Tavira is a gorgeous Algarvian town located in the warmest and sunniest corner of Portugal. Tavira has it all – a charming old town, a medieval castle, authentic restaurants, river-side bars, an 11km island with white sand beach and a beautiful natural park.
WHERE IS TAVIRA
Tavira is located in east Algarve on Portugal’s south coast. Just a 30 minute drive from Faro and close to the Spanish border (just two hours from Seville). It is an alternative to the usually more popular Lagos.
WHERE TO STAY IN TAVIRA
There is no shortage of accommodation options in and out of Tavira but during my search I did find it difficult to find good quality rooms. When I finally found Formosa Guest House I was able to celebrate. The photos looks great online but it is even more wonderful in real life. The guest house is right on the Praça da República in the old town and offers bright, well- styled rooms with balconies and a spectacular view over the river. My stay here turned out to be one of my favourites in Portugal to date.
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Where to eat + drink in Tavira
Tavira is one of my favourite towns for cafe and bar hopping. There are so many great spots along the river to pull up a chair and bask in the east Algarve sunshine.
- Borda D’Agua Gastrobar Possibly one of the best riverside bar/restaurants. Busy but great atmosphere. consistently great reviews.
- Terraze Cute restaurant right next to the river with sun-kissed patio. Great prices.
- Avant-Garde Bistro Another riverside spot, eat on the pavement, with the best view of Tavira or inside their beautifully decorated restaurant.
- Tasca do Zé André – The cheapest and best Aperol spritz in town plus inexpensive tapas. Tucked away.
- Delizia da Ponte – Excellent ice-cream. Need I say more?
- The Table speciality coffee + co-work space
- Taberna Amaro (Santa Luzia – 9 mins drive from Tavira) The place to eat octopus in this small seaside town close to Praia do Barril.
As always my favourite thing to do while visiting a new place is wandering the backstreets with no plan and seeing what I can find. I recommend doing just that in Tavira; set off on a self-guided tour and breathe in the sights and sounds of the town. While you here there are a few experiences you shouldn’t miss.
Best Experiences in and around Tavira
Whether you are staying for a few days or a few weeks you will find plenty to do to keep you mesmerised with this Algarvian town.
- Escape the crowds on Ilha da Tavira. Pulling into Ilha de Tavira can be a little overwhelming in summer due to the crowds flocking off the beach. Luckily the Tavira island is 11km long so there is plenty of space for everyone. Take off behind the sand dunes and walk 10 minutes along the back of the beach to find your own private stretch of sand for the day.
- Boat trip to the Ria Formosa Natural Park Tske one of the mnay noat tours available to see the natural beauty of the nature reserve and barier islands
- Take the beach train to Praia do Barril and eat Polvo at Santa Luzia. The small seaside town of Santa Luzia is less than 10 minutes by car from Tavira and home to the best Polvo (Octopus) in Algarve. It’s also the town the connects the mainland to the barrier island of Barril. You can take the fun seaside train from Santa Luzia to right to the impossibly white-sanded beach year round.
- Cafe hop around town and make your own tapas tour Tavira has some great hidden tapas bars to be found. Take yourself on a wander around the cobbled streets in search of cheap and tasty tapas.
- Enjoy the beauty of Tavira from the Roman Bridge.
- Spend sunset at Praça da República. Tavira’s main square is a pleasure at all times of day but grab a seat for an hour or so before sunset, order a drink of something delicious and soak up the buzz.
- Take a train to Fuseta. If you’re in Tavira for a while you may consider jumping on the train to visit one of the other towns along the east Algarve coast. Fuseta (also known as Fuzeta) is a small fishing town with some great restaurants- highly recommend as an afternoon trip from Tavira.
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Money in Europe
The majority of hotels, shops and restaurants in the bigger cities accept card but some smaller places only accept cash or non-foreign cards. Always carry some cash with you. ATM’s are easy to find all over the town. Unless you already have a Euro currency bank account I highly recommend getting a Wise Card. This will allow you to hold and exchange multiple currencies at the best possible rate. There is no charge for withdrawing or using your card to pay. I’ve been living in Portugal since 2016 and I use Wise as my primary bank card here despite also having a Portuguese bank account. I’ve also used Wise to pay and withdraw money in Spain and Italy.
Top tip: Avoid Multi Currency machines such as ‘Euronet’ (usually set up outside souvenir shops etc) as they charge you 3 or 4 euro to withdraw. Look for ‘Multibanco’ machines to withdraw money. More info here…
Tavira is one of my favourite towns in the Algarve and I’m looking forward to spending some more time getting to know it. Hopefully this mini travel guide to Tavira can help you plan your next trip.
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