Touristy times in Tavira

Greetings friends and how are you! I've just got back from Portugal so as you can imagine this week isn't my favourite ever! Although I am trying to be positive and focus on the good things - a four day work week, a four day weekend and birthday cocktails tomorrow night. So far it's sort of working, but let's be honest it would be better if I was still sat on the beach sunning myself. Hey ho that's not to be, or at least not until I win the lottery *crosses fingers and toes*. Anywho for today's Travel Tuesday post I thought I'd skip back to last Wednesday and one of my Portugese adventures, so settle in with a coffee and read on...

The weather in Portugal last Wednesday wasn't the best - it was a little grey and only about 20 degrees. So not bad weather but not the blue skies and high 20 temperature of the rest of the week. Thankfully we'd planned on a trip to Tavira, so a greyer day was fine and fitted perfectly! Tavira is a fishing town east of Faro about an hour from the border of Spain. Despite numerous trips to Vale do Lobo over the years I'd never made it to Tavira before and I'm rather thankful that this has now been rectified as it's such a lovely town. 

The small town has a river running through it and there are a variety of bridges - old and new - connecting both sides together. There's not loads to see in the town but it's a lovely town to wander through, there are lots of beautiful tiles and unusual buildings as well as a number of hidden parks and green areas. 

At the top of the hill there's an absolutely stunning castle and church which are a must visit. The castle itself was rebuilt in 800bc and it's only partially standing now - with just some of the walls still standing. But it's definitely a must see. 

You can wander through the old ruins of the castle where they've created a beautiful garden in the middle which was in bloom when we visited. 

If you're feeling adventurous you can also climb the steep castle stairs and you'll be rewarded with the most stunning views of the town below you: across the river and rooftops to the sea in the distance. It really is wonderful.

Tavira is distinctly untouristy considering where it's located and it's relatively unspoilt by the consumerism of most other towns on the Algarve coast. Though in the centre of the town there are a few more touristy spots for lunch which are around the park and meeting square. We headed their for lunch but steered clear of the spots with people stood outside enticing us in. This was a good idea as the place we settled on served delicious sandwiches and pasta for half the price of other touristy spots - definitely worth the extra half an hour of wandering!

So there we go, that's Tavira in a nutshell. I'd most definitely go back another time and recommend it to others - it really was a lovely spot for a morning away from the beach.