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Most of the summer visitors who arrive at Faro simply
turn left out of the airport and head straight for the coast with little regard
for the pastoral landscape which lies a short distance inland. More discerning
travellers can turn their backs on the crowds and discover whitewashed backwaters
where the greatest excitement is the weekly market and where the greatest pleasure
comes from an enjoyment of the simple things in life. Tavira is an enigma, for
nothing fully explains how this little town has kept its back firmly turned against
the tide of modern development. With a pleasing mixture of architectural styles
from every century and an enviable proximity to mile after mile of sand dunes
washed by the warmest waters in Portugal, Tavira is rightly regarded as one of
the loveliest towns in Portugal. |
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| The heart of Tavira is the seven-arched Roman bridge
which links the centre with the equally old and fascinating ‘beyond the
bridge’. Both river banks offer a good range of eating places; from basic
working-men’s bistros where you eat as much fresh grilled fish as you like
until the morning catch runs out, to sophisticated rooftop restaurants where you
can watch the moon rise over the delightfully jumbled skyline created by Tavira’s
21 churches. Until the tuna shoals shifted their feeding grounds, Tavira was one
of Portugal’s main fishing ports and fresh tuna steaks, cooked in local
fashion with lashings of butter and onions are still a mainstay of local menus. |
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In high summer boats leave Tavira’s riverside
quay for the nearest beach, ‘Ilha de Tavira’, which is blessed with
white sand and blue-green water. Out of season there are regular small ferries
from Quatro Aguas, a short bus or car hop from town and west of Tavira, a tiny
train chugs across the lagoon at Pedras del Rei. |
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| For sun-worshippers, there are many other options
for reaching the sand and sea and happily the dazzling diversity of birds and
flowers in this magnificent natural haven are now completely protected by the
Ria Formosa Reserve. If ever the lure of the ocean palls you will find that the
wooded hills of the Serra de Alcaria do Cuma behind Tavira and picturesque villages
such as Cachopo offer beautiful and unspoilt terrain for exploring. A day’s
foray across the Spanish border will even bring you to Seville, a wonderful way
to round off a holiday in Tavira, one of Europe’s best kept secrets.
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