Faro has a free car park with 950 spaces a short walk from its walled old town: Largo de São Francisco. Most of the year that's the whole answer. In October a fair moves onto it.
My plan: park there, walk through the walls, and pay the street meters only for a quick stop near the marina. Zone A costs €1 an hour.
Parking in Faro: One free square, three paid zones and a marina garage
1. Park free outside the walls
The city lists it as open-air and free, with 950 spaces. I found no published access rule, camera or bollard for the walled town, Vila Adentro, but its lanes are narrow and the square is right there. I'd leave the car and walk in.
2. Check the October fair first
The Feira de Santa Iria takes over Largo de São Francisco for about ten days each October. In 2025 it ran 16–26 October, and the city made the Pontinha garage free from 13 to 27 October instead. The 2026 dates weren't out when I checked, so look before you drive in mid-October.
3. Pay €1 an hour in Zone A
Street parking is run by Ambifaro, the council's company, under a 2023 regulation. Zone A is €0.25 per 15 minutes and charges Monday to Saturday 09:00–19:00. Zone B is €0.80 an hour, weekdays plus Saturday 09:00–13:00. Zone C is €0.60, weekdays only. The maximum stay is set street by street, so read the sign. Three hours in Zone A is €3.
4. Settle a notice within five working days
Forget to pay and Ambifaro leaves a regularisation notice: the zone's daily maximum plus €1.20 in fees. In Zone A that's €10 + €1.20 = €11.20. Leave it longer and it becomes a Highway Code offence. Ambifaro's agents have written the tickets themselves since 2023.
5. Use Pontinha for the marina
Saba Pontinha sits by the marina at €1.30 an hour, with a 2.10 m roof. For a day, Telpark's Cemitério Judeus car park is €2.20 the first hour and €9.25 a day. The car park under the Mercado Municipal has 448 spaces, but its current price table is a PDF I couldn't open.
6. Don't pay airport rates to stay in town
Most hire cars are collected at the airport, about 4 km out. ANA's cheapest walk-up park, P2, is €1.80 for an hour and €9.80 a day under the tariff in force since September 2024. If you're sleeping in Faro, drive in and use the free square. And the A22 motorway has had no tolls since 1 January 2025; other roads are on our sister site.
The classic mistake is paying for a garage when 950 free spaces sit a few minutes away.
Car parks worth knowing
| Car park | Price | EV |
|---|---|---|
| Largo de São Francisco (free)Open-air square on the edge of the old town; the Feira de Santa Iria takes it over every October | Free. 950 spaces, according to the city. | Third-party maps list 22 kW Type 2 points here; the city and operator publish no count or price. |
| Saba PontinhaLargo dos Combatentes da Grande Guerra, by the marina; open 24 hours according to Saba | €1.30 an hour; daily cap not shown. Height 2.10 m. The city counts 554 spaces. | Not published. |
| Cemitério Judeus (Telpark)Rua Leão Penedo, next to the old Jewish cemetery, northeast of the centre; open 24 hours | €2.20 the first hour, €9.25 a day. 91 spaces. | Not published. |
| Mercado Municipal (Ambifaro)Under the municipal market, Largo Doutor Francisco Sá Carneiro; run by the council's company Ambifaro | 448 spaces. The 2024 price table is a PDF I couldn't open; the last price notice on the city site dates from 2014. | Not published. |
| Faro Airport P2 (ANA)At the airport, about 4 km from the centre; where most hire cars are collected | €1.80 for an hour, €9.80 a day, the cheapest of the airport's walk-up parks. Tariff in force since 20 September 2024. | Not published. |
The cheapest way to park, by how long you stay
| If you stay | Cheapest | Cost | Watch out |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 hours in the centre | Kerb, Zone A (dearest) | €2 | From Regulation 859/2023: €0.25 per 15 minutes in Zone A, €0.20 in B, €0.15 in C. The maximum stay is set street by street; read the sign. |
| …and the cheapest central garage | Saba Pontinha | €2.60 | height 2.10 m · No daily cap published |
| A full day (10 h) | Cemitério Judeus (Telpark) | €9.25 | €2.20 is the first hour |
| …and the cheapest central garage | Saba Pontinha | €13 | height 2.10 m · No daily cap published |
| …and the kerb, for comparison | Kerb, Zone A (dearest) | €10 | From Regulation 859/2023: €0.25 per 15 minutes in Zone A, €0.20 in B, €0.15 in C. The maximum stay is set street by street; read the sign. |
| 24 hours | Cemitério Judeus (Telpark) | €9.25 | €2.20 is the first hour |
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Towed in Faro: No published car pound, so ring the PSP
1. Ring the PSP first
The national police, the PSP, remove cars in Faro. Their district command and first station share an address at Rua da PSP 32, phone 289 078 100. The city's page still lists an older number, 289 899 873; I'd trust the PSP's own.
2. Don't count on the 3838 text
The national REBOQUE text to 3838 was launched for Lisbon, Porto and Oeiras. Nobody says Faro is covered, and no pound address is published by the city, Ambifaro or the PSP. Phone instead.
3. Bring about €150
Since 1 March 2026 the national table is a tow €111 and storage €32 for every 24 hours, plus the fine. One night and you're at €143 before the ticket. If the car was clamped first, the €87 clamp fee drops away. On a hire car, ring the rental firm too.
A free square nearby makes a tow a self-inflicted wound.
If your car has disappeared
- Who took it
- The PSP (national police) removes cars in Faro; the parking regulation allows removal of any car parked "indevida e abusivamente". Ambifaro's agents write the parking tickets
- Phone
- PSP, Faro district command and 1st station: 289 078 100
Ambifaro, street parking and the market car park: 289 897 250 - Collect it at
- No car pound address is published by the city, Ambifaro or the PSP. Start at the PSP station, which shares the district command's address.
- Hours
- Not published. The PSP station's phone line is the only published contact.
- What it costs
- National table from 1 March 2026, for cars: clamp €87, tow €111, storage €32 per 24 hours, plus the fine. If the car is clamped and then towed, the clamp fee isn't charged.
- Bring
- No document list is published. I'd bring the registration document or rental contract, a driving licence and a passport; with a hire car, ring the rental company first.
EV charging in Faro: Powerdot's posts and a lot of screens to read
1. Look for Powerdot
Powerdot holds the city's concession for charging on public land. In January 2024 the council listed three live sites, including Avenida 5 de Outubro, and 34 planned locations. It publishes no price.
2. Pay by card at the fast posts
On the national MOBI.E network, chargers over 50 kW installed since April 2024 take a bank card.
3. Don't rely on the square's posts
Electromaps lists six 22 kW points at Largo de São Francisco. Neither the city nor the operator confirms them, and the fair takes the square in October.
I'd charge at a fast post and read the screen before plugging in.
Where to charge
- Powerdot, the city concession — Public chargers across Faro; the city published three live sites and 34 planned locations in January 2024. Powerdot holds the concession for charging on public land, with semi-fast and fast posts. No city tariff. At chargers over 50 kW installed since April 2024 you can pay by bank card
- Avenida 5 de Outubro — Avenida 5 de Outubro, one of the first three Powerdot sites. Listed by the city in January 2024. Power and price not published
- Largo de São Francisco — Largo de São Francisco, inside the free car park. Electromaps lists six 22 kW Type 2 connectors. Not confirmed by the city or the operator, and the square goes to the fair in October
Free parking in Faro: Free spaces, free Sundays and a winter bonus
1. Start at Largo de São Francisco
950 free spaces, the biggest free car park in central Faro, outside fair week.
2. Use the kerb on Sundays
Outside charging hours the zones are free: after 19:00, all Sunday, Saturday in Zone C and Saturday afternoon in Zone B. Zone A charges until 19:00 on Saturday.
3. Watch for free winter Sundays
From 26 January 2025 the market car park was free on Sundays 08:00–14:00 for that winter. A repeat this winter isn't announced.
I found no hotel whose own site says its parking is free. Every price here was checked on 3 October 2026.
Free or nearly-free spots
Largo de São Francisco: 950 free spaces
The city lists Largo de São Francisco as an open-air, free car park with 950 spaces. It's the closest big car park to the old town. In October the Feira de Santa Iria moves in; in 2025 the city made Pontinha free from 13 to 27 October instead.
The kerb on Sundays and evenings
Outside the charging hours the street zones are free: after 19:00, all Sunday, Saturday in Zone C, and Saturday afternoon in Zone B. Zone A charges on Saturday until 19:00.
Market car park on winter Sunday mornings
From 26 January 2025 to the end of that winter, the car park under the Mercado Municipal was free on Sundays 08:00–14:00. Whether it returns this winter isn't announced.
⚠ The small print on 'free' parking
- The A22 (Via do Infante) has had no tolls since 1 January 2025 under Law 37/2024. The easytoll machines at the Guadiana bridge still run because other motorways charge. Tolls elsewhere are covered on our sister site.
- The Feira de Santa Iria fills Largo de São Francisco for about ten days in October. In 2025 it ran 16–26 October; the 2026 dates weren't published when I checked.
- The walled old town (Vila Adentro) has no published access rule, camera zone or bollard scheme that I could find. The streets are narrow; I'd walk in.
- Two phone numbers for the PSP: the city's page gives 289 899 873, the PSP's own page 289 078 100. The PSP's own number wins.
- Pontinha's size varies by source: the city says 554 spaces, the former operator's page 598 and 08:00–24:00. Saba runs it now and says 24 hours, so I go with Saba on the hours.
- Not paying on the kerb brings a regularisation notice: the zone's daily maximum plus €1.20 (Zone A €10 + €1.20) within five working days. After that it becomes a Highway Code offence.
Take these places with you
Every place on this page as a file you can keep — car parks with their prices, the free and park-and-ride spots, the chargers and the pound.