Faro city break – Portugal Travel Photography

I took a few days off and whisked my wife Gaia off to Portugal for her 30th Birthday in February, staying in a hotel with magnificent views across the marina.  Whilst there I set about capturing some of the best bits of Faro which is the capital city of the Algarve.  It’s a really lovely small city with an old town and a lot of history, and when the sun shines it’s a very picturesque place to be.  Sadly the first day we were there it was horrendous weather with gale force winds blowing in from the sea and rain drizzling none stop, but we made the most of it and found a Portuguese guitar recital tucked away down a little cobbled street, and as everyone else was inside keeping dry we ended up with a private hour long performance and talk about the guitar and traditional styles of music, it was amazing and our host Joao Cuna was an absolute master of his instrument, playing the 12 strings with skill and beauty.  It was an amazing experience!

The next day we woke up to blue skies and sunshine, perfect timing as this was Gaia’s birthday and we headed off around the city for a proper look around taking in everything from a big square with Orange trees, to cobbled streets and cathedrals, vintage Port shops and the strangest thing I’ve come across on my travels – the ‘Chapel of Bones’ a chapel found within the Church of St Francis with walls and ceiling covered in human bones and skulls!  Very freaky but extremely interesting, it was built in the 16th century and was designed to remind monks that life isn’t eternal.

From there we headed off for food stopping en-route to eat delicious custard tarts called Pastel de nata, and then had a meal of olives, squid and all manner of other fresh and tasty food.  We also climbed to the top Carmo Church with amazing views over the city and harbour which was a real highlight.

Faro is a city with a lot to offer, and whilst it’s not the largest city in the world (in fact it’s tiny) it was a very worthwhile trip with some really interesting sights and delicious fresh seafood.

Click here to hire me for your wedding

Back to top