As I left the airport in Faro in the Algarve, most of the other holidaymakers were heading off to the lush green golf courses, timeshare apartments and hotels situated along the coastline, without giving the city a second glance. I, on the other hand, decided to stay in Faro for a day or two and see what it had to offer.

I began my stay by exploring the old city. The capital is divided into the old part with its long history and the modern town with its fashionable shops and restaurants.

The old city

As I wandered around Faro, I had a great sense of being watched - not by CCTV cameras but by storks. The huge birds have made this region their home and built nests in chimneys, lamp posts and church spiers. Often you see them nestling in twos looking down on hustle and bustle on the streets below.

Most of the historical buildings of Faro are in the old city, known as Vila Adentro, which I entered through one of the archways. Although the old city walls date back to the 9th Century, the great earthquake in 1755 destroyed most of the town, so the buildings inside the old city walls are mainly18th and 19th Century. It is pleasant just to stroll along the cobbled streets taking in the architecture and the history of the place – which is peppered with stories of the Moors, Byzantines, Muslim occupation and a Jewish quarter.

One unique architectual feature is the terraced buildings with scissor roofs, most notable on the Episcopal Palace. Instead of having one long roof across the building, each individual house has its own roof, apparently it was a way to keep the rooms cooler in the hot summers.

Other interesting architecture can be seen at the Convent of Nossa Senhora da Assuncao with its cloister built in the proto-Renaissance style. In the 16th Century, 30 nuns lived a life of devout poverty having been sent there by rich families, now it is the Municipal Museum and houses artefacts and old paintings by Portuguese, Italian and Spanish painters dating back to the 17th and 18th Centuries.

Towards the end of the day, I headed off to the Igreja da Se cathedral and climbed the steps to the top of the bell tower where I was rewarded with a view of a stunning sunset over the wetlands and sea.

The nature reservation

The next day, I made my way down to the harbour, just outside the old city walls, and took a guided boat trip around the Ria Formosa Natural Parque - a nature reservation.

It is best to go at low tide when you catch glimpses of fishermen digging for clams on the sandbeds, fishing, or checking the catch in large oyster baskets. The whole area is very eco-minded - even the boat runs entirely on solar energy. This part of Faro became a conservation area in 1987 and is now home to a number of birds including cattle egret, herch, black winged stilt, pled avocet, plover, curlew, wood sandpiper and flamingos. There are 60 kilometers of water channels in the nature park and getting to know your way around the marshland, mud banks, sand banks and salt pans takes years, so it is best to allow a local boatman to navigate the route as you could easily get stuck on the sandy banks.

We slowly meandered around the water channels catching glimpses of the birds feeding and flying over the marshy waters. And if you have come without binoculars (which is more than likely) – don’t worry, the boatman has a few pairs on board so you can really get into the spirit of being a twitcher and see nature up close.

I looked back from where we had come and had a full view of Faro and saw how it had haphazardly developed over the centuries with its white tall modern buildings dwarfing the old city walls, and the railway track precariously hugging the shoreline with trains taking passengers to other parts of Portugal.

Although the waterway is one of the most productive ecosystems in the world, it is also home to Faro International Airport. The reason for this incongruous town planning is simple, the airport was built first in 1965, 22 years before the place became a conservation area. So now the sight of the planes landing and taking off is just as frequent as seeing the flock of birds swooping into feed. Surprisingly the bird and planes live in harmony together.

After a while, we came to Faro Island, a peninsular that stretches out into the Atlantic Ocean where many of the fishermen live. Here, it is best to ask your boatman to let you off so that you can head off to the white sands that stretch for miles. In summer, people who live in the city come here sunbathe and swim, but it is also a great place to go for a walk along the beach at any time of year.

I made my way back to town by a number of wooden walkways which passed by the fishermen's single story white clad homes with corrugated roofs and low rickety wooden fences, and came to a cafe where the local fishermen were relaxing after a morning’s work playing pool and drinking gallo - a milky coffee served in a glass.

Just further up the road but a million miles away from the life of the fishermen is Sui Generis. A modern chic restaurant with ceiling to floor glass windows looking out onto the sea. It must rate as one of the best view for a restaurant and it most certainly has the best octopus salad I have ever tasted.

Eating

There are no shortage of good restaurants in and around Faro, and as I love fish, I was in my gastro paradise. My favourites incluced: Faro & Benefica a traditional restaurant which serves a delicious Portugeuse fish stew.

Just outside Faro is D Barca in Portimao, this is a no frills restaurant where you sit at a long table, and enjoy fish that was just caught that day. For a trendy eaterie, I headed off to Paixa which is situated in the celebrity area where Madonna, the Beckhams and Rinaldo have their homes, and is famed for its tapas.

Faro has a good shopping area with well-know chairs including Mango and Zara as well as chic little boutiques and the women of Faro are very stylish. There is also a large shopping complex just a 15 minute walk from the main city – so shopaholics can be sure to get their fix too.

Hotel

I stayed at the Hotel Faro in the centre of the city – a modern four star hotel. Surprisingly there aren’t any big luxury five star hotels in Faro, even though it is the capital of the Algarve. This hotel, however, gives you good basic accommodation, and its best feature is its roof top restaurant which has views overlooking the harbour, and serves an excellent breakfast and lunch.

Futher afield

While you are staying in Faro, you can also visit Lagos, a small town which has a large bustling food market, winding lanes with shops and cafes. Or you can visit Pont de Pieade by foot or on land where there is an impressive rock formation going into the sea.

Fact Box

I flew with Aer Lingus from Gatwick. Aer Lingus fly daily from London Gatwick to Faro with fraes from £29.99 one-way including taxes and charges. Visit aerlingus.com for more information. www.aerlingus.com

Due to an early flight I stayed at the Hilton London Gatwick in an executive room which offered an executive lounge with complimentary pre dinner drinks and canapés and continental breakfast, newspaper and broadband internet. Room rates £109. Contact. www.hilton.co.uk/gatwick

In Faro I stay at Hotel Faro www.hotelfaro.pt