Airport Name
Faro Airport
Airport Location
The airport is located 2.5 miles from Faro.
Terminals
1
IATA Code
FAO
Telephone
+351 (0)289 800 800
Airport Overview
Faro Airport (FAO) is the gateway to the Algarve region in Portugal, a popular vacation destination for sun-starved visitors from Northern Europe and the UK. The airport is small, but sees more than a million passengers a year, and flights to Faro Airport arrive in droves during the peak summer season.
The terminal is undergoing renovations to keep up with numbers, but the current expansion is only due to be completed in 2013. If you’re going on vacation, be prepared for long queues at the check-in area and at the security desks, which are often swamped at peak times.
Faro itself, only 1.6 miles (2.6km) from the airport, dates back to the 8th century and is blessed with gorgeous, hot summers. Take a stroll through the city streets and enjoy the beautiful buildings, statues and monuments.
Terminal Transfer
Not applicable as there is only one terminal.
Getting into Town
Train: There’s no train station at the airport, but the CP Railway Station in the city center is just a short taxi trip away. The train itself goes all along the coast, but is often unreliable.
Taxi: Taxis leave from just outside the arrivals section (to your right as you leave the building). It’ll cost anything upwards of €5 to get into Faro, with rates going up in tourist season. Several hotels in the area offer free shuttle services from the airport. It’s worth double-checking with your hotel.
Bus: There is a bus from the airport to the central bus station in Faro. It leaves sporadically from 5am till 11pm at night in summer.
Car Parking
There are three parking lots at Faro Airport. Short-term parking lot P1, which can hold just under 300 cars, charges €0.80 for half an hour. It’s just outside the departures area. P3, outside arrivals, is €1.30 per hour. P2, the long-term parking lot, costs just over €50 for a week, which is the minimum length of time you can park there.
Information Desks
There’s an information desk in the center of the ground floor, opposite the ticketing desks. There are also airport information telephones throughout the airport.
Airport Facilities
Money and communications: Banks, ATMs and currency exchange facilities are in the main building.
Luggage: There are lost items desks in the arrivals area and in the main building, but no left luggage facility at the moment due to the renovations. There is a porter service however – it’ll cost you €7-12, depending on the time of day. Baggage wrapping is available in the check-in area.
Conference and business: There is a conference room that hosts up to 65 people with TV, fax, Internet and video conferencing facilities. Contact the airport to make a booking.
Shopping: The duty-free section in the departures lounge includes a number of stores where you do some last-minute vacation shopping. There’s also a newsagent, sweet store, a soccer store and a few clothing stores on your way out of the airport. Don’t expect unmissable hand-crafted items, as it’s mostly pretty touristy.
Food and drink: There are plenty of cafes and bars in the airport, but most of them are quite expensive. If you’ve got kids, consider packing a lunch for them. Or try the canteen on the first floor above the arrivals area, to the far left and up the escalators – it’s less crowded and cheaper than those on the ground floor.
Other facilities: There’s a post office in the main building, on your right as you leave the baggage claim area.
Wi-Fi: There is Wi-Fi access throughout the airport, although it’s only free for local flight and airport information. You’ll have to go through one of the several Wi-Fi providers, such as Vodafone, to access the Internet properly. Simply log in to an existing account or set one up online.
Back to all Airports in Faro
Back to all Airports in Portugal
Back to all Airports in Europe
Back to all Airport Guides
Find Cheap Flights to Faro (FAO)
