Faro's main attraction is its quaint old town, where holiday visitors can wander and enjoy some architectural sightseeing, and brush up on their history. There are some worthy museums in the town too, like the archaeological Municipal Museum housed in a former convent and a maritime museum displaying a collection of model ships and boats. The city offers a taste of the traditional old Portugal for visitors making a stopover en route to an Algarve resort. Those who want to try out the local beach will find it to be a clean stretch of golden sand where umbrellas and sunbeds can be hired and all sorts of watersports undertaken.

Portuguese is the official language, but English is widely spoken and understood.

Portugal is a member of the European Union and its official currency is the Euro (EUR), which is divided into 100 cents. There are numerous banks, bureaux de change and ATMs available in main cities and tourist destinations. Foreign currency can be exchanged at banks, bureaux de change and automatic currency exchange machines. Banking hours are generally 8.30am to 3pm Monday to Friday. Major credit cards are widely accepted, as are travellers cheques.

Faro is a bustling, working city and not a holiday resort town, the emphasis being on its historical attractions rather than fun in the sun. The city can be rowdy at night with many young revellers.

Being a university city, Faro has a vibrant student population who ensure that nightlife keeps pumping. It all happens along the Rua do Prior and in the narrow alleys off of Rua Conselheiro Bivar and Rua Infante Dom Henrique. Dance clubs get going around 11pm or midnight, while bars are open for business any time from noon until the early hours. The Upa Upa Café and Bar at 51 Rua Conselheiro Bivar draws locals and tourists. The nightclub, Dux, is the place to party until the early hours and the trendsetters should head for the Fashion Kaffe.

A huge variety of restaurants and food stores line Faro's pedestrianised Rua de Santo Antonio, catering for all tastes and budgets. A must is to sample the local cakes and desserts, deliciously made of juicy figs and almonds. For a fishy feast there is Dois Irmaos, the city's oldest seafood eatery, where the fresh catch of the day is on display. For well-priced Algarve specialities, Adega Nova is a good bet, or Le Marquis Restaurant. Lunch Caffe S. Pedro is popular with expats for its reasonably-priced English food.

Faro's main shopping area is in the heart of town along the Rua Santo Antonio and the Rua Francisco Gomes. There is also an interesting, colourful produce market on the Largo do Mercado open every day where visitors on holiday can mingle with the locals. Good holiday buys in Faro are the local handcrafts, like basketware and embroidered goods, local wines and traditional clothing. Also sought after are locally made ceramic tiles decorated with traditional motifs.

Local time is GMT (GMT +1 from last Sunday in March to Saturday before last Sunday in October).