15 Best Things to do in Estoi

The Ermida Nossa Senhora do Repouso (Hermitage of Our Lady of Rest) is a small chapel with a Baroque-style façade. The building we see here today was mainly built in 18^th century under the sponsorship of the Queen.  A notable feature of the church is that it is built into the Arco do Repousa, one of the ancient Arabic arches of the defensive walls of Faro's Old Town.

The whitewashed building of the Bishop’s Palace (Paço Episcopal), with its distinctive red-tiled roof, dominates the tranquil square of Largo da Sé in Faro's Old Town quarter.

Faro's ancient city walls (Muralhas de Faro), parts of which form a broken ring around Faro’s compact Cidade Velha (Old Town) have an interesting history, reflecting the town's tumultuous past.  The Romans, who called the town Ossonoba, made their presence felt here and built a wall around the area which would have contained the forum and various important buildings. 

Whilst much of the cathedral you see today date back to the 13th and 14th centuries this site has considerably more history. The oldest records show that there was a Roman forum built here around two thousand years ago. Following this a mosque was built here. With the Christian reconquest of Faro in 1249 the mosque was torn down and the Sé (cathedral) put up in its place. Dedicated to the Virgin Mary the cathedral is also known as the Igreja de Santa Maria de Faro.

Also known as the Museu Municipal, this was founded as an archaeological museum in 1894 and is well worth a visit if you are in Faro.  It occupies the site of the 16^th century convent of Nossa Senhora da Assunção (Our Lady of the Assumption) whose peaceful, cloistered gardens alone make the visit worthwhile.