Passing through the eastern part of the Algarve, just twenty kilometres from the Spanish border, I recommend a visit to Tavira town centre.
Among the must-sees in this city nicknamed "the city of a thousand and one churches" (37 churches in fact), you can :
🔹 walk around the old town, in the old Arab quarter, with its white houses and steep streets,
🔹 cross the old Roman bridge (a monument of public interest that was once part of the city's defensive system) and the Rio Gilão to reach the left bank, where you'll find plenty of restaurants and a great view of the old quarter,
🔹 visit the churches (entrance fee required): the 16th-century Igreja da Misericórdia, considered to be the most beautiful Renaissance church in the Algarve, the Igreja de São Paulo and its 7 chapels decorated with 18th-century Baroque woodwork, the Igreja do Carmo and its gilded wooden altarpiece,
🔹take a quiet break in the garden of the ancient castle built by the Moors, and enjoy a fine panoramic view of the lagoon and the city from the walls of the fortress, now in ruins. The Muslims began building the castle in the 10th and 11th centuries; in the late Middle Ages, the walls surrounded an area of almost 5 hectares, indicating the importance of the town,
🔹 discover local crafts in the small Casa de Artesanato shop at Calçada da Galeria 11,
🔹stroll the aisles of the large covered municipal market and be seduced by the beautiful seasonal fruit and vegetables, the superb catch of the day and the other specialities (salt with oregano, dried tuna, local honey, wickerwork...),
🔹 get your head in the stars with a visit to the Tavira Astronomical Observatory,
🔹 reach the Quatro Águas pier on the Ilha de Tavira by boat (June to September) from the Praça da República (beach restaurants and campsites on the island).
N.B.: In Tavira, you can park on the right side of the river: pay parking near the Praça da República, free parking in front of the municipal market.
Around 20 minutes from Tavira, don't miss a trip to Cabanas de Tavira, a charming little seaside village.
There's no shortage of restaurants on site, but for traditional local cuisine, you're sure to love Pedro's (Rua Cap. Baptista Marçal 51).
If you fancy a walk of several kilometres along the beach, lazing on the sand and/or a refreshing dip in the ocean, all you have to do is cross the estuary by taking one of the small boats opposite the restaurant. The crossing takes 5 minutes.