Faro
The major city of the Algarve
Faro Cathedral - António Sacchetti
Faro is the major city of the Algarve region, located on the coast and with a nearby airport that makes it very accessible. The old part of the city is still surrounded by Roman walls. Within the walls lies a space that was once a Roman forum, and where now stands a Cathedral built in the 13th century and the city´s archeological museum.
Archeological evidence indicates that the cathedral was built over a mosque. From the 8th century Faro had been a major trading port within the Moorish empire, that then stretched down to Senegal in Africa and east to Jerusalam. The distinctive chimneys that are found here follow Moorish style as it was they who brought new methods of cooking (such as frying and making casseroles) to Europe. The southern strongholds of Moorish Portugal were captured by the army of king Dom Afonso III in 1249.
Faro - António Sacchetti
In the 15th century Faro became the epicentre of the newly established Jewish printing presses, with the publication of the Pentateuch in 1487 by Samuel Gacon. Over 200 volumes of major theological works were stolen from Faro in 1596 when the Earl of Essex, Sir Francis Drake, ransacked and looted the city. Drake passed the books onto his friend, Sir Thomas Bodley, and they went on to form the core of the Bodleian library at Oxford.
The Algarve remains warm throughout the coldest months of the year apart from a brief wet period during October-November. The short distance between the Algarve and Africa makes it an ideal site to observe the hundreds of thousands of migrating birds flying from beyond the Sahara to northern Europe and back again. Golf courses, horse-riding schools, scuba-diving classes and a wide range of other activitites can be easily arranged and English is widely spoken.
Hotels in Faro
Enter Portugal works in partnership with Hotel Club and Opodo, two of the largest and most respected online hotel reservation services. This allows us to provide a wide range of accommodation in Portugal, from discount hotels to stately pousadas, all of which can be booked online with full security.
We are constantly adding new accomodations to these pages, and we aim to provide the largest database of available hotels and pousadas in Portugal. Many of these hotels and pousadas offer specially reduced rates for internet bookings.
All Orders Are Processed On A 100% Secure Server.