Tavira Island (Portuguese: Ilha de Tavira) is found South of the city and can only be reached by boat, which departs from the city center and from Quatro-Aguas. The Island is 11Km long and varies between 1Km and 150m width. It’s considered to be one of the best beaches in the Algarve Region, and it includes areas where naturism can be practised without problems. The Island belongs to the Ria Formosa Natural Reserve, which is popular it’s birds and flamingos, a delight for bird lovers.

To the East of Praia do Barril, Tavira Island narrows, resulting in a strip of sand with around 50 metres wide, the so-called Praia da Terra Estreita (the Narrow Land Beach).This beach is also known as Praia de Santa Luzia, as it is from this picturesque fishing village from where the boats set off to cross to the island.

To the East side of Tavira Island, you will find the Island and Cabanas beaches, a narrow but long strip of land before the last bar across the river estuary to the East. The beach of Cabanas is situated in front of the village, whose origin goes back to the old days of tuna fishing in this area, and which even today remains a picturesque fishing village. From the waterfront at Cabanas, fishing boats can be seen anchored in the Ria Formosa.

Barril beach (Barrel) is one of the beaches in Tavira Island to the West of Santa Luzia, near the touristic Villas and Guest Houses of Pedras d’El-Rei and within a few kilometres from Tavira.

The beach is located at the easternmost end of Cabanas Island, close to Cacela Harbour and you can get to it by boat departing from a place called “Sítio da Fábrica” (“the site of the factory”) in Cacela Velha. This historical town, where you can admire the bright white houses with their traditional cobalt blue decoration, is surrounded by dry orchards on gentle hills all the way down to the estuary.

Separating the Atlantic Ocean from the Ria Formosa estuary and part of the area protected by Natural Park status, the Ilha da Fuzeta islands is located in front of the similarly named settlement with access gained only by boat from either Fuzeta or Olhão. 

Benamor Golf was the golf pioneer in Eastern Algarve, a region where there are currently seven fields. Located in Tavira, this course opened in the Spring of 2000, but its conception began much earlier. In 1986 the project began to take shape when the Martins Dias family — owners of Quinta de Benamor — invited the legendary Sir Henry Cotton to design a 18 holes course.

Located on a cliff that overlooks a beautiful sea inlet connected to the Ria Formosa, overlooking the ocean, Quinta da Ria Golf Course was designed by Rocky Roquemore and was inaugurated in 2002. It is inserted in the Ria Formosa Natural Park, in the Eastern Algarve, near Vila Nova de Cacela.

The field of Quinta de Cima, in Vila Nova de Cacela may not be as dazzling as his brother Quinta da Ria, but collects the championship course status, often getting amateur tournaments of high competition and professional tournaments such as the Ladies Open of Portugal in 2008. It was designed by Rocky Roquemore and opened in 2002.

The city has a public transportation system in place called Sobe e Desce. It's composed by 2 traffic routes, the Red Route and the Blue Route. There are railway station, bus station and Taxis.

You can visit Tavira Island by Aqua Taxi or Ferry Boat, the ferry boat leaves from two different locations, from Tavira Center (Largo José Pires Padinha 172, 8800-346 Tavira) or Quatro Àguas Dock.

A list of resources, including useful public service phone numbers and service pharmacies.

Looking for a map of Tavira and surroundings? Find the places you want to visit with the help of these maps of Tavira. Prepare a route, a sightseeing or locate a tourist hotspot in Tavira.

Airport Transfers are a good choice if you don't want to deal with buses and train schedules, and you just want to get there fast, you have the option of transfers on minivans from the airport

Tavira is a place that is rich in gastronomic tradition. You will be spoilt for choice when it comes to choosing a place for a day time snack, lunch or evening meal. Whichever restaurant is chosen, the visitor will be assured of a splendid meal.

See the best bars in Tavira

Moinhos da Rocha, also known as Pego do Inferno, is a small lagoon with a green-Mediterranean water located around 10Km from Tavira in the Algarve. A high waterfall where water flowing makes the environment even more bucolic. Legend has it that Pego do Inferno is connected to the Gilão River and the River Guadiana with tunnels.

Ria Formosa is a Natural Park that runs from Faro to near Castro Marim, it's one of Nature's untouched paradises and the ideal place if you want to have a nice and relaxed moment.

In the Algarve region, and to the South of the Tagus river, Tavira is certainly the city with most churches. The impressive number of temples and religious institutions that passed through the city is one of the identity features of Tavira.

The origin of Tavira goes back to 2000 B.C., during the occupation of the Algarve by the Moors. Tavira was of great importance then because of its fishing and fish salting industry. The Castle of Tavira (locally known as Castelo de Tavira) lies in the town historic centre. It’s unknown when the first castle at this site was built. Sources say in the VIII century B.C., a fortress was already being rebuilt by the Phoenicians in that place. The actual castle however probably dates back to the XII century.

Although the bridge itself is not Roman neither has a Roman origin. It was built when Tavira belonged to al-Andalus (the Islamic Domain of Iberia), most probably in the 2nd half of the 12th century. Then, for a few decades Tavira was an independent commune, before being submitted to the Almohade Empire.

Salt pans are a common sight in this region, since Tavira is so intertwined with the history of salt. The ancient technology adapted to the landscape of the Ria Formosa turns the salt pans into outdoors chemistry labs. These are an important and humanized environment for several species of birds and microscopic beings. For all these reasons we challenge you to integrate this visit. We guarantee you that you will not look at a crystal of salt the same way.

Biking can be one of the best and most relaxed ways to visit the city. Most of the bike tours in Tavira are guided and offer a wide choice of different tracks and paths to suit everyone's taste. The pace is usually suitable for most adults, and you don't need to be a professional cyclist to keep up with the group.

Tavira boat tours might be one of the most enjoyable and fun experiences one can have while exploring the coastal and beach areas of Tavira, except if you get boat-sick of course, in that case it might not be that much fun!

Some of the best places for snorkeling and scuba diving in Tavira are located just in front of the coast line. The dive sites around this region are characterised by its sandy bottom and the water temperature varies between 15 and 24 degrees Celsius. Dives take place in rock formations, wrecks or artificial reefs extending from Fuzeta to Vila Real de Santo António.The water visibility is usually good and the average visibility is within 7-8 meters, often reaching more than 10 meters.