Everything Bagel

Tavira

Tavira is a beautiful quaint town in East Algarve. Here is a collage of some of my happy places. For a brief look at Tavira history, read The Style of Tavira. Almost every Saturday, we head to the Mercado to buy our produce (see Market Day).

Before we dive into the numerous churches, there are some good museums in town. The two that stand out are Núcleo Islâmico and Palácio da Galeria. See the Chuva e Museus blog post to learn about these.

There are so many churches and chapels in town, and I have visited 15 of them. Some are open to the public and some aren’t.

Here is a summary but be sure to see these blog posts for more details: Church Starter Pack and No Church For You.

• Open to the Public: Igreja Matriz de Santiago, Igreja de Misericórdia, Igreja de São José, Igreja de São Paulo, Igreja de Nossa Senhora das Ondas, Ermida de São Sebastião, Igreja de Nossa Senhora do Carmo (was open to public on Good Friday),

• Not Open to the Public: Igreja de San Francisco, Igreja do Convento de Santo António, Ermida de Santa Ana, Ermida de São Brás, Ermida de São Roque, Capela de Nossa Senhora so Livramento, Capela de Nossa Senhora da Piedade, Capela de Nossa Senhora da Consolação

Here and There

We have been exploring throughout the Algarve by car, foot, and bike. Here are the highlights.

• Estoi – Milreu Roman Ruins. Small village with roman ruins and a Palacio to visit. See the A Whole New World blog post.

• Percurso dos Sete Vales Suspensos (7 hanging valleys). This is a famous hike/walk where you have absolutely stunning views. We also went to the town of Carvoeiro and I recommend going back to explore the Algar Seco. I wrote about this near the end of the Easter in the Algarve blog post and the Cinco Meses blog post.

• Pego do Inferno. A 10km bike ride from Tavira gets you to a beautiful waterfall. See the Pego do Inferno blog post.

Where are the swings? Funny you ask, we happened upon two swings so far, and we know of one near the 7 Hanging Valleys trail.

• Alcaria do Cume is the highest point in the municipality of Tavira. It is a nice drive and gives you a great view. Nearby on the way down the hill, there is a swing. I wrote about this in the Easter in the Algarve blog post.

• Cerro do São Miguel is ridge of hills off the A22 near Olhão. It has a swing at the top and views of the Atlantic ocean. Scroll way down in the Detour Ahead blog post.

Algarve Towns

There are so many great towns in the Algarve, and I’ll list the ones we have visited. How about if I do it alphabetically?

• Albufeira is a beachfront town in Western Algarve. It is cute but it looks like it is gearing up for a busy tourist season. See Detour Ahead blog post.
• Monte Gordo is a beachfront town in East Algarve. It has a spacious beach that has a boardwalk and lots of restaurants — many with rooftop seating. See the A Whole New World blog post.
• Cacela Velha is a small little village just east of Tavira. This is a beautiful location and an easy bike ride from Tavira. A couple times of year they have a market with artisan foods and crafts. I wrote about this town in the Caminho dos Pombais blog post.
• Porches – Capela da Nossa Senhora da Rocha. This picturesque West Algarvan town has an old church overlooking the sea. It also has a lot of ceramic / pottery places. I wrote about it in the Cinco Meses blog post.
• Santa Luzia is a fishing village next to Tavira. I wrote about this town in the Caminho dos Pombais blog post.
• Vila Real de Santo António. You can’t get more Eastern Algarve than this town often known as VRSA for short. We visited a few times, see Semana Dois, Third Week, and Seasonal Traditions.

Algarve Castles

Every town seems to have a castle. Here are some favorites.

• Castro Marim. This is worth a visit, and in August they have a Medieval festival. We visited in March. I wrote about this in the A Whole New World blog post.

• Castelo de Paderne is one of the castles depicted on the Portuguese flag. You can drive a dirt road to visit the ruins. See Detour Ahead blog post.

• Silves was the capital of the present-day Algarve. Must see the castle here. I wrote about this in the But First, Storks blog post.

Of course, I can’t leave out Tavira Castle — read more here: O Castelo de Tavira.

Winter Events

Seasonal Traditions – Presépios (Nativity Scenes) and Holiday lights are everywhere. Check out Seasonal Traditions and my Third Week post. Here is a list of things to check out in December:

• Presépios – Tavira has a great Presépio at the Bomberios (fire department). There is a smaller one in little chapels around the town. Not too far from Tavira, in the town of Vila Real de Santo Antonio, is a Presépio that is simply superb. Must see.
• Holiday lights – visit towns in the evenings to see their holiday light display.
• Musical events – the old Mercado and the churches hold concerts practically every week.
• Santa’s arrival – this occurs in multiple towns, and in Tavira it includes a cheerful parade.

Any sports going on in Winter? As a matter of fact…

• Car Rally. In November 2024, Tavira hosted a car rally. This happened on our second week in town, so don’t know much about the event. See Semana Dois.
• Tour of the Algarve. In 2025, this ran from Feb 19-23 and stage 3 ended in Tavira. I wrote about this in the Caminho dos Pombais blog post.

Spring Events

Sure it might still technicall be winter but it feels like Spring. In Feburary or Marc h look for Carnaval parades throughout the Algarve. We saw them in Tavira, Loulé and Moncarapacho. Read about it in the O Carnaval em Algarve and the Pego do Inferno blog posts.

There are many events related to Easter, Lent, and Holy week.

• Procissão Do Triunfo occurs on Palm Sunday in Tavira.
• Procissão da Enterro do Senhor happens on Good Friday in Tavira.
• Flower Torch Festival happens in São Brás de Alportel on Easter Day.
• Mãe Soberana Festival in Loulé takes place 15 days after Easter.

The Algarve Bike Challenge. Look for this event in early spring. In 2025. it was scheduled for March but was rescheduled to April due to rain.

Early April – Festival Do Contrabando (Smuggling Festival). During this event, you can walk across a floating bridge to Spain and back. See the But First, Storks blog post.

April 25 is commemorated annually. May 1st is Dia do Trabalhador (Labor Day) and when Maios appear around town. See Detour Ahead blog post.