We spent a lovely day Monday in Tavira, Portugal, a 25 minute (or so) train ride out of Olhaio along the Atlantic Coast towards Spain. Rick Steves described it as a “sleepy town,” but we were charmed and found it to be in the midst of some refurbishment/construction. We again were aided in our town walk about by the map left by our home owner along with Rick Steves 2 page write up.
After walking into town from the train station, an easy 5-10 minute walk, we started our tour of Tavira at the castle. The base of the castle walls are supposedly Neolithic (ending about 4,500 – 2,000 BC!) with Phoenicians, Moors, and Portugese adding their own layers as time progressed. What remains of the castle are portions of the wall that enclose a lovely garden. From the top of the walls, you can also get great views of the town.
After the Castle, we walked to the nearby old water tower to view the camera obscura. This was an impressive presentation using a mirror and 2 lenses to show you a real-time view of the city. We liked the thought that by walking around town, we might be part of the next show. We were also I,pressed with our young presenter’s ability to talk through what we were seeing in three different languages — English, French, and German for our group.
Other town sites that we enjoyed were the Church of Santa Maria and its bell tower, the former convent which is now a pousada (government-run inn), the Church of the Misercordia, and the bridges and promenades along the Rio Gilao.
The other activity we really enjoyed was walking out along the river to the marina. It appears to be a newly developed area, and we had a lovely picnic lunch overlooking the water.
Peckish Travels 