Top Boat trips from Tavira

Tavira is one of the most beautiful cities in the Algarve and still enjoys the privilege of fewer tourism, hence protecting its authenticity. You can also find some great boat trips from Tavira.

Tavira is the Algarvian city with the most churches. There are a total of 37 and for an area of only 606km² and 26,000 residents that is a lot!

Although in the past have had many battles, an earthquake and several occupations by different peoples, Tavira knew how to rebuild itself and in 2010 made the famous UNESCO list of heritage for its immaterial culture and representative of the Mediterranean diet.

Other than its 37 churches, the typical city, has a beautiful Roman bridge, an Arab watchtower, several salt pans and a great tuna fishing culture that you can see when you are at the beach looking onto the ocean.

Next to Tavira is the village of Cabanas, a place where fishermen built their cabins to be closer to the traps they build in the sea to catch tuna. Here they kept their materials and also stayed overnight which led to a community.

When you visit Tavira, visit Cabanas de Tavira. It has along its river a wooden boardwalk where you can walk, watch Ria Formosa and its tidal variations, sit and sunbathe or even enjoy the restaurants with a view of the sea. It is a very pleasant place.

Both Tavira and Cabanas de Tavira overlook the Ria Formosa.

The Ria is a marshland area that extends from Praia do Ancão till Praia da Manta Rota, and what is so special about this marshland is the amount of animal life that inhabits it, the unique vegetation and mainly the different landscapes you can enjoy.

On a boat trip from Tavira when the tide is low, the tones are brown and green and you can see crabs rushing around, birds hunting for seafood and fish that get stuck in the lagoons, fishermen hovering in search of delicacies: clams, conquers, cockles, oysters and a lot more, which you can try in any restaurant close to the sea.

Ria Formosa is of great national and international importance as it is a natural habitat to migrating birds such as flamingos and other local birds such as the white heron.

From Tavira you can take several boat tours and cruises so you won’t be short of options.

The closest islands to Tavira are Cabanas Island and Tavira Island but there are also tours that travel further to other islands such as Faro Island, Armona Island and Culatra Island.

Cabanas Island is a long beach that reaches as far as Cacela Velha and the favourite way to get there is by boat. The water here is cooler and also more transparent. The sand is very white and inviting of a long walk.

Tavira Island has also 11km of white beach and is made of four beaches; Tavira Island Beach, Terra Estreita beach, Barril Beach and Homem Nu Beach.

Tavira beach has a campsite, several water sports and many restaurants from which you can choose for a long lunch of fresh grilled fish or snacks. It also has facilities like toilets and lifeguards.

To get to Terra Estreita you should get a boat from Santa Luzia peer and it takes 15 minutes. This part of the island is the straightest and is considered a small secret as it isn’t very frequented and is conserved in its natural state. We recommend a long tour as you’ll be sorry to not sail these calm waters a little longer.

Barril beach is a great beach for families and you’ll find a lot of them. Here the sea is super calm, the sand just about as white as the sand in the Caribbean and has lifeguards throughout the summer ensuring all of our safeties.

Its access is via a bridge at Pedras d’el Rei village and it has a trail for you to follow on foot to the seaside, about 1.5km long.

The Homem Nu beach is the part where naturalism is legalized and you can find this area on the Western side of the island, it is the last beach of the western side of Tavira Island. You must walk a fair bit to get there and should bring food and drink with you as it doesn't have any facilities.

All these peaceful islands are great for windsurfing or kitesurfing but the only one that has an entry bay and a surf school is Cabanas beach. On all of them, you should navigate 300m away from the beach as per maritime law.

You don’t have transport to get to Tavira for your tour? Don’t worry, speak to us beforehand and we will arrange transport for you.

Please note to avoid disappointment advance booking is essential for all boat trips.

In the unlikely event we need to cancel your trip, for example, due to bad weather or mechanical problems, you can choose either a full refund or an alternative date to re-book. Guaranteed!

If you need help choosing just Contact Us and we'll be happy to help!

To see boat trips in ALL our great locations in the Algarve click here.