THE ALGARVE - Portugal - page 184

Cost and Hours: €3.50, daily May-Sept 10:00-18:00, Oct-April 10:00-17:00, shorter
hours and closed weekends in winter, elevator, tel. [phone], www.cdepa.pt .
• Return to the church. From its front door, walk straight down through a small garden
to the street, turn left, and make another left on Rua da Liberdade. Reach the riverfront,
and find the pedestrian bridge on your left.
Roman Bridge
The “Roman Bridge” may not be Roman, but it was here when the Moors came. The
current structure is from 1657, with parts rebuilt after a 1989 flood. The more functional
bridge on your right was designed to be temporary, until the Roman Bridge was fixed,
but it was better than the Roman Bridge for car traffic—so since 1989, the old bridge has
been pedestrian-only.
• Don't cross it yet, but continue to the...
Riverside Park and Old Market Hall
This is where old folks gossip and children play. Walk past the bandstand and more “treas-
ury” roofs (on the right) to the old market hall. A few black-and-white photos show how,
in the 1990s, this was a noisy, colorful fish and produce market. Today, the hall has cafés,
gift shops, and free Wi-Fi.
Beyond the market hall are a few fishing boats. Local fishermen are weathering tough
times as the “natural park” classification of the coastal areas makes aggressive netting il-
legal, and Spanish fishermen are selling their catch for far less.
If you're in the mood for a snack, Pasteleria Ramos, near the market end of the
park opposite a green kiosk, produces sweet and sticky tartes de almendoas partidos (al-
mond cakes-€2 ), perfect with a galão (milky coffee) at their red outside tables (daily
8:00-24:00).
Sights in Tavira
▲ Ilha de Tavira —Tavira's great beach island is a hit with travelers. Ilha de Tavira is a
long, almost treeless sandbar with a campground (open April-Sept, mobile [phone],
ask for Isabel), several restaurants, and a sprawling beach. A summer-only boat takes
bathers painlessly from downtown Tavira to the island (€1.90 round-trip, July-mid-Sept
about hourly 8:00-20:00, timetable at TI, departs from dock next to old market hall). A
year-round water taxi provides service in the off-season (5-minute walk beyond the old
market hall, opposite Barclays Bank, mobile [phone]). It's an enjoyable ride even if
you just go round-trip without getting off.
You can also bus, taxi, ride a rental bike, or bake during a shadeless 1.25-mile walk
out of town, past the salt pans and fish farms, to Quatro Aguas, where a five-minute