Faro | Portugal - Life of a Passion

Faro has lots of places to visit; the medieval cathedral, the Ria Formosa lagoon, the airport of Faro, the 3 gates, the bone chapel, pego do Inferno, Estoi and the ruins of Milreu.

Old town

Park your car at the square with oranges and go visit the old town of Faro. The medieval cathedral of Faro and the Câmara Municipal of Faro is on that same square. For like 3 euros you can visit the cathedral and its small garden. On top of the tower (which survived the 18th-century earthquake), you’ll enjoy an amazing view over the ria Formosa lagoon and the airport of Faro.

Tip: Watch out for those bells, they still ring! We were standing aside from those bells when it rang 11 AM. Second heart attack of that vacation you may say 😉

medieval cathedral of Faro, the Algarve, Portugal

Another fact is that the old town of Faro has 3 gates. Make sure to make a promenade around the old town to see all 3 of them. If you walk out of the old town facing Ria Formosa, you’ll have the opportunity to take a boat for 5 Euros and enjoy yourself a tour that lasts 3 hours whilst enjoying the lagoon.

one of the three gates of faro, the Algarve, Portugal

Make sure you visit the bone chapel (Capela dos Ossos) as well. The chapel is made from bones and skulls.

capelo dos ossos in Faro, the Algarve,Portugal

Pego do Inferno

After Faro, we went to Pego do Inferno (Hell’s pool). This lake and waterfall are not that familiar with tourists but a friend of mine told me about it. You’ll have to wander off from the road and take a walk into the bush to reach this piece of paradise. The name Hell’s pool is derived from a story about a carriage. A carriage fell into the lake and was never found. The story goes that when you go into the lake, you’ll go straight to hell. I took the odds.

First of all, you can dive from the waterfall, jump from a trapeze or just swim in the lake. I did not jump from the waterfall but I did jump off from the trapeze! Unfortunately, my dad could not work the GoPro and pressed 2 times on the on/off button. As a result, you can see my back in the video ready to jump in before it cuts.

pego do inferno (hell's pool) in Faro, the Algarve, Portugal

Estoi

After our refreshing swim, we drove off to Estoi. It has a famous castle which is turned into a hotel. You are free to visit its lounges and gardens. The swimming pool is unfortunately not free to visit 😉

The ruins of Milreu

Just a 5-minute drive from Estoi, you can visit the ruins of Milreu. Unfortunately, the place is closed on Monday. We could only see the ruins through the gate.

If you have any questions, don’t be shy to ask them!