City Go

The church of Saint Paul (also known as the church of Nossa Senhora da Ajuda) was attached to the Convent of the Hermits of Saint Paul. With the end of the religious orders in Portugal, in 1834, the convent was sold and only the church kept its religious function. It was built in 1606 in the plain architecture style. Opening hours : Opens only for mass, Sunday 8.30 a.m.; Wednesday and Friday 7 p.m.

No one knows for sure who first built a castle in Tavira, but in 1292 king D. Dinis, acknowledging the strategic importance of Tavira in controlling piracy, ordered for the castle to be repaired and reinforced. Archaeological diggings show evidence of a Phoenician wall built in the 8th century BC. During the Roman period, Tavira became a passing point between Balsa and Baesuris (Castro Marim) when a bridge was built across the river, increasing its strategic importance. There's no evidence of a Roman fortress but, given its strategic importance, it is likely that there was some military defence.  The first reference to fortifications dates back to the 12th century when the Almohads were fighting the Almoravids (two Muslim factions). The castle was conquered by the Christian side in 1242. In the same year king D. Sancho II donated the lands to the Order of Santiago. The castle was badly damaged by the Great Earthquake of 1755. Opening hours : 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (7 ...

The church of Santa Maria do Castelo is a 13th-century building constructed on top of an old mosque. It was originally built in the gothic style but was heavily remodelled following the damage caused by the great earthquake of 1755. Within the church are the remains of seven knights of the Order of Santiago that helped to conquer the city, as well as the remains of the Master of the Order at the time, D. Paio Peres Correia. Opening hours: Mon. to Fri. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sat. 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Entrance fee: €1.5

The Coreto garden is the oldest public garden in Tavira. It was created in 1890 and the bandstand (coreto), built in iron, was ordered from Oporto .

The Alagoa garden was created in 1915 and includes plant species of five continents. In the garden, there's a statue of Bishop D. Marcelino Franco, bishop of the Algarve, born in Tavira; it was erected in 1971 to celebrate the centennial of his birth (1871-1955). 

Tavira's old market was inaugurated in 1887 and was used as a market until 1999. It was then restored and remodelled to house a set of traditional shops and restaurants and to be used as a cultural centre. Opening hours: 9 a.m. to 11 p.m.

The Roman bridge of Tavira, also known as the "old bridge" is either a 3rd-century Roman bridge restored in the Middle Ages or a bridge built on the site of a Roman bridge in the same period. For this reason, it is also sometimes called the "romanesque bridge". However, its current appearance results from renovations carried out in the 17th century. It was closed to traffic in 1989 when two pillars were destroyed during a flood and, although it was repaired by 1992, it remains a pedestrian bridge. How to go:   You can take bus  n. 67  from Faro to get to Tavira.

Pego do Inferno (Hell's Pit) is a small waterfall, of about 3 metres, 7 km from Tavira, in the Algarve. As the legend goes it's called Hell's Pit because a carriage fell into it and neither the carriage, the animals or its occupants were ever found. The divers weren't able to find the bottom of the pool and logically assumed it was a passage to the underworld and whoever fell in it would go straight to hell. I hope you're not too disappointed to know the pool is actually 7 metres deep and it's perfectly safe to swim in it. How to get there:  Only by car.