Experience in Faro, Portugal by João Miguel
What is it like to live in Faro? Would you recommend it? What is the city like?
I would totally recommend Faro if you like a city that's not that big but full of life. Everything in here is simple and people will gladly help you if you need, prices are lower then most of the European cities, there is a good public transport network. However, the best thing in Faro is the sun and beaches, here we have a long summer and the winter is not that bad.
What is the student lifestyle like in Faro?
The sunshine helps you a lot and here you'll get the most out of it, there are lots of bars outdoors and even the mall. You won't see stressed people in Faro, we all love to have fun and party, party a lot.
How much does it cost to live in Faro?
Nearly 450-500€.
Is it difficult to find accommodation in Faro? Is there any advice you can give?
No, don't worry about that, the neighborhood of both campus is almost completely for rent for students, and everywhere there are advertising.
What is the food like? What are your favourite dishes?
In Faro you can find Mediterranean diet, a lot of fresh fish but also meat. I think you should try the grilled fish and seafood.
What places would you recommend visiting in Faro?
I would recommend the small islands near Faro (you can catch a boat, it's cheap and you arrive in a few minutes), some of them are desert. You have to visit the old town and the harbor. If you can I would recommend you as well to visit more cities on the coastline and their amazing beaches!
Is it good to eat out in Faro? Can you tell us your favourite spots?
Yes, it is, there are lots of restaurants all over the city, with traditional food and they certainly speak English.
Is the nightlife good in Faro? Where is good to go?
Nightlife is one of the things you'll like the most! We Portuguese people really like to party and we know how to, so you'll just have to follow the direction everyone is taking at night and you'll find yourself in the center of Faro's nightlife, we call it "Baixa" and it means downtown, there is where all the bars and discos are. Thursday nights are the best, all the people from university go out.
What advice would you give future students heading to Faro?
Try to make friends with the Portuguese residents, it might be hard at first, but it will be good for you, to have someone who knows the city to guide you.
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- Español: Experiencia en Faro, Portugal por João Miguel
- Français: Expérience à Faro, Portugal, par João Miguel
- Deutsch: Erfahrung in Faro, Portugal - von João Miguel
- Polski: Doświadczenie z Faro, Portugalia oczami João Miguel
- Italiano: L'esperienza a Faro (Portogallo) di João Miguel
- Português: Experiência em Faro, Portugal por João Miguel
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Comments (5 comments)
Hi João! I liked your post :) I was look for someone from Faro because next year I might go living there, but I haven't decided it, so I would like to ask you something, which language do you speak in Faro? I read that everybody speaks English, but do you speak Portuguese too? Is it difficult to find people who speaks Portuguese in Faro? Because I'm interested in learning this language, but if it's not spoken there I don't think I'm going next year. Thank you for your time! Bye :)
Hi, I don't you really understood, I mean, Faro is in Portugal and portuguese is our official ond only language, so everyone speaks portuguese and some of us aldo speak english be cause this is a very touristic region so we try to comunicate with foreigns. If you have any other question please contact me. :)
Hi again João! First of all, thank you for answering me :) Probably I didn't explain myself very good in my previous comment. I know that your official language is Portuguese, but some people have told me that in some places of the South of Portugal (including Faro) there is so much tourism that people only speaks English, because those cities have become places only for tourism, and I wanted you to tell me if that's true because I'm interested in learning the Portuguese language, not the English one! That's why I want to go living to Portugal. Thank you again :)
Ok so that's so no true! We do speak portuguese, all the time, but of course during summer people that work with tourism they talk in english with the tourists, logic. But if you plan to come live here and deal with portuguese people you'll sure speak portuguese and you'll learn it easy, it is not that different than spanish. End it's not true that the south of Portugal is "only for tourism" in summer there are lots of them but we still have our traditions and culture, I think you can compare it to the cities on the south of spain, i think it's the same thing, I mean, we aren't like Ibiza, but more like sevilla. Hope I could help you ;)
Well if that's true Faro will be one of my options for the next year! Thank you so much! :)