Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
time history. Even if you don't go into the museum itself, pop inside the door to see some
Phoenician ritual pots, visible through glass covers on the foyer floor.
Cost and Hours:
€2, Tue-Sat 10:00-12:30 & 15:00-18:30, off-season until 17:30,
some summer nights until 23:00 for special exhibits, closed Sun-Mon year-round, free
Tavira maps.
• Climb left to the big Church of Santa Maria (which we'll return to in a minute). On your
left is a hunk of castle with a door leading to the...
Castle Garden
The base of the castle wall is supposedly Neolithic, while later inhabitants—the Phoeni-
cians in the eighth century
B.C.
, the Moors in the eighth century
A.D.
, and the Portuguese
in the 13th century—added their own layers to the structure. The castle grounds are now
a fragrant garden, offering a fine city view. Overlooking the city, notice Tavira's unique
“treasury” rooftops—a little roof for each room of a building, likely inspired by visions
brought home from Asia by local explorers. Gaze to the right and see tower-wall remnants
sprouting up between houses.
CostandHours:
Free, Mon-Fri 8:00-17:00, Sat-Sun 10:00-17:00, daily until 19:00 in
July-Sept.
• Return to the...
Church of Santa Maria
Once a mosque, this church was transformed in the 13th century. It may be closed for
repairs when you visit. If it's open, go inside and check out the second chapel on the
left—the only part of the church that survived the 1755 earthquake. The third chapel has
fine pink columns. The “marble” is actually painted wood, since there was no marble in
the Algarve and no money to import it.
There's a small charge to enter the church's museum (crude but beautiful art in three
rooms) and bell tower (peer past the bells to enjoy a commanding city view, with surviv-
ing bits of town wall and coastline nearby). Japanese-inspired paintings show Portuguese
sailors braving the stormy seas off Tavira (WC at base of bell tower).
• Facing the rear of the church, turn right. Just around the corner is the...
Torre de Tavira and Câmara Obscura (Tavira Tower and Dark
Room)
This 1931 water tower has been converted into a viewpoint, with a dark room designed to
act like an early optical device called a camera obscura. Clive, the British owner, gives a
15-minute, 360-degree view of Tavira in real time as he describes the town's history.
