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.
The town's origins date back to the late Bronze Age (1.000-800 BC). In the 8th century BC it became one of the first Phoenician settlements in the Iberian West. The Phoenicians created a colonial urban center here with massive walls, at least two temples, two harbours and a regular urban structure. Phoenician Tavira existed until the end of 6th Century BC, when it was destroyed by conflict.
After a century of being abandoned, the settlement recovered, during the urban bloom that characterised the so called Tartessian Period, and became bigger than ever. This second urban center, Tartessian Tavira, was also abandoned by the end of the 4th Century BC.
The main centre then moved to nearby Cerro do Cavaco, a fortified hill occupied until the time of Emperor Augustus.
During the time of Caesar, the Romans created a new port, some 7 km from Tavira, named Balsa. Balsa became a big town, in fact much bigger than Tavira, that grew, prospered and decayed in parallel with the Roman Empire. When the Moors conquered Iberia, in the 8th Century, Balsa was already extinct as a town.
Under Roman rule, Tavira was a secondary passing place on the important road between Balsa and Baesuris (today Castro Marim).
The Moorish occupation of Tavira between the 8th and 13th centuries left its mark on the agriculture, architecture and culture of the area. That influence can still be seen in Tavira today with its whitewashed buildings, Moorish style doors and rooftops. A castle, two mosques and palaces were built by the Moors. The impressive seven arched "Roman bridge" is now not considered to be Roman after a recent archaeological survey, but originates from a 12th Century Moorish bridge. This was a good time economically for Tavira, which established itself an important port for sailors and fishermen. The area stayed rural until the 11th Century when Moorish Tavira (from the Arabic Tabira, "the hidden") started to grow rapidly, becoming one of the important (and independent) towns of the Algarve, then the South-Western extreme of Gharb al-Andalus (the West of Islamic Iberian territories).
In the 17th Century the port on its river was of considerable importance, shipping produce such as salt, dried fish and wine. Like most of the Algarve its buildings were virtually all destroyed by the earthquake of 1755. This earthquake is thought to have reached a magnitude of 9 on the Richter scale and caused extensive damage throughout the Algarve due to shockwaves and tsunamis. The earthquake is referred to as the Lisbon Earthquake due to its terrible effects on the capital city, although the epicentre was some 200 km west-southwest of Cape St. Vincent in the Algarve.
The town has since been rebuilt with many fine 18th Century buildings along with its 37 churches. A 'Roman' (actually Moorish) bridge links the two parts of the town across the River Gilão. The population is in the region of 25,000 inhabitants
The island behind the ferry is Ilha de Tavira. Massive beaches lurk on the other side of the vegetation. The vast beach and camp site at Ilha de Tavira is 2km by road, then 100m of water, with regular ferries. There are plenty of cafés and water sports facilities open during the summer months. Tourism here is restrained and mostly not of the package kind so Tavira is an excellent choice for those who fancy roasting on a beach during the day but having a somewhat ethnic environment in the evening.
