Faro bars and sunset spots: our favourite evenings

Choose the mood for your evening

For cocktails and a close-up view of the craft, we head to In’verso. For the changing light over the Ria Formosa, it is LAB Terrace. Columbus offers another setting for a drink near the marina, while Piper’s suits a night when we want something livelier.

Think of these as separate suggestions, not a list to complete in one night. A favourite Faro evening can be as simple as one good table, a drink and time to watch the city around you. Our restaurant guide will help you choose where to eat before or after.

In’verso: take a seat at the bar

Some of our favourite craft cocktails anywhere have come from In’verso. On our visits, Wilson and Tiago brought great care to both the drinks and their presentation. The hand-gesture menu and poseable mannequin hand made it memorable, but it was what arrived in the glass that kept us returning.

Chris’s favourite gesture is the rock horns. We prefer seats at the bar because watching a drink come together is part of the evening. The bandana in the photo is from one of our visits; it is a souvenir of that menu, rather than a current price list.

See In’verso’s own Instagram for recent updates, or find In’verso on Rua do Prior. If you would like food with your drinks, ask about the current options when you arrive.

LAB Terrace: sunset over the Ria Formosa

Our LAB Terrace memory is a Port Tonic, the sun dropping over the lagoon, a ferry coming back from the islands and the local train passing below. There has been a little Elton John in the soundtrack on our visits, too. It is one of the places where we enjoy watching Faro slow down.

We like to arrive well before sunset rather than time our entrance for the final few minutes. The light is part of the whole visit, and busy evenings are unpredictable. Sunset time changes through the year, so plan around your own date and check that the venue is open. Locate LAB Terrace.

If the view inspires an island day, our Faro beaches guide explains the difference between Praia de Faro and Ilha Deserta, with links for the boats.

Columbus: another pace near the marina

Columbus occupies a historic building on Praça Dom Francisco Gomes, close to the old port. We have found it a more reserved setting than the nightlife streets around Piper’s, and a good change of mood for an evening cocktail.

Its operator now presents it as Columbus Culinary Bar, with food, cocktails and wine. Use the Columbus website for its current menu and reservations. It can be an easy place to consider after an old-town walk, without trying to fit a second neighbourhood into the evening.

Piper’s for a livelier night

Piper’s Irish Pub is across from In’verso on Rua do Prior. Our experience there has been of a louder, more exuberant scene. If that is what you are looking for, check its current programme for live music rather than assuming a performance on every night. Locate Piper’s Irish Pub.