The wedge-shaped garden that separates the marina from the old town walls is Faro's social heart. Palms, jacarandas, banyan trees and bougainvillea give shade in summer; the bandstand in the middle hosts concerts on warm evenings.
This is where you board the ferries for the islands of the Ria Formosa, where teenagers hang out after school, and where you'll find the best people-watching cafés. The Carlos Porfírio mural — a giant tile depiction of a sardine festival — sits at the entrance on Praça Dom Francisco Gomes.