Last Updated on November 18, 2020
Since moving to Berlin in 2018, we always look for ways to escape the winter cold. Tickets to warm weather destinations like Spain, Italy and Portugal are also usually cheaper December through February because it isn’t beach weather. This December we spotted 50€ tickets round trip to Faro direct from Berlin and decided to pull the trigger. With an average temperature of 17 Celsius in December, it would be a welcome respite from the Berlin cold. Read below for how to spend 48 hours in Faro and the Algarve for a winter weekend escape.
Day 1
9:00 am – Pastéis de Nata for Breakfast
We landed very late Friday night in Faro, picked up our car from the airport and drove to our Airbnb. The airport is very close to the city center, only 15 minutes driving. We stayed close to the Faro Municipal Indoor Market. The next morning, we started the day with a typical Portuguese treat: the pastéis de nata. The pastéis de nata is an egg custard tart dusted off with cinnamon. It is absolutely delicious!
10:00 am – Stroll Through the Town of Faro
We then proceeded to walk the town. Faro is very small, so we could easily walk the entire city from our Airbnb. We strolled along the marina and enjoyed the view of the sea and the Faro Cathedral.
12:30 pm – Lunch at Restaurante Taska
We had two really great meals in Faro. The first was lunch at Restaurante Taska. Very hospitable service and delicious seafood. We highly recommend paying a visit while in Faro. This was also the first time we tried Portuguese açorda, which is like a risotto, but made of bread and served with seafood. The Portuguese describe it as ‘baby food’ because of the consistency.
1:30 pm – Drive to Albufeira and Walk on the Beach
After lunch, we jumped in the car and drove 40 minutes to the resort city of Albufeira. While the town is a bit sleepy in the off season, it was still nice to walk the beach and put our toes in the sand.
5:00 pm – Drive to Lagos to Catch the Sunset
We then left Albufeira and drove 45 minutes to Lagos, another coastal town. We made it just in time to stroll the marina and catch the sunset.
7:00 pm – Drive back to Faro for the Best Dinner of your Life at À do Pinto
We drove the hour back to Faro from Lagos and then proceeded to have THE BEST DINNER OF OUR LIVES at À do Pinto in Faro. The restaurant is only a few tables, but we managed to grab one without a reservation. We were lucky. Our waiter was incredibly kind and helped us to navigate the menu. We ordered the pulpo (octopus) and seafood açorda to share. The pulpo was melt in your mouth delicious. JC doesn’t normally like the chewy consistency of octopus, but he LOVED this dish. The açorda with mixed seafood was PHENOMENAL. JC said to the waiter ‘my 2019 is divided between before I ate this meal and after.’ If you don’t understand what he meant (I don’t think the waiter did either), just understand that it was and still is maybe the best meal we’ve eaten in Europe.
Day 2
10:00 am – Drive to Tavira and Walk the City
Only 30 minutes driving from Faro is the beautiful city of Tavira. We strolled the city and took some photos of the beautiful azulejo tiled homes.
After spending a leisure Sunday in Tavira we jumped back in our car to the Faro airport to return to Berlin.
And that’s it! We hope this post helps you to plan your own 48 hours in Faro and the Algarve.
Looking to do some more traveling in Portugal? Check out our Top 10 Lisbon, Portugal | Everything to See & Do.
