Tavira is one of the best places to base yourself in the Algarve, it’s a beautiful and historic town that remains authentic. Within Tavira you’ll find a slow pace of life, access to some incredible beaches and some unique historical sights. However, it is a small town, so after a few days of exploring you’ll want to branch out and explore some nearby places. So, here’s my favourite day trips to make from Tavira!
The Limits of a Day Trip in the Algarve
Many people have differing definitions of what they consider reasonable and practical for a day trip. We typically recommend day trips with a maximum of around 2 hours travel each way. If you’re using public transport, we always include return trips that depart early in the morning and arrive late afternoon or early evening. This keeps days reasonable, and gives you at least a full day of exploring at your chosen day trip location.
For this reason we rarely recommend day trips from the Algarve to Lisbon (at least 6 hours on the road), it’s far too hectic and you don’t get much time to explore Lisbon. However, some people do enjoy trying to cram as much as possible into their days, and don’t mind long travel times.
Ilha de Tavira – The Best for a Beach Day
Distance 2km – Maps Link – Public Transport: Yes
Ilha de Tavira is one of the barrier islands of the Ria Formosa, and it also happens to be one of the best islands. It is the perfect place if your day trip means you simply want to spend a day on the beach! You can catch the ferry from the centre of Tavira and it will take you along the river, and to a small dock on Ilha de Tavira.
From the dock it’s a short walk to the achingly beautiful Praia da Ilha de Tavira. You’ll cross the dunes and through the small community – it’s just a few houses and buildings before you’re faced with an almost endless beach.
- Discover Ilha de Tavira – The Ultimate Guide
Cacela Velha – The Most Stunning Viewpoint in the Algarve
Distance 15km – Maps Link – Public Transport : Yes
Cacela Velha is a tiny but charming village 15km (10miles) to the east of Tavira. It’s a tiny village, but is widely known for its stunning viewpoint. It’s the most eastern section of the Ria Formosa. In Cacela Velha you’ll find traditional architecture, a small church, and some history in the form of a fortress and ruins of a castle. All in all, there’s probably not much more than an hour of exploring, and that’s only if you make an effort to read every sign post!
However, the beach here is incredible. The Ria Formosa gently floods a large section, and at high tide the main access is by boat. It’s the least developed and the best for people who really want to get away from it all! That said, access is through a steep set of stairs, and you’ll need to cross a channel of water, or take a boat. Visiting the beach on Cacela Velha is not ideal for anyone with mobility issues. It still makes a stunning viewpoint though!
Olhao – An Authentic Fishing Town
Distance 20km – Maps Link – Public Transport : Yes
Olhão is a traditional fishing town just 25 minutes west of Tavira. It’s connected by local bus and the Regional trainline in the Algarve, so there are multiple options for you to get there and back again from Tavira.
Once you’ve made it to Olhão, you’ll discover a traditional market town that proudly wears its fishing heritage. The twin red market buildings occupy the scenic waterfront where you’ll find landscaped parks, cafés, restaurants and bars.
Head into the small town, and you’ll find a network small streets named the fishing quarter, that hides statues telling local legends, murals and of course more restaurants. One of our absolute favourites is Vai e Volta – a restaurant specialising in rodizio style grilled fish (all you can eat, straight off a charcoal grill).
Fuseta – A Small Fishing Village and Incredible Beach
Distance 14km – Maps Link – Public Transport : Yes
One common complaint about Tavira is the lack of beach connected to the town. Tavira doesn’t have a beach within easy walking distance, and requires a boat or road transport. One of the best former fishing villages in this area that is connected to the beach is Fuseta. It’s one of the places I visit most when I want a full day on the beach.
Fuseta is 20km east of Faro, and connected by both bus and train, making it a great day trip for those that want to use public transport to explore. Fuseta is a tiny fishing village that has kept its traditional heart. It has a low-key feel that than many of the other former fishing towns in the Algarve lack. You’ll find cute back streets, narrow alleys, some great local food, and of course some of the best beaches in the Algarve – Praia da Fuseta. A perfect place to experience the calm waters of the Ria Formosa on an incredible beach.
Faro – The Algarve’s Culture Capital
Distance 39km – Maps Link – Public Transport : Yes
Faro is the Algarve’s capital city, and as one of the largest city in the region it’s also a cultural hub. It’s a fantastic waterfront city, with a surprising amount of local things to do.
The old town and its cobbled streets are great to explore, there’s some great museums, traditional architecture, and some unique history – even a chapel of bones. If you’re looking to dive into the history of the region it’s great for that too! The waterfront is the Ria Formosa, the same lagoon that Tavira sits on, Faro’s section is pretty special though. It has it’s own islands, and a incredible beach Praia de Faro.
From Tavira, you’ll find regular trains, local buses, as well as larger coach operators offering regular trips.
Estoi – A Village with a Secret Palace
Distance 32km – Maps Link – Public Transport : Yes
Just 10km north of Faro, is the wonderful little village of Estoi. If you’re looking for the famed slower paced life that villages in the Portugal offer – Estoi is one of the places in the Algarve you’ll find it.
The village is famous for three things, the grand Palácio de Estoi, its Roman history and small Roman Museum, and its 15th Century church (Igreja Matriz de Estoi). There’s also a couple of great local restaurants where you can sample some Algarvean food too!
You’ll most likely need a car to explore Estoi and the hills around it. Or if you require public transport, you can make your way to Faro first. By bus it takes around 25 minutes from Faro’s central bus station. Estoi is the fifth stop on the São Brás de Alportel route that departs from Faro.
Castro Marim – The Algarve’s Fortress Town
Distance 35km – Maps Link – Public Transport: Yes
Just 35km away form Tavira, and securing the international border with Spain, is the wonderful village of Castro Marim. It’s a small village that’s sandwiched by two historic fortresses; a 13th Century Castle, and a 17th Century Fortress.
It’s not just a place for historians though, it’s surrounded by wetlands that form a small natural park named Reserva Natural do Sapal de Castro Marim e Vila Real de Santo António. It’s a 2000ha park made up of salt pans, marshland, and water channels. It’s a haven for local wetland species and home to some of the Algarve’s flamingo population. You’ll find a small wetland trail that’s filled with signposts on the local species, and a bird hide. So Castro Marim is great for nature lovers too!
Vila Real de Santo António
Distance 35km – Maps Link – Public Transport : Yes
Just several km from Castro Marim, is the town of Vila Real de Santo António. In many ways, it’s the newer, updated version of fortifying the border. The town was effectively designed and planned in the 17th century and follows an idyllic square plan made by Marquis of Pombal. Yes, the very same Marquis who designed Lisbon’s city plan after the earthquake of 1755.
Although Vila Real de Santo António is less defensively designed than nearby Castro Marim – it relied on the fortress there. It’s a unique town, a bustling cultural centre, and features a dense amount of Pombaline architecture that you won’t find anywhere else in the Algarve. A second unique aspect is the regular ferries to Ayamonte in Spain on the Spanish side of the river. You can have a morning exploring a Pombaline town in Portugal before heading to Spain for lunch.
Seville – A Spanish Adventure
Distance 175km– Maps Link – Public Transport : Yes
If you want to go one step further than Ayamonte and get to know one of Spain’s fantastic regional capitals then Seville is actually just 175km or around 2 hours away by car. The Spanish coach operator Alsa operate buses between Tavira and Seville so this is another day trip that’s possible by public transport.
Seville is the vibrant capital of Andalucía and a great place to begin to explore the region, its history, and its cuisine. The stunning Real Alcázar and Cathedral form a UNESCO world heritage site, and you’ll even find Christopher Columbus’ tomb. As well as sights like Plaza de España and La Giralda, you can have a packed out day of sightseeing and return the same night.
Of course, we’d naturally recommend more than a day here, but for fast paced travelers that want to tick off a great Spanish city it is well worth it!
Lagos – The Best of the Western Algarve
Distance 116km – Maps Link – Public Transport : Yes
Lagos is one of the Algarve’s top destination cities, we’re often recommending Lagos as a base to explore the west, and Tavira as a base to explore the east.
Why Lagos? It boasts a historic old town, modern marina, cultural attractions, with some incredible beaches and scenery. It has some incredible beaches that you can walk to directly from the town. To be honest, there’s more to do in Lagos than a simple day trip, but a day trip here is enough to get a feel of the west Algarve.
Just outside the town, you have the stunning area of Ponta da Piedade. It’s an area of natural beauty, where you can view the cliffs, stacks, and towers of the Algarve coastline. It’s popular to view them by boat, kayak, or walking along the newly installed cliff top boardwalks.
Sagres / Cape St Vincent
Distance 170km – Maps Link – Public Transport : No
The southwestern tip of the Algarve is where the scenery is the wildest and most dramatic. Romantically known as the ‘end of the world’ for several centuries. It’s a place that has captured the imagination of people for millennia.
It’s well worth a day trip if you want to explore jaw dropping scenery, and amazing cliff views. The biggest town in the area is Sagres, a surfing hub with lots of history. For a full day out, you can visit Sagres, its historic fortress – Fortaleza de Sagres, and Cabo de São Vicente a smaller fortress and lighthouse.
The bad bit, public transport is limited in this area. We wouldn’t really recommend trying to explore it by public transport from Tavira. It is possible, but you’ll need to get a train or bus to Lagos first, then a local bus to Sagres. The area is much better suited to self driving, or organised tours.
How to get Around Tavira and the Algarve?
As one of the biggest towns in the Algarve, Tavira has multiple public transport options. You’ll find local buses, national buses, and the regional rail line that runs east to west across almost the whole Algarve.
The regional train line is a great way of exploring many of the smaller towns and cities, going all the way to Lagos in the west, to Vila Real de Santo Antonio in the East. Alternatively, renting a car is great option and really unlocks the region giving you complete flexibility to explore!
My favorites: Mértola and Alcoutim!