Tavira is a coastal city in the eastern Algarve, with 27 523 inhabitants across 607 km², built on both banks of the Rio Gilão, which flows through the town into the Ria Formosa.
The number of its churches has earned Tavira the name "City of Churches". Phoenicians, Romans and Arabs also left their mark, and fishing still shapes local life.
Beaches and islands in Tavira
Ilha de Tavira: barrier island reached by ferry from the Quatro Águas quay, stretching west towards Fuseta, with the Ilha de Tavira beach.
Praia do Barril: beach in the parish of Santa Luzia, where a former tuna-fishing community left a field of anchors in the dunes.
Praia do Homem Nu: secluded naturist beach west of Barril.
Monuments in Tavira
Castelo de Tavira: castle of Islamic origin, rebuilt after the Christian conquest in the 13th century, with views over the city and the sea.
Igreja de Santa Maria do Castelo: 13th-century church with Gothic elements, a clock tower, azulejos, carved woodwork and the tomb of seven knights of the Order of Santiago.
Igreja da Misericórdia: 16th-century church, one of the main Renaissance churches of the Algarve.
Igreja e Convento de Nossa Senhora do Carmo: 18th-century church and convent with Baroque, Joanine and Rococo work, a painted ceiling, an organ and a sacred treasury.
Igreja do Antigo Convento de Santo António dos Capuchos: church decorated with azulejos and gilded woodwork.
Ponte Antiga de Tavira: bridge known as the Roman bridge, rebuilt several times, linking the two banks of the Gilão in the historic centre.
Ponte Ferroviária de Santa Maria: railway bridge carrying the Algarve line over the river, called the Séqua upstream and the Gilão in the town.
Museums and culture in Tavira
Núcleo Museológico Fenício: Phoenician wall from the 8th century BC.
Núcleo Museológico do Arraial Ferreira Neto: history of tuna fishing in the region, inside the Vila Galé Albacora hotel.
Markets in Tavira
Mercado Municipal de Tavira: market on the western bank, near the Ponte dos Descobrimentos, on the road to the Quatro Águas quay.
Nature in Tavira
Salinas de Tavira: salt pans with a cycle path and trails, where resident and migratory birds, including flamingos, can be seen.
Moinho dos Ilhéus: former tidal mill near the mouth of the ria, now an oyster farm.
Mata da Conceição: forest in the Perímetro Florestal da Conceição de Tavira, with a picnic area and birdlife.
Cascata do Pego do Inferno: waterfall over a pool among trees, in the parish of Santo Estêvão.
Golf in Tavira
Benamor Golf: course between the sea and the hills, near Cabanas de Tavira.
Cabanas de Tavira (1 322 inhabitants · 7 km²): coastal village with beaches and forts on the Ria Formosa.
Santa Catarina da Fonte do Bispo (1 873 inhabitants · 118 km²) and Cachopo (471 inhabitants · 204 km²): inland parishes reaching into the Serra do Caldeirão.
East of Tavira, Cacela Velha belongs to the neighbouring municipality of Vila Real de Santo António.
