Faro, verdict by verdict

Faro is the Algarve's working capital, and that is exactly the point: while the resort towns stage the postcard version of the region, Faro is the functioning Portuguese city behind it. The walled old town is pretty, the marina is where locals actually sit, and the Ria Formosa lagoon begins at the end of the street. Most visitors land at the airport and drive straight past; the ones who stop tend to wish they had planned a night.

The straightforward picture is that Faro is small and quiet. The old town and cathedral are a morning rather than a day, the city's own beaches sit across the lagoon by boat, charming but not walk-out-of-the-hotel sand, and nightlife is modest while the big Algarve party scene belongs to Albufeira. For a one-day Algarve stop aimed at west-coast scenery, Lagos is the better base.

Where it wins is as a base: Lagos, Tavira and the Ria Formosa sandbar islands all radiate out on the trains and buses that run the coast, while the Benagil coast wants a car or a tour, and prices sit well below the resort strip. One day covers the old town and a lagoon boat trip; two to three nights works for day-tripping the whole coast from a single bed. April-June and September-October are the sweet spots, making Faro one of the best-value city bases in southern Europe in shoulder season.