The little town of Tavira (altitude: sea level), straddling the mouth of the Rio Gilao, or Rio Séqua, in the "sandy Algarve" part of the Algarve, has a Moorish look about it. Compared with other places on the Algarve it still has a certain restfulness, with tourism kept within reasonable bounds. Tavira is the center of the Algarve's tunafisheries, and has extensive saltpans in the river estuary.
Townscape
Tavira is one of the prettiest little towns in the Algarve. As it had to be rebuilt following the 1755 earthquake few of the buildings are more than 250 years old. Nevertheless it still presents a very harmonious picture; typical are the many old hiproofed houses, a feature which has also been introduced into the more modern buildings.
The Ilha de Tavira lies offshore from Tavira and can be reached by boat from the town, the ferry landing stage being at the end of the road which runs along the right bank of the Rio Gilao behind the covered market. There is also a pedestrian bridge to the island further west near Santa Lucia. The Ilha de Tavira has a beach several miles long and flat dunes.
Branching off the Rua da Liberdade, the narrow Rua da Galeria leads to the Igreja da Misericórdia. In spite of the rebuilding done after the 1755 earthquake the church, originally built in 1541, is one of the best examples of Renaissance religious architecture in the Algarve. The azulejos in the interior date from the 18th C.
The Igreja do Carmo, lying on the north side of the river in the north of the town, dates from the 18th C. and boasts splendid choirstalls and fine talha dourada decoration.
Address: Igreja da Carmo, Largo do Carmo 8800-311 Tavira, , Portugal
In recent years several bridges have been built across the Rio Gilao, and this has changed the character of the town center. Previously, for hundreds of years, the only bridge was the seven arched one north of the Praça da República; it was of Roman origin and over it passed the Roman road which linked Faro with Mértola. The present bridge is a 17th C. reconstruction. In the winter of 1989/90 it was badly damaged by floods and had to be blocked off. Since then it has been open to pedestrian traffic only.
The center of Tavira is the Praça da República, on the right bank of the river. To the east it is bordered by the municipal park and at its southeast end stands the town's covered market, with street cafes nearby.
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