Tavira is situated in the east of the Algarve on the south coast of Portugal. It is 30 km east of Faro where the Algarve's airport is located and 160 km west of Seville in Spain. Tavira lies only 11 miles west of the Spain/Portugal border on the coast where the River Gilão meets the Atlantic Ocean. Along with Lagos, Tavira is considered to be the most architecturally attractive town in the Algarve.