I loved Tavira. I went just after Christmas for a short family break; the town was tastefully decorated for the season but not over-done or tacky. I felt really safe here and was quite comfortable walking the dark narrow streets at night. We hired a car (for only €70 for 4 days!) and drove into Spain; we also went to Albufeira which was busy and touristy. We went to Faro too which is also very pleasant and easy to reach by car or train. Tavira itself is really pretty - while there are a lot of new buildings they seem to be more on the outskirts and the old town is unspoilt and well preserved. I thought there were some really great restaurants here and dinner each night was wonderful (and so much cheaper than Ireland!) - highlights were Aquasul (or Aquasud? it's recommended anyhow in the Lonely Plan) and Rive Gauche. I would return to Tavira again...

This town is very photogenic and I think it is in the unspoiled part of the Algarve. On the eastern side towards Spain it is away from the main resorts. The town is very nice and is as good as Lagos which is at the other end of the Algarve. The best view of the town is from the walls of the Moorish castle, which rises above the surrounding homes. There are many churches here and as with the rest of Portugal they are very nice and in my view breathtaking. The Beach is not in the town as the other review states but is very nice the ferry is about 2 km from the town and I think if memory serves me right terminal 2. Takes you there. For the more energetic you can walk and this is a pleasant stroll.

Tavira is a beautiful little town on the Eastern Portuguese Alrgarve coast. 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 Gilo meets the Atlantic Ocean. Along with Lagos, Tavira is considered to be the most architecturally attractive town in the Algarve. The beach for this town lies past the salt pans and is reached by a ferryboat that takes you to the sand-bar island known as Ilha de Tavira, part of the Ria Formosa. The island and beaches can also be reached from the nearby footbridge in Santa Luzia.