Are you planning a trip to the Algarve? Don’t miss out Tavira which is one of the region’s most charming and historic towns. In this guide, we’ll show you the best things to do in Tavira: from walking across the Roman Bridge and visiting the castle, to tasting fresh olives and seafood in Santa Luzia. This Tavira guide is made for your next trip to the Algarve.
Things to do in Tavira: Roman Bridge & Mercado de Tavira
One of the first things to do in Tavira, is to let yourself be guided by the small streets. You can’t do anything wrong with that, especially when it’s your first visit in Tavira. After a while, you will most probably end up at the Roman Bridge (Ponte Romana de Tavira), where you can enjoy a nice view over the Gilão river. In the Middle Ages, this bridge was an important element as it was a defence point for the town.
When you cross the bridge over the River Gilão, you will arrive at the other side of the town. Here, you can find the castle of Tavira as well as the famous Mercado de Tavira. Due to the fact that the Mercado de Tavira usually closes at 13:00h, it’s always a good idea to visit the market before it closes. At the market, you can discover great regional food and everything the Algarve has to offer.
Tavira old town: Castle, local shops & where to eat
After strolling through the market, we would recommend you to visit the Castelo de Tavira. The entry is free and you will have some beautiful views over the river and the Ponte Romana. Besides that, there are also some nice spots from which you have a great view to the Torre do Relógio. Don’t forget that there is even a small garden within the walls of the castle. Especially during summer, flowers are blooming and create a colourful contrast to the stone walls of this old castle.
Apart from visiting the castle of Tavira, the old town offers a lot of small and local shops to discover. Here, you can find shops for jewellery, beautiful pottery, flavoured salts and many more. On top of that, it’s a great area to enjoy a lunch in one of the traditional Portuguese restaurants in Tavira. In our case, we decided for the restaurant Ponto de Encontro. Here, we chose the Bacalhau à bras (codfish) which was surprisingly good. It’s definitely our recommendation of where to eat in Tavira.
Best day trips from Tavira: Olive Factory & Santa Luzia
If you have a car with you or if you’re up for a 25-minutes walk, we have another secret tip to add to your list of things to do in Tavira. Just outside the town lies a popular olive factory called “Hélder Madeira”. Here, you can discover a fully operating olive production site and even book guided tours to see how the local products are made. You can reserve one of the authentic tours in advance using this link*. During your visit, you’ll gain insights into the traditional olive-making process and enjoy a tasting session.
As your day in Tavira slowly comes to an end, a short drive to Santa Luzia, the so called “Octopus Capital” of Portugal, promises a culinary experience to remember. Once in Santa Luzia, we highly recommend you to visit the restaurant Casa do Polvo Tasquinha.
With one of their delicious octopus dishes and a refreshing sea breeze, you can perfectly round off your day filled with unforgettable things to do in Tavira.
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