Faro was classified as the sixth most pedestrian-friendly city in Portugal in a ranking prepared by the holiday home rental platform Holidu, published in September 2024. The study used data from OpenStreetMap to calculate the percentage of pedestrian zones relative to the total length of streets in different Portuguese cities, not including nature trails or sports hiking routes.
Lisbon led the ranking with 5.16% of pedestrian zones, followed by Porto with 4.02%, Almada with 2.20%, Funchal with 1.91% and Setúbal with 1.76%. Faro occupied sixth position with 1.65%, ahead of Cascais, Matosinhos, Sintra and Coimbra. The capital had approximately 60 kilometres of pedestrian zones, while Porto had about 21 kilometres.
Among Faro's advantages for those exploring on foot is the possibility of combining, in a relatively compact route, the Baixa, the historic centre and the Ria Formosa waterfront. Rua de Santo António is one of the main commercial arteries where car traffic is limited, allowing for more peaceful circulation. From there it is possible to continue towards Vila-Adentro, passing through Arco da Vila and entering the oldest part of the city.
Faro's position in the ranking means that the Algarve capital has one of the highest proportions of streets where it is possible to circulate without car traffic among the Portuguese cities analysed. The creation of pedestrian areas allows reducing the presence of cars and can make the circulation of residents and visitors more pleasant, this being a particularly important characteristic in the centre, where in a short route it is possible to pass through the main commercial streets, the historic zone and reach the banks of the Ria Formosa.
