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| Airport Parking | Airport Hotels & Parking | Airport Lounges | Car Hire | Cheap Travel Insurance |
 Car Hire & Driving in Faro, PortugalPortugal’s Faro Airport, which is located only 4 kilometres from downtown Faro in your hire car, has undergone a series of improvements in order to increase the quality of services provided to passengers and simultaneously contribute to development of the Algarve region near Faro and of tourism in general.Passengers using Faro Airport as a gateway to the Algarve will find a modern terminal building with an agreeable, wide and colourful structure, fitting perfectly in to the local climate of Portugal and the Algarve. To suit all needs Faro Airport is equipped with a vast choice of shops and restaurants, which sell everything fashion, books, music and electronic equipment to alcohol, handcrafts and cosmetics, together with a good selection of Restaurants, bars and delicatessens. If you wish to drive your hire car to Faro Airport you must take the EN125 in the direction of Faro. Faro Airport is clearly signposted. Faro airport has 3 car parks should you wish to leave your hire car at the airport. P1 and P3 are intended for short term parking, while P2 is recommended for long term parking. Portugal is a land on the edge, ‘where land ends and sea begins’ as the 16th century epic poet Luis Vaz Camoes put it. At the western periphery of Europe, Portugal is a cosy country, encompassing an area of 92,100 sq km (33,550 sq miles) with a stunning diversity of lovely landscapes: long white beaches and pretty coves; ranges of rolling hills and mountains, the central Serra de Estrela ‘Mountain of the Star’, being the highest; numerous rivers and, in the southern area, Alentejo’s broad plain which is patched with cork oaks and olive plantations. Our hire cars are supplied from the port of Faro in the area of the Algarve. If one region of Portugal stands alone, it is the Algarve. Its history under long Moorish control, its climate – more typically Mediterranean, and its abundance of fine sandy beaches endow the Algarve with a character so different it could easily be taken as a separate country. The southern coastline of Portugal is so richly endowed with golden sandy beaches in spectacular settings; it is the Algarve regions prime asset. At the onset of mass tourism it attracted developers and much of the central region, around Albuferia, is now well developed. Those looking for smaller, quieter coastal resorts in their hire car can still find them by travelling out to the west beyond Lagos. Inland the Algarve has its share of pretty villages and remains largely unspoilt countryside which you can enjoy from your hire car, and is rapidly becoming the preferred dormitory for expatriate settlers. Driving around Algarve in your hire car is not difficult. The N125 travels the length of the coast, while the toll-free motorway shadows in just inland. It is possible to drive your hire car from Spain in the east to Sagres in the west in a little over two hours. The roots of Faro, the capital and hub of the Algarve, are ancient but not well documented. Certainly it was used by Greeks and Romans as a trading post before it became a flourishing Moorish town. Largely devastated by the 1755 earthquake, the city now has an architectural hodge-podge of styles and eras. The centre of Faro is walkable, giving you a break from driving in your hire car, its character changing as you wander through streets of tiny houses. Faro is a bustling capital and has considerable charm. The main pedestrian street is in the middle of the Moorish quarter which lies between the old city and the 19th century Bairro Ribeirinho, all of which lead from Faro Port. One the south side if the little harbour lies the peaceful and historic inner town of Faro, the Vila-Adentro. At its centre is the Renaissance Se Cathedral with its 13th century tower. In the square behind the Cathedral a former convent with strikingly beautiful Renaissance cloisters is now the Muse Municipal, with a selection of Roman Mosaics and stonework from Faro and the important Roman site at Mireu, 12 km (7 miles) to the north in your hire car. Faro’s most bizarre and macabre sight is the Capela dos Ossos (Chapel of Bones), with its impressive façade and twin towers. The little chapel was built in 1816, its wall entirely covered with bones and skulls, allegedly 1245 of them, from the church cemetery. Faro is protected on the seaward side by a huge lagoon dotted with sand banks with the airport on the western edge, easily accessible in your hire car. The sand spit which starts near Faro Airport and extends out as a long crescent Ilha de Faro, can be reached by hire car and is the location of Praia de Faro, a sandy resort much loved by locals. Travelling eastward out of Faro in your hire car, takes you to the busy 17th century town of Olhao, built in the Moorish style, with a large fishing port. Further east along the coast in your hire car is Fuzeta, with a sandy beach and a boat which can take you out to uninhabited Ilha da Armona for a spot of sunbathing. Almost next door to Fuzeta in your hire car is Pedras del Rei, the starting point for an exciting little journey by train over to Barril on the Tavira sandbank. If you choose to drive your hire car on to Barril, then you can continue a little further along the coast to Santa Luzia, a colourful fishing village overlooking the lagoon, a wonderful place to sit and watch the fishermen stacking up encrusted octopus pots after removing their catch. The next large town you’ll find on the eastern side in your hire car is Tavira. Tavira has avoided the excesses of development and lost none of its grace. The large major town east or Faro is Vila Real de Santo Antonio which lies on the border with Spain. Its grid of geometric streets bearing the stamp of the Marques de Pombal, the man who was responsible for redesigning old Lisbon in the 18th century. Just west of Vila Real de Santo Antonio in your hire car is the largest tourist development this side is Faro, Monte Gordo. The clutch of high-rise buildings over looking a vast flat beach as yet remains fairly compact. Further inland in your hire car from Faro, along the Guadiana is the architecturally appealing Castro Marim. This little town is also one of the oldest and historically most important areas of the Algarve. Among the least travelled routes in the Algarve is the peaceful road along the Rio Guadiana, a pleasure to drive in your hire car. It is a soothing meander in your hire car through golden, furze-covered hills dotted with corks, olive and fig trees. Road numbers are N122 and 1063 for the riverside drive in your hire car. The coastal route out to the west of Faro heads towards the main area of tourist development and to some of the most picturesque beaches, which you can investigate in your hire car. First stop outside Faro in your hire car is at Sao Lourenco for the small 18th century church of the same name. Inside it is tiled form top to bottom in beautiful blue azulejos (tiles), depicting the life and martyrdom of Sao Lourenco himself. All the well known golf courses, around a dozen of them lie west of Faro and are easy to find in your hire car. Among them are Quinta do Lago, Vale do Lobo and Vile Sol at Vilamoura, which has a sixth hole right over the Atlantic. These golf courses take up a huge area on the edge of the Ria Formosa reserve, presenting a neat face of colourful flower beds and well manicured lawns. Just to the west of Vilamoura in your hire car, is the small resort and fishing village of Olhos d’Agua. The bonus here is that Olhos d’Agua is too small to attract the larger tour operators; otherwise it would be a sell out. Tucked in to a small cleft, the fishing village of Olhos d’Agua is as picturesque as any in the Algarve, with sculptured rock stacks decorating the beach. Further along the coast in your hire car to the west of Faro is the popular tourist spot of Albufeira, with its active night life, scores of bars with a taste for rock music, plenty of restaurants ranging from La Pizza to more typical regional fare, and late night discos. Although development is fairly intense in the region of Albufeira, the coast westward is a delightful symphony of eroded cliffs, stacks, gullies, grottoes and arches reaching a crescendo at Lago, which lies a little further along the coast in your hire car. Whichever route you take from Faro towards the west in your hire car, it is likely you will end up in Alcanteriha. It’s worth while stopping your hire car here, if only to look in on the parish church and especially the Capelada Ossos around the corner which is packed with a chilling array of skulls. You can then head south in your hire car from Alcanteriha in to Armacao de Pera. This drab resort is rescued by an attractive promenade and beach, and it is a good place to eat fish, so why not leave your hire car to have a look around and maybe have a meal. All the might and cragginess returns to the coastline and it is a fair descent in your hire car to reach the beach at Rocha da Pena. At the next roundabout on the N125 is Lagoa, where you can stop in your hire car for the lively morning market. Lagoa is also where farmers bring their grapes to the central cooperative wine cellar. A left tern in your hire car at this roundabout leads down to Carvoeiro, a craggy coastline of isolated beaches, like that of Algar Seco. Praiade Carvoeiro, which is a lively tourist spot itself, has a pleasant little beach framed by villa-studded cliffs. Well worth a visit in your hire car. Portimao, lies west of Carvoeiro in your hire car. An important fishing port, Portimao is also one of the best shopping towns on the coast. Built on the west bank of the Arade estuary and easily accessible by hire car, Portimao is famous for its grilled sardines and its pastry shops. Why not leave your hire car and have lunch beside the river. Facing Portimao is the pretty fishing village of Ferragudo, with cobbled streets, sidewalk cafes and a good fish market, Ferragudo is worth a visit in your hire car. Close by in your hire car is the ocean fronted village of Praia de Rocha, which has a superb beach characterised by strange towering rock formations standing in the blue-green sea. This is a perfect spot to stop in your hire car and take photographs of the view. The village of Praia de Rocha itself, however is a bit of a concrete jungle, although it does have all the facilities you could ask for if you do stop here in your hire car. Moving further west from Faro in your hire car you will come to Lagos, with a fine maritime tradition and a safe harbour beside a river estuary. Most of Lagos was rebuilt in the 18th century, but some evidence of its darker past still stand in the columns and semicircular arches of Portugal’s first slave market, which is now an art gallery. If you leave the hire car, a walk through the city’s attractive streets will lead you to the Idreja de Santo Antonio, on the outside a sombre looking church, but inside an extraordinary beautiful example of gilded carving. The church can only be visited through the Museu Municipal, which has a delightful collection of exhibits on local life in the Algarve. Lagos has several pretty coves and beaches, especially Praia Dona Ana. Don’t miss the rock formations at Ponta da Piedade and view from your hire car. Beyond Lagos in your hire car lie three relatively unspoilt fishing villages, each of a different character and each worth a visit while out from Faro in your hire car. Luz is the fist which you come across in your hire car, and perhaps the most developed, and is followed by Burgau and Salema. You will see from your hire car that the countryside changes drastically to a rockier and more undulating landscape, particularly after your reach Salema in your hire car. Improved roads make driving in your hire car easier now around this area of the Algarve, but the new road actually by passes the Knights Templar church of Nossa Senhora de Guadalupe. It is easier to spot it when travelling west in your hire car from Faro and visit it on the return. Sagres is a small fishing town to the west of Faro in uour hire car, with Baleeira Bay at its point. All that remains now is to continue driving in your hire car through this wind swept terrain passing the small Fortaleza de Beliche, now a small pousada and restaurant, to reach Cabo de Sao Vincente, the most westerly point you can reach from Faro in your hire car and known to ancient mariners as O Fim do Mundo, the End of the World. The Algarve’s west coast is virtually a continuous sand dune frequently pounded by a restless ocean and almost constantly under surf and spray. Although there are endless beaches, there are a few towns of significance that you can visit in your hire car from Faro. Odeceiuxe, the most northerly town on this stretch of the Algarve coastline which you can reach in your hire car. A road follows the river for 3km (2 miles) which you can use in your hire car to reach a beautiful sandy beach beneath towering cliffs at Praia de Odeceixe. The most popular west coast circuit you can drive in your hire car when away from Faro, starts at Cabode Sao Vincente and continues north through the vast, dune backed Carrapateira to the attractive village of Aljezur. Directly to the west are the great sweeps of the Monte Clerigo and Arrifana beaches, the best on the coast and well worth a visit in your hire car while out from Faro. Heading inland from Aljezur towards Monchique leads back in your hire car to the heart of the Algarve. North west of Faro and towering above rolling hills, the granite mountains of Serra de Monchique attracts streams of visitors to enjoy the views from the summit. Foia is the highest point of the Algarve reaching 902 meters (2,960ft) above sea level. It is easily accessible along a winding road lined with cheerful restaurants selling roast chicken, which you can use in your hire car. The town of Monchique is rather disappointing if you merely drive your hire car through, but park and walk the steep streets to get a better feel for the place. Not to be missed is Caldas de Monchique, off to the right heading south in your hire car, hidden in a deep valley and surrounded by chestnut, cork, pine, orange and eucalyptus trees. Descending from the heights of the Serra de Monchique in your hire car, but away from the coastal tourist zone of the Algarve, a more rural lifestyle is found in the towns and villages. Here, north west of Faro, just in land from the coast at Lagoa, locals have managed to shrug off the effects of regular visitors and continue their traditional Portuguese ways. One of the most interesting places is Silves, between Albufeira and Portimao, which can be easily accessed in your hire car. Silves was populated by the 4th century BC and reached its greatest splendour under the Moors, who made it capital of the Algarve. Silves was ruined when the city fell to Portugal’s King Sancho 1 in 1189. Two years later the Moors occupied Silves again before it was finally reconquered by the Portuguese. The Moorish cistern to the north once supplied the city’s water, built by both the Romans and the Moors, the advanced irrigation system transformed the Algarve in to the garden of Portugal. North west of Faro in your hire car on the N124 is Alte, an elegant village lying at the foot of hills and huddled around its parish church, Nossa Senhora da Assunco, whose tiled chapel is among the best in the Algarve. A nearby stream has transformed the area in to an oasis amid the Algarve’s arid landscape. This area of the Algarve is perfect for leaving the hire car and venturing out on a picnic or walk up the Pena hill where you can visit the Buraco dos Mouros (Moors’ cave). Heading back in your hire car towards Faro you reach Loule, a small town whose old quarter is a maze of narrow streets, reminiscent of a North African cashbah. Take a very slight detour in your hire car east before you reach Faro and you will come to Estoi, a pleasant village with a fine parish church, but best known for its 18th century Palacio dos Condes de Carvalhal. Estoi has a huge market, more of a country fair, which you can visit if you drive your hire car from Faro to the town on the second Sunday of the month. It is a lively affair where you can buy a horse, sell a few sheep, stock up with fruit and vegetables or just buy sugared cakes to eat as you mingle with the crowds taking in the atmosphere which only Portugal could offer.
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