Our program allows you plenty of time to discover your new country, culture and customs. Below are some of our recommended highlights. Some tours and packages can be organized when booking your program, please see the program price page for more information.

city tour
Stroll beneath the palm trees which line the old harbor wall to arrive at a gate into the old walled city. Narrow streets lead to a square set with orange trees. By custom the oranges were sold for the poor of the city and it was a crime to take the fruit.

The square is dominated by the mass of the cathedral, solid and square giving no hint of the dazzling interior. A narrow lane past a the antique shop leads through a narrow gate in the city walls to the pier from where ferries cross the tidal lagoon to the beaches of Faro island. After exploring the old historic city return to the present day pedestrianized city center where it is a delight to sit and watch the world go by at a pavement café.

archaeological and naval museums
Opposite the 13th Century Cathedral that faces the 18th Century Episcopal palace. An interesting building is the neighboring 16th Century Convent which is now the home of the city's archaeological museum. It boasts an excellent section devoted to the Arab occupation.

Another interesting museums is next to the small boat basin bordering the Praça de Dom Francisco Gomes, which now houses a small Naval Museum composed of scale model boats and galleons showing the maritime history of the coast.

the church of nossa senhora do carmo
The "golden" church of Nossa Senhora do Carmo is claimed to be the best example of gold-leaf woodwork in southern Portugal. It is also contains the macabre spectacle of a chapel lined with the bones from over 1.200 monks!

ria formosa lagoon
Faro is also the home of the Ria Formosa lagoon, a nature reserve of over17.000 hectares and a stopping place for hundreds of different birds during the spring and autumn migratory periods. The beach is almost 7 kms distant from the city and is a long sandy spit reached by crossing a bridge not far from the International Airport.

sports
The Algarve is famous for its 5 star golf courses, great water sports and beautiful beaches. Plenty of fishing opportunities exist along the coasts and in the rivers of the Algarve. Regular deep-sea excursions go in search of swordfish, ray, tuna and shark, while freshwater anglers can cast for salmon, trout, pike, bass, barbel and chub.

monte gordo (day excursion)
At the eastern end of the Algarve, close to the Rio Guadiana and Spanish border the resort of Monte Gordo seems to sit on the beach itself. The village started as a fishing station from where a wall of net was stretched out to sea to catch the passing tuna. Today it is a community of hotels and restaurants enjoying this most sheltered part of the Algarve. There is a bus service to the nearby town of Vila Real de St Antonio from where there is a ferry across to the Spanish town of Ayamonte.

albufeira (day excursion)
This town began as a small fishing village huddled in a narrow valley. To aid access to the sandy beach where fishermen hauled their boats above the waves a passage was cut through the rocks to steps down to the sand. The passage and the village square remain but the village has grown.

almancil, quinta do lago and vale de lobo (day excursion)
Near to Faro is the small town of Almancil that nearby can be found the church of São Lourenço de Matos renown for its 18th Century blue tiles. At the inland village of Estói there are some notable roman ruins of Milreu depicting a home that enjoyed more comforts than some of the newly built villas in today’s world. The well known developments of Quinta do Lago and Vale de Lobo, both five star holiday areas are located west of Faro. Together they provide 7 top quality golf courses, tennis centers, riding schools, hotels, holiday resorts and villas.

rock of gibraltar and spain (weekend excursion)
Which ever direction you approach Gibraltar, wether by sea or by land the towering rock dominates everything in sight. Its no wonder that men have fought so many battles to win this small piece of land. The road from the Algarve passes through the ancient city of Seville and past the fortress of Cadiz. You enter the city of Gibraltar across the runway built on the sand spit that joined British territory to the Spanish soil.

Behind the massive white walls and revetments lies a city British in everything but its position and self government. You could be in any busy market town within the United Kingdom. But there's lots more to do as well. This is a place steeped in history. Visit the museum or the monkeys, the caves or the marina, there is far too much to see in one day. Allow approx. 6 hours drive from Portugal.