Tavira coastline is as calm as it is beautiful. Set on the eastern region of the Algarve, this ancient fishing town boast some eleven kilometres of white sand beaches and pleasantly warm water.
Most of Tavira’s beaches are crossed by the Ria Formosa Natural Reserve, so the views are always pleasant and the sunsets unforgettable. You also get the chance to get acquainted with some of the typical wetland flora and fauna, mainly birds and flamingos. Daffodils are also extremely frequent in the Ria Formosa Natural Reserve, the Algarve’s jewel.
Tavira Island
Tavira Island (Ilha de Tavira) is probably the most popular beach in Tavira, which make it also the most overcrowded during the hot summer months. This well-known beach can only be reached by boat, departing from the city centre and from the Quatro Águas peer.
Although there are other less populated yet equally beautiful beaches in the Tavira region, the Tavira Island beach also has its perks: it includes a camping park, restaurants and bars overlooking the stunning sea and far-reaching white sand, where you can cool off after a full day at the beach.
Usually, all hotels and villas hold information on ferry boat schedules to travel from Tavira to Tavira Island and back, so make sure you ask and take note.
Cabanas Island
Located in the eastern side of Tavira Island is Cabanas beach, a long narrow shred of land, fronting the parish of Cabanas de Tavira. The Ria Formosa Natural Reserve separates the Island of Cabanas from the mainland and you can easily cross it by foot if the tide allows it.
To get to the Cabanas beach, there are boats running from one side to another throughout the day from April to October mainly, with reasonably priced tickets.
There are several facilities serving the Cabanas Island and to help you enjoy your trip the best way you can. Toilets, showers, sunshades and a very nice café are just a few of the amenities you will find whenever you feel like crossing to the Cabanas Island.
Cabanas Island is also home of a few top rated hotels ideally located near the beach and offering some great vacation packages to those who relish on going to the beach on a daily basis.
Barril Beach
This is probably the second most well-known and sought-after beach in the Tavira region. There’s a peaceful feel to it that most people visiting find wonderful, although it is not as overcrowded as other beaches that unfortunately suffer high season floods.
The nice, warm weather of the Barril Beach, one of the beaches in Tavira Island, west of Santa Luzia, makes up for the perfect holiday beach destination, if you are staying in Tavira and wishing to venture off into the Ria Formosa Natural Reserve beautiful sights.
Up north, one can see the Serra do Caldeirão and its peculiar landscape, which actually protects some of the areas in Tavira Island from the cold winds coming from the northern region, thus the Mediterranean climate subsists on a year-round basis.
It is rather easy to spend a full day at Barril Beach enjoying its surroundings and the amazingly warm sea, ending the day with a awe-striking sunset as you cross the Ria Formosa to Tavira.
Terra Estreita Beach
Located in the eastern portion of Barril Beach, Terra Estreita (Narrow Land) beach is named after its shape, which is a strip of sand with approximately 50 metres wide as a result of the narrowing of Barril Beach.
On your way to Barril Beach by boat, you will be able to observe typical flora and fauna of the
Environmental preservation is something to bear in mind when walking through the beach, as well as in the other Tavira Island beaches, so make sure you use the raised wooden footpaths scattered through the beach to cross the sand dunes.
The beach is quite large and usually more deserted than others beaches in the Tavira Island, which, depending on your mood, can be a lovely experience.
Ria Formosa Natural Reserve, which is definitely an amazing and unforgettable sight to take into account, especially if you are a bird and flamingo lover.
Lacém Beach
The Lacém Beach is located west to Cabanas Island is perhaps the most secluded beach in the Tavira Island and it is reached by a narrow cross-country path until you reach the main land. This beach is rich in typical vegetation and, being as deserted as it is, it lacks support facilities or supervision and no parking areas.
