The capital of the Algarve, Faro is often dismissed as a town for golfing and little else. But there is a lot that deserves a look in Faro. Bars serving up fine cocktails, restaurants offering plates of authentic Portuguese food, unique museums, plus a thriving student population keeps the nightlife buzzing.
Car hire in Faro allows you to discover the lagoons and islands in Ria Formosa Natural Park which span 60 kilometres along the coastline. Plus, enviable beaches with golden sands and awesome rock formations are best navigated by car.
You can pick up your Faro car hire from two Europcar stations. One at
Faro Airport and another at the
Montenegro shuttle service in the airport.
Looking for something small to navigate the city in? Our fleet has numerous options for economy car hire, including the popular Fiat 500 and Renault Twingo. Larger groups and families can turn to the Nissan Qashqai and Mercedes Classe-A to travel in comfort and style.
Moving heavier loads? Europcar Faro also offers a large selection of van hire, with small and large models. Plus, Europcar gives you freedom to plan travel the way you want, which is why both car hire and van hire is available on a short or long-term basis.
In addition to your a valid driver’s licence from your home country, it is a good idea to have your photo ID or passport on you at all times when driving.
In Portugal, the national speed limits vary. In urban areas and towns like Faro, the speed limit is 50 km/h but this can change. On rural roads it is 90 km/h and 120 km/h across motorways. Speed limits around residential areas and schools are likely to lower to 40 km/h.
There is no parking available in the historic centre of Faro. One of the largest car parks in the country is in Faro. Estacionamento Pontinha-Faro has 600 spaces, over three levels and has eased a lot of traffic around the city centre. The car park is open 24/7.
There are several toll roads in Portugal, which can be paid with cash, credit/debit cards or an electronic system. There are several types of electronic tolls: Easy Toll, Toll Card, Toll Service and Via Verde Visitors. Via Verde and Easy Toll. Easy Toll is connected to your credit card and automatically charges when you pass through, Toll Card and Toll Service work using pre-paid vouchers, and Via Verde is a wireless device.
This coastline position means you should make the most of other attractions in the Algarve. They do not come bigger and better than Lagos with its dramatic Ponta da Piedade (only reachable by car or on foot), café-lined piazzas, and hedonistic nightlife. You can get to Lagos with the comfort of your hire car in an hour.
Around 17 kilometres by car from Faro, is Loulé; a big inland town with a charming historic quarter, Moorish castle ruins, and a Roman history. Artisanal traditions still exist in the form of several small textile boutiques and copper workshops to browse.
Faro is also close to the Spanish border, with
Seville (200 kilometres) two hours by car.
