places are in fact a hidden place where people can find peace, most of the postcards show grant rocks inside of the beaches so poeple enjoy this particularity by doing kayak under the rocks, by slipping inside to avoid the sun or to climb them although it is quite dangerous for me then do acrobatics in the air and splash into the warm water. Such an experience is really the best to feel and to see in this most magical place.

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