More details than you can shake a stick at
Handy regional guide
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Faro Airport
Faro Airport is fairly big, but is only really busy in the summer when all the charter flights are running. Out of season it can be pretty empty. There are plenty of facilities though, and the majority of these are open all year round. All-in-all this is a perfectly pleasant small airport.
Sleeping there
Technically Faro airport closes at night. Most people seem to have no problems getting in there to sleep however, as long as they have a ticket for a flight departing the next day (don't forget to print your confirmation out if you are catching a budget flight).
Getting there on foot
The airport is only about 4 miles (6km) walk from the centre of Faro, which makes it quite a realistic walk if the only other option is a taxi. If you follow the road signs to Faro, the walk is along the side of a fast-moving dual carriageway, and there is no clear pavement for most of the distance. If you have time, you should be able to cut through the suburb of Montenegro for most of the distance however. This should be a shorter walk and is along more reasonable road, but may involve guessing the route.
Getting there by public transport
Faro airport may be close to the city centre, but that doesn't mean that there is an effective bus service there. Municipal buses 14 and 16 run there on the way to the beach, but the combined service averages hourly, with breaks of up to 90 minutes. They can both be caught from the bus shelter opposite the bus station in central Faro, which should also have current timetables posted. This bus does not run at night.
In season, a minibus service is rumoured to run on a regular basis, taking anybody with a ticket to the airport for free. Any details of this would be greatly appreciated.
Shops and cafes
Before security there is the usual selection of ticket sales booths, car hire outlets and cafes. Currency exchanges and cash machines are also available. The prices at most of the cafes are quite outrageous - about twice what you would pay for coffee in the town. The cafe on the balcony above the arrivals hall was an exception to this however, with prices around a third less than other outlets. There is a regional tourist information booth as well, although they didn't have any information or maps about Faro itself, and didn't seem particularly keen to help.
After security there are various duty-free shops, including one specializing in port and other Portuguese wines. There are also a number of cafes, all of which were as expensive as the ones before security. Internet access is available.