The Quiet Renaissance of Faro

That story is changing. Slowly, then all at once, Faro has been waking up — its medieval streets humming with new energy, its dining rooms earning international recognition, its waterfront reconnecting the city to the shimmering Ria Formosa behind it. This is the story of a city rediscovering itself. Faro is no longer just the gateway to the Algarve.

History & Roots

To understand Faro’s resilience, you have to understand its past. First settled by the Phoenicians, it flourished as the Roman city of Ossonoba, was shaped by eight centuries of Moorish rule, and was incorporated into the Kingdom of Portugal in 1249. In 1597, the Earl of Essex plundered it on his way home from Spain — many of its treasures ended up in Oxford’s libraries. In 1755, the great earthquake levelled most of southern Portugal. Faro’s Old Town, tucked inside ancient Roman walls, largely survived.

That walled quarter — the Cidade Velha, or Vila Adentro — remains one of the most intact medieval ensembles in southern Portugal. Cathedral, bishop’s palace, Roman arches, cobbled lanes scented with jasmine: it is a place that rewards the slow walk over the hurried glance.

Urban Renewal

The most visible sign of Faro’s rejuvenation is literally underfoot. The municipality has been investing heavily in rehabilitating its historic pavements — the Cidade Velha, Largo do Carmo, Bom João, Santo António do Alto, and São Luís neighbourhoods are all receiving new cobblestones and improved pedestrian infrastructure. These are not cosmetic works: combined with the city’s largely pedestrianised historic centre, they are reshaping how people move through — and linger in — Faro.

The Vale da Amoreira Urbanisation Plan

On a grander scale, the Vale da Amoreira Urbanisation Plan (PUVA) represents one of the most ambitious development projects in Portugal today. Just one kilometre from the city centre, 21 hectares are being transformed into a mixed-use neighbourhood of 1,641 homes, retail, offices, student accommodation, and healthcare facilities — all anchored by a 10-hectare urban park that will become the largest green space in Faro, complete with cycle lanes, playgrounds, and sports facilities.

The Algarve Metrobus

Perhaps most transformative for the daily flow of the region is the Algarve Metrobus — a planned electric bus rapid transit system that will connect Faro, Olhão, and Loulé along 37.6 kilometres of dedicated lanes, running every 12 minutes during rush hour. The public consultation on the feasibility study concluded in March 2025, and the project forms a cornerstone of the Algarve 2030 programme.

Food & Gastronomy

If there is one arena where Faro’s renaissance is most deliciously apparent, it is the kitchen. The city’s dining scene has undergone a quiet revolution — one that has not sacrificed its soul for its ambitions.

At the fine dining end sits Alameda, where Faro-born chef Rui Sequeira crafts tasting menus recognised by the Michelin Guide, each dish rooted in local legend and Algarvian produce. The restaurant grew from a supper club the chef and his partner ran out of their own apartment — a story that says everything about the grassroots energy driving this renaissance. Nearby, CHECKin by Michelin-starred chef Leonel Pereira offers theatrical dining inside a beautifully remodelled historic warehouse, its menu structured like a journey from check-in to check-out.

But Faro’s food story is not only about Michelin stars. Traditional tascas still pack in Portuguese families at lunchtime. Petiscos bars like Se7e Pedras serve creative small plates in candlelit alleyways. Seafood restaurants draw on the Ria Formosa’s daily catch of prawns, clams, octopus, and sea bass. The city’s location — between the Atlantic and one of Europe’s great lagoon systems — gives its cooks ingredients that chefs elsewhere can only dream of.

Dishes to Seek Out in Faro

• Arroz de marisco — a rich saffron-tinged seafood rice from the Ria Formosa catch
• Cataplana — a copper-pot stew of clams, pork, and aromatic vegetables
• Petiscos — Portuguese small plates of slow-cooked pork cheek, grilled sardines, and salt cod
• Pastel de nata custard tarts from Pastelaria Padaria Centeio, best with an espresso
• Algarve orange cake — dense and citrus-bright, made with the valley’s famous fruit

Nature & the Ria Formosa

Faro’s greatest natural asset has always been hiding in plain sight. The Ria Formosa Natural Park — a vast system of lagoons, salt marshes, tidal flats, and barrier islands stretching along the coast — is one of the most important wetlands in Europe and a crucial stopover for migratory birds. From the Portas do Mar wharf, ferries depart to Ilha Deserta, and the beaches of Culatra Island — some of the most unspoiled stretches of sand in the Algarve.

The city is increasingly embracing this natural border, not just as a backdrop for tourists but as a working landscape at the heart of local identity. Kayaking, birdwatching, and eco-tours into the park are now well-established, drawing visitors who want something beyond the pool-and-sunlounger circuit. The flamingos that stalk the shallows at dusk have become an unlikely symbol of everything Faro offers that the resort towns to the west do not.

Looking Ahead

Lonely Planet recently described Faro as a new city-break destination — a designation that would have surprised visitors of even ten years ago. The city has earned it. Its prices remain geared toward local residents rather than weekend visitors. Its historic centre is compact, largely car-free, and ideal for the kind of aimless afternoon wandering that is, increasingly, the point of travel. A city tax introduced in 2024 (€2 per night in peak season) provides revenue to sustain the improvements already underway.

The transformation is not complete — urban regeneration rarely is. But the trajectory is unmistakable. Faro is no longer content to be the airport at the edge of a holiday region. It is becoming, in its quiet and unhurried Portuguese way, one of the most compelling small cities in southern Europe.

“Come for a night. Stay for the Ria Formosa at dawn, the cataplana at lunch, the tasting menu at dinner, and the cobblestones still warm underfoot long after the sun has set.”

Buying in Faro — QP Savills’ View

Increasingly, the people noticing Faro’s transformation are not just visitors but buyers — investors, second-home owners, and lifestyle relocators who recognise that the next decade of value in the Algarve will be unlocked east of the Golden Triangle, not within it. Faro and the East Algarve combine the lifestyle infrastructure that’s emerging in the city with prices that remain meaningfully below Quinta do Lago or Vale do Lobo, on a coastline arguably more dramatic and less developed.

QP Savills, the official Savills affiliate for the Algarve, represents a growing portfolio of properties across Faro and the surrounding East Algarve — from waterfront apartments and beachfront villas on Faro Island to country estates and projects within easy reach of the historic centre.

To browse current listings, visit our East Algarve property collection, view our Quinta de Faro project, or explore the wider developments and branded residences we currently represent.

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