august2014
67
FLYTO
barcelona
threetimesdaily;
faro
fivetimesweekly.
brusselsairlines.com
10,799,270 +351 24°C
Euro (EUR)
fivetimesweekly
47,370,542 +34 24°C Euro (EUR) Threetimesdaily
faro
barcelona
portugal
Faro International
Airport (FAO), 7km
spain
elpratairport (BCN), 12km
Enjoy rooftop luxuryat
thePaláciodeEstoi,
justnorthof Faro
SLEEP
Just 11 kmnorthof Faro, the
PousadaPaláciodeEstoi
(Ruade
São Jose, Estoi, 289990 150,
pousadas.pt, rooms from€234)
hasswishmodern rooms in
a 19th-centurypalace. There’salso
apool anda top-notch restaurant.
EAT
Inaprime location facing the
marina,
Marisqueira Faro eBenfica
(DocadeFaro) is renowned for
servingsomeof region’sbest fish
andseafood– try the
cataplanade
marisco
, asoupyblendofmuchof
themorning’scatch.
CULTURE
NeighbouringOlhão is
amajor fishingport and itsseafood
celebration
Festival doMarisco
(festivaldomarisco.com) isoneof the
region’scultural highlights.Not only
is thereanarrayof freshseafood
dishes to try, but therearealso local
handicraftsstalls, concertsandvarious
events from9-14August.
SHOP
Thegiant andattractively laidout
ForumAlgarve
shoppingcomplex
(EstradaNacional 125) shouldcater to
your shoppingneeds,witharound 100
international and local shopsselling
SLEEP
It’snot alwayseasy to find
somewherequiet inmid-summer inone
of Spain’smost vibrant cities.
Hotel
Alma
(Carrer deMallorca271, 932 16
4490, almabarcelona.com, rooms from
€160) offers tranquil accommodation
inEixamplewithcontemporary,
comfortable rooms.
EAT
In thisheat itmakessense to
tapear
(cruise the tapasbars).Oneof
theclassics is
Quimet i Quimet
(Carrer
del PoetaCabanyes25) inEl Poble-sec,
particularly recommended for their
moreish
montaditos
(crustybread
artfully toppedwithdelicious
combinations likeshrimpandavocado).
Theyalsobrew their ownbeer. For
asplurge, checkout
Restaurante
Osmosis
(Carrer d’Aribau 100)
with its reassuringlyshortmenuof
BUS
Local bus 16
runs from theairport
toFaro’sbusstation
andmarina roughly
every45minutes
from5.20am-
11.30pmand
costs€2.22.
TAXI
A taxi costs
around€12 to
thecitycentre.
TOURIST INFO
visitalgarve.pt
BUS
Aerobuses leave
every tenminutes
from terminalsA1
andA2withseveral
central citystops,
includingPlaça
EspanyaandPlaça
deCatalunya.
Journey time is
30-40minutesand
ticketscost€5.90.
TRAIN
Renfe’sR2
Nord train runs
roughlyhalf-hourly
from5.42am to
11.38pmbetween
theairport and
PasseigdeGràcia,
viaEstacióSants.
Ticketscost€3.75.
TAXI
A taxi from
theairportwill cost
youaround€30.
TOURIST INFO
barcelonaturisme.com
everything fromcrafts todesigner
clothesand local produce, opendaily
until 11pm.
LATER
Bar CheSsenta
(RuadoPrior
24) isoneof themanysmall local bars
inagridof streetsnear themarina,with
livemusicandDJsonother nights.
TIP
Takeoneof thesummer ferries
whichdepart from thesouthernendof
Faro’smarina to thesuperbsandspit
islandofCulatras.
MatthewHancock
imaginativeart-on-a-platedishes.
CULTURE
The
FestaMajor deGràcia
,
thecity’sbiggest street festival, takes
place in theGràciadistrict from 15-21
Augustwithparades, concertsand
plentyof knees-up, hair-downpartying.
SHOP
Amust-have fashion item
thisseason isapair of
espadrilles
,
sopickupapair at theoriginal
source:
LaManual Alpargatera
(Carrer d’Avinyó7).
LATER
Harlem JazzClub
(Carrer de la
ComtessadeSobradiel 8) isoneof the
best spots in town tohear free-spirited
jazzandblues.
TIP
You’veheard it before, butwe’ll say
it again: keepaneyeonyour valuables.
Bagsnatching is rife in thiscity,
particularlyaroundLaRambla.
JosephineQuintero
/
info
/
info
HotelAlma is
contemporary
andcomfortable
