We recently visited Portugal’s Algarve region as a family for the first time. The first stop on our Portugal road trip was Faro. Knowing lots of people skip Faro in favour of places such as Albufeira and Vilamoura, I was wondering, firstly, is Faro town worth visiting? And secondly, is Faro a good place to visit with kids? In this post, I will be sharing our experience and all the best things to do in Faro, Portugal with kids.
When we travel, we are not fully kid-focused. We like to do a mix of family-friendly activities that we can all enjoy. So, not everything in this post is specifically aimed at children, but they are all fun things to do in Faro as a family.
FARO WITH KIDS QUICK PLANNING:
Best Time of Year to Visit:
May & June or September & October for warm weather without crowds.
Ideal Trip Length:
2 days in Faro is perfect, but we spent a week exploring the Algarve. Read our full itinerary here.
Getting Around Faro:
If you’re just visiting Faro, you can get around on foot. If you want to visit more of the Algarve, hire a car. Find the best rental prices here.
Family Friendly Accommodation:
Donna Simone Suites
(where we stayed)
Top Sights to See:
LOVE FARO Sign
Park Jardim da Alameda João de Deus
Old & New Towns
Activities to Book:
Sightseeing Tourist Train
Benagil Cave Boat Tour
Dolphin Watching
PIN FOR LATER
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Getting to Faro
Faro International Airport is the main airport in the Algarve region of Portugal. If you are coming to Faro by plane, this is where you’ll most likely arrive. Faro City is only a 10-15 minute drive from Faro airport, which is amazing. Our flight got in late, so we pre-booked a hire car, which allowed us to get to our accommodation quickly.
You can also take a taxi for approx €20 or Bus 16, operated by Proximo, for €2.25, which takes about 20 minutes.
How Long to Spend in Faro
We visited Faro in April and had two nights there. Getting in late on the first night only gave us one full day. Faro itself is quite small. One day is enough to see most of the town; however, if you’re visiting in the summer and would like some beach days, you could easily spend longer.
After Faro, we moved on to Albufeira (via Tavira); however, you could easily stay for a week, using Faro as a base and taking day trips to the surrounding towns in the Algarve. Some ideas for day trips are below, so keep reading!
Where to Stay in Faro, Portugal with Kids
As Faro is quite small and easy to explore on foot, when you’re looking at places to stay in Faro, I would advise that staying anywhere in the old or new town would be a good location. We stayed in a family suite at Donna Simone Suites, which is a boutique hotel in Faro and is in a great location for exploring the town. It also had free parking on the street outside.
Personally, I think the best area to stay in Faro is somewhere in the new town. You’ll find more shops and resteraunts there than in the old town!
NOTE: In the photos, it looks like the room comes with a private kitchen; however, it is actually a well-equipped communal kitchen. There are lots of different-sized rooms, so make sure to read the mall print!
As we were only there for a short time and the apartment had its own fridge, the lack of a kitchen was no problem for us.
CHECK AVAILABILITY: DONA SIMONE BOUTIQUE SUITE
DONA SIMONE BOUTIQUE SUITES
The Best Things to Do in Faro, Portugal with Kids
Take the Ferry to the Beach
There are lots of boat trips you can do from Faro, the one to The Benagil Cave being the most popular. We’d already had a very similar experience in Kotor, Montenegro, so we decided to take the ferry to Faro Beach instead.
This was a great thing to do in Faro with kids, as you can go at your own pace. We all enjoyed the relaxing ferry ride, and the beautiful sandy beaches are very family-friendly.
Enjoying Faro Beach
Once you’re at the beach, you can do all the usual beach activities, build sandcastles, splash in the waves, sunbathe etc. There are also quite a few places to eat within a short walk of the ferry drop-off point. The weather was ok, not really beach weather, but we all still had a good time!
Elementos has a beautiful terrace with a great view. The food and juices looked good, but they did not serve beer or cocktails (despite the sign saying cocktail bar). We really wanted a holiday treat, so we went to Rudy’s where we could have a drink and the kids could have an ice cream.
The ferry costs €4 for an adult return ticket. Children aged 5+ cost €2.25, and under 5’s go free. You can buy tickets from the kiosk by the ferry stop or on the boat itself. See more information and the schedule here.
TAKING THE FERRY TO FARO BEACH
Watch Planes Take Off and Land
This is a great thing to do in Faro with toddlers or young children, such as mine. Older kids might not find it so fascinating! However, as Faro town is so close to the airport, you get a great view of planes. The best view was actually from the ferry ride I just mentioned, but you can also see them from the Marina.
Watching Planes
TOP FARO TOURS FOR FAMILIES:
City Sightseeing Tourist Train
From Faro: The Original Benagil Cave, Marinha & More Boat Tour
Pose with the Love Faro Sign
Although snapping a photo here won’t take up much time. This is one Faro attractions that you should see and one of the things to do in Faro for families you can’t miss!
It’s the perfect place to capture a memory of your trip to the Algarve, Portugal. Located by the marina, it is a completely free thing to do in Faro!
THE LOVE FARO SIGN
Wander the New Town
Faro’s city centre is small and easy to explore on foot. In the new town of Faro, you’ll mainly find shops, cafes and restaurants. I’ll share where we ate below. You’ll also find a couple of small mini-markets here if you or your kids need snacks and drinks.
We saw a lot of fish in shop windows and on the floor mosaics. My little one loved spotting them, so we turned it into a game for him!
There is also a free Maritime Museum, we didnt visit, but this would be a good thing to do in Faro with kids on a rainy day.
THE STREETS OF FARO’S NEW TOWN
Explore the Old Town
If you walk through the Arco da Vila, you’ll be in the old town of Faro, Portugal.
THE ARCO DA VILA
My favourite thing to do in Faro Old Town is to wander through the pretty cobbled streets. My kids were keen to try and get an orange from one of the many trees lining the square by the Santa Maria Cathedral. They were successful, but unfortunately, the oranges had more pips than orange, which is probably why there were so many left!
There’s also a museum called, Municipal Museum of Faro. It looked very pretty, but my eldest was not keen to go in. Adult entry is €2 and kids go free.
ORANGE TREES & FARO’S OLD TOWN
Tiny Train Ride
Finally, this hop-on-and-off tourist train will take you all around Faro and looks like a great activity the whole family can enjoy. Unfortunately, I hadn’t seen this on any other blog posts, and we only saw it at the end of the day. It was starting to rain, and the kids were getting hungry, but it is definitely worth checking out, especially if you’re visiting Faro with young children who need a break from walking!
The train takes you around all the best things to see in Faro City!
Adult tickets are €4 and kids 4+ are €2. Click here to book the tiny train.
Park Jardim da Alameda João de Deus
This is another place I didnt see on any other blog posts. After sharing we were in Faro on my Instagram story, a follower (originally from Faro) kindly recommended it to me. So, don’t miss this hidden gem!
I’ve looked it up and it looks beautiful. Plus, it has a great playground for kids. As it’s only a 15-minute walk from the centre of Faro, this is a place you should try! Let me know if you do 🙂
Where to Eat in Faro, Portugal with Kids
I’m not a massive foodie, so I don’t always recommend places to eat; however, we ate at some great places in Faro that I feel are worth mentioning here! These were all great places for families with children.
Chelsea Coffee & Brunch
This cafe was very aesthetically pleasing, and the food was delicious. My kids got in the holiday mood with a huge stack of pancakes and berries.
See their website here. They don’t seem to have the menu on the website, but there was a good range of pancakes, eggs, poke bowls, breakfasts etc.
CHELSEA COFFEE & BRUNCH
La Forchetta
There is a street called Conselheiro Bivar which is closed to cars and has many resteraunts. We chose to eat at La Forchetta, whose sign claimed to be the best homemade pasta you will ever have. This is a bold statement, but I have to agree it was good. They also had pizza and tapas options.
PASTA FROM LA FORCHETTA
Demo Urban Bakery
A trip to Portugal wouldn’t be complete without trying Pastel de nata, a traditional Portuguese pastry dessert with a custard filling. We picked these up from Demo Urban Bakery and took them to go, however, they did have seating inside.
The bakery had many other options, such as bread and croissants.
PASTEL DA NATA FROM DEMO
Day Trips from Faro
We visited Faro as part of an Algarve road trip; however, you could stay in Faro and visit some of the surrounding towns. We travelled around by car, but Faro also has its own train station.
Some surrounding towns you could take day trips to with kids are:
- Tavira – this would be my top recommendation.
- Albufeira
- Vilamoura – our honest thoughts, Vilamoura is a bit overrated!
I’ve written guides on all of these, just click the name to read more. In short, Tavira was my favourite out of these. Both Albufeira and Vilamoura are mainly beach destinations. If you have the weather for it, these are great. Tavira is also small but has more culture and things to do.
Your Map to Faro with Kids
On the map below, I have saved all the places mentioned to make planning your Faro itinerary easy. Just click on the top right corner to open it in Google Maps.
Quick FAQ’s About Faro as a Family
Yes, Faro is a great destination for families. The city is compact and walkable, and there are plenty of pedestrian-friendly areas. Families will love wandering the old town or spending a day at the beach. While it doesn’t have the big theme parks or resort-style attractions found elsewhere in the Algarve, Faro is ideal for families who enjoy nature, gentle sightseeing, and easy day trips.
Faro is an amazing start to an Algarve itinerary rather than a long standalone stay.
The best place to stay in Faro with kids is somewhere in the Old Town or New Town area, where you’ll be within walking distance of restaurants, parks, ferry terminals, and sightseeing spots. These areas are flat, scenic, and convenient for families who don’t want to rely on a car.
For families, apartment-style accommodation or family-friendly hotels with spacious rooms and kitchen facilities tend to work best — especially for longer stays. We had a lovely stay at Donna Simone Suites.
2 to 3 days in Faro is the perfect amount of time. This allows you to explore the town, have a beach day and still keep the pace relaxed for kids.
If Faro is part of a larger Algarve itinerary, even 1 full day can be enough to see the highlights and enjoy a ferry ride to the islands.
Thank you so much for reading our guide on things to do in Faro, Portugal with kids. I hope we’ve helped you to plan your Faro itinerary with kids, and you have an amazing Faro city break!
YOU’LL ALSO LOVE:
We have guides on other places in the Algarve, Portugal:
– TAVIRA – ALBUFERA – VILAMORUA –
OUR FAMILY-FRIENDLY ONE-WEEK IN THE ALGARVE, PORTUGAL ITINERARY
Happy Exploring,
