Faro, capital of the Algarve region, serves as a convenient base for exploring southern Portugal. Car rental in Faro enables visits to both secluded beaches like Praia da Marinha and the western continental edge—Cape São Vicente or Ria Formosa Natural Park. Often, public transport cannot reach interesting locations, while long-distance taxi trips can be costly.
It's best to book a car for your trips around Portugal as early as possible. This way, you’ll have more available cars at lower prices.
Without personal transport, accessing secluded beaches, picturesque coastal towns like Olhão or Carvoeiro, or nature parks becomes difficult. Cars also enable easy visits to other Algarve cities like Lagos or Tavira. Southern Portugal travel becomes significantly more convenient when you're not dependent on bus schedules.
Car rental in Faro is a popular tourist service. Rather than limiting yourself to on-site rental office selections, book online through Localrent.
Localrent Car Rental Advantages:
Localrent represents the best option for those seeking simple conditions, honest prices, and worthy vehicle selection.
Basic Faro car rental requirements are standard for Portugal. Typically, minimum driver age is 24 with at least 2 years driving experience. Often these requirements are stricter: most vehicles are available to drivers 25+ with 3+ years experience.
Required documents for vehicle pickup:
Specific age and experience requirements differ among vehicles. When searching online, use age and experience filters—this shows only available options.
You must have the originals of all necessary documents with you when picking up your car. Be sure to check all the expiry dates before your travel.
Understanding Faro's traffic dynamics is crucial for smooth exploration of the Algarve region. Here's practical guidance for optimal navigation:
Typical congestion periods in Faro:
Key recommendations for optimal travel:
Portugal operates right-hand traffic with left-side overtaking only. Horn use is prohibited except for accident prevention. Low beam headlights are mandatory outside populated areas even during daytime.
Speed limits:
Payment options: Available at booths (cash/card) or through Via Verde electronic system.
Rental car consideration: Vehicles usually have installed transponders—verify availability during pickup.
Free alternatives: Often slower due to traffic lights and populated areas, but asphalt quality is quite good.
Historic center navigation: Faro's old town features narrow streets—drive slowly and yield to pedestrians. For walking tours, park at old town perimeter lots.
Roundabout protocol: Yield to vehicles already in circles and clearly signal turns.
Peak traffic avoidance: Weekday rush hours 7:00-9:00 am and 4:00-6:00 pm. Better to travel outside these periods.
Safety requirements: All passengers must wear seatbelts. Children under 12 or shorter than 135cm must use car seats only.
Most central Faro parking zones are paid. Free spaces are less common, mainly on city outskirts. City parking rules operate through color coding systems and signage.
Main Parking Zone Types:
Pay parking via meters; place receipts under windshields. Also use Parkopedia or EasyPark apps. Major parking facilities and shopping centers offer hourly and daily rates.
If planning hotel parking, verify rates—Faro hotels rarely provide free parking.
Most Faro area gas stations operate 24/7. Pay for fuel with bank cards and cash. Many stations, especially at night, require prepayment before refueling. Highway stations along routes like A22 typically charge higher fuel prices than city locations.
Online booking enables leisurely selection from numerous options. Start by specifying Faro pickup city and return city if different. Then:
Vehicle collection inspection — Verify fuel level and ensure all damage is noted in handover report. Sign contract, pay remaining rental cost, and receive keys.
Faro's surroundings offer numerous interesting locations conveniently accessible by rental car. Visit ancient fortress cities, relax on famous beaches, reach Europe's southwestern-most point, and explore medieval monasteries.
Top 5 Destinations via Paved Roads:
These destinations work excellently for day trips from Faro. All roads feature good asphalt; most routes easily accommodate even economical small cars.
During booking, choose convenient vehicle pickup locations. Three main options available:
Not all vehicles are available at every location. Some models offer airport-only pickup; others city-only. Exact available points for specific cars are listed in booking details.
On the main page under "Pickup" field, you can specify needed locations. This shows only vehicles available at your chosen location.
You can easily rent Faro cars and drive throughout southern Portugal's Algarve region. Here are tips to avoid typical problems:
A22 highway is the main Algarve travel road, but it's toll-based. Verify Via Verde transponder availability during pickup. If unavailable, ask about rental—otherwise you'll need to stop for payment.
Faro's historic center features almost entirely paid parking with blue markings. Payment required 8:00 am to 7:00 pm on weekdays. Always check signs: some zones allow resident-only parking.
During Faro vacations, visit Spain—the border is just 65km away. However, booking requires selecting vehicles approved for border crossing. Don't forget to add corresponding additional options to orders.
Considering these nuances makes Faro rental comfortable. You'll avoid fines and can focus on Algarve's beauty.
High season prices start from €35-45 daily for compact models like Fiat 500 or Renault Clio. Cheap car rental is available November-February, with cold season rates from €20 daily.
Yes, deposits are almost always required. Localrent offers options with minimal deposits of €150-300.
Yes, you can find vehicles not requiring credit cards. Use special Localrent filters for searches.
Yes, but add cross-border travel options to orders.
Yes. During booking, specify different cities in Pickup and Return fields. You'll see only options available for such routes.
Hello. Can I make a deposit with a card?
Hello! It depends on the car you have chosen. The available payment options for the deposit are listed on each car’s page in the “Payment methods” callout next to the information about the deposit.