Pousada Convento Tavira
Why we like it: A hotel in the former convent of Nossa Senhora da Graça, beside Tavira castle, with a cloister, a garden pool and free parking.
From €204
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Duration2 nights
From Huelva1 h by car
From Seville2 h
TimeAn hour behind Spain
BeachesBy boat or walkway
Best timeMay – Jun · Sep – Oct
The plan
The plan, hour by hour
Designed to leave Huelva on Friday at 19:00. The times in the plan are Portuguese times, an hour behind Spain: you reach Tavira at the same clock time you left. The boats to the island change timetable with the season; check Silnido's before you go.
Friday
- 119:00Arrival and a stroll along the Gilão
Leave the car by the river and cross the seven-arched pedestrian bridge, which everyone calls Roman although it dates from the 17th century. The town's waterfront, lit up, can be seen from the opposite bank. Have dinner at Mesa Farta, south-west of the centre: Portuguese and Algarve cooking with an open kitchen and sourdough bread; let them advise you on the fish of the day. Open for dinner only, Tuesday to Saturday.
Saturday
- 110:00Boat to Ilha de Tavira from Quatro Águas
The shortest crossing, a few minutes down the ria, for €2 return; under-4s do not pay. There are no cars on the island: a campsite, a few bars by the jetty and kilometres of sand with dunes behind. Outside summer you walk along the shore almost alone. Come back on a midday boat: in winter the last one leaves the island in mid-afternoon.
- 216:00The centre, the castle and Santa Maria
Climb from Praça da República to Santa Maria do Castelo, from the 13th century, with the Manueline chapel of Senhor dos Passos, and to the castle, whose towers give a view of the rooftops and the salt pans. In winter the castle closes at 17:00 at weekends; in summer, at 19:00. Two hours in total.
- 320:00Dinner above the rooftops or by the river
A Ver Tavira, next to the castle, with a Michelin star and two terraces over the town and the Gilão, serves tasting menus of sea and garden. Simpler, À Mesa, near the centre, with modern cooking on a Portuguese base and local produce: the corvina with lemon or the salt cod with prawn. Book both: on Sunday and Monday they are closed.
Sunday
- 110:00Praia do Barril and the anchor graveyard
Park at Pedras d'El Rei, cross the walkway over the ria and cover 1.5 km on foot or on the little train, for about €2. At the end, the former tuna-fishing settlement and hundreds of rusty anchors on the dune. The beach has had a blue flag since 1987.
- 216:00Cacela Velha at sunset
On the way to Spain, 15 minutes east of Tavira: a whitewashed hamlet above the ria, with a 17th-century fortress and the viewpoint beside the church. At low tide you can walk across to the beach opposite; check the tide table.
- 317:30Heading back
A quarter of an hour to the Guadiana bridge. You reach Huelva around 19:30 Spanish time; Seville, around 20:30.
Tavira is an hour from Huelva: you cross the Guadiana over the Ayamonte bridge, drive forty minutes along the Algarve and reach a town of churches and four-sided tiled roofs split by the Gilão river. It has no beach on the mainland. Its beaches are opposite, on the sand islands of the Ria Formosa, and you get there on a ten-minute scheduled boat or along a walkway over the marsh. That makes a weekend here something different from the Huelva coast, even though it is next door: less car, more boat and more walking. From Seville it is two hours, also at the limit of a Friday-to-Sunday getaway.
How do you get there from Huelva or Seville?
By car, along the motorway to Ayamonte and the international Guadiana bridge, and then along the A22 to Tavira. Since 1 January 2025 the A22 has had no toll. When you cross the bridge, the clock goes back an hour. In Tavira, park by the river and get around on foot: the centre is narrow, one-way streets. The quay in the centre, next to the market, has a free car park beside it.
Where to sleep?
The Pousada Convento Tavira, in the former convent of Nossa Senhora da Graça, next to the castle, has a cloister, a garden pool and free parking, and accepts dogs of up to 15 kg in some rooms, for a supplement. Note: it is closed for building work from 9 November to 22 December 2026. For other accommodation, see the Tavira page.
Which beach shall I choose?
| Beach | How to get there | Who it suits |
|---|---|---|
| Ilha de Tavira | Boat from the centre or Quatro Águas, from €2 return | Anyone who wants long sands without cars |
| Barril | Walkway and little train from Pedras d'El Rei | Families, pushchairs and wheelchairs |
| Cacela Velha | On foot at low tide or by boat from Sítio da Fábrica | Anyone looking for a beach with almost no facilities |
With children
The boat and the little train at Barril are already the excursion. The Barril train has room for pushchairs and chairs, and the beach is accessible, with adapted toilets. On the island, in summer, swim in the lifeguarded area beside the jetty: it is open sea. If you go midweek in winter, the camera obscura in the former water tower projects the town live; in low season it only opens Tuesday to Friday, from 11:00 to 14:00, so it fits if you extend the getaway to Friday morning.
If the weather is bad
In strong wind or rain, the island and Barril have nowhere to shelter. Stay in Tavira: churches, castle and market can be seen in a morning, and Cacela Velha is worth it even under a grey sky.
Map
The stops, in order
What to do
Eat
88 €Stay
Services
Plan the trip
Tavira, step by step
Each choice narrows the next: the season shapes how best to travel, and how you travel decides where you stay and where you eat.
When to go
When to go to Tavira
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Best timeGood timeLow season
Where to stay
Where to stay in Tavira
Services for this trip
Where to eat
Where to eat in Tavira
A Ver Tavira
What to order: the short midday menu on the terrace, with the view over the rooftops.
Mesa Farta
What to order: let them advise you on the fish of the day and do not skip the warm sourdough bread.
À Mesa
What to order: the meagre with lemon or the salt cod with prawn, on the terrace if the weather is good.
Gilão Restaurant
What to order: a cataplana for two, which is the house dish; if you are on your own, the grilled fish of the day.
Tips
Worth knowing first
Local tip
For the Sunday return, leave Cacela Velha for last: it is on the way to the border and at sunset it empties of day-trippers.
We'd skip it
Looking for a table on Sunday without a reservation: many Tavira restaurants close on Sunday and Monday. And in July and August, the last boat back from the island: there is a queue, so take the one before.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take from Huelva to Tavira?
An hour by car. From Seville, about two hours. In Portugal it is an hour earlier than in Spain.
Are there tolls?
Not on the A22: Portugal removed the toll on this motorway on 1 January 2025. In Spain, the motorway to Ayamonte has none either.
How much does the boat to Ilha de Tavira cost?
From Quatro Águas, €1.20 single and €2 return; from the centre, €1.50 and €2.70. Under-4s do not pay. You buy it at the quay.
Is it worth it outside summer?
Yes. The town is still lively, the island and Barril are almost empty and it is good for walking. Only swimming and frequent boats are a May-to-October matter.
Can it be done in a day from Huelva?
Yes, it is an hour away: the centre and the boat to the island. For Barril and Cacela Velha, one night is better.