Visiting the Mouth of the Gilão River: A Unique Experience

Cais das Quatro Águas (Ferry Port)

You can walk from Tavira city center to Cais das Quatro Águas ⭐⭐, which is the mouth of Gilão River. The walk will take about 25 minutes on a paved sidewalk.  On the way you will pass a series of salt pans with lots of sea birds in sight.  You can also be rewarded with a nice sunset or sunrise scenes at the ferry port location.

Photo Gallery

The below photos were taken on 01/10/2022 and 01/11/2022, both were sunny to cloudy days.

Lots of sea birds in the Salt Pan

Bridge near City Center

Hotel Vila Galé Albacora

Exploring Tavira's Roman Bridge and Its Picturesque Surroundings

The picturesque town of Tavira was founded in 400 BC and was an important trading post between Europe and North Africa.  Gilão river flows through the City Center.  

Roman Bridge (or Ponte Romana ⭐) built on the Gilão river was on the route of the Roman road which linked Faro and Castro Marim.^[1]

In medieval times the old Roman Bridge formed part of an important transport route offering one of the few crossing points of the Gilão river. As such it was fortified with towers at each end and it is even said to have had a wooden floor which could be removed as a defensive measure.

The bridge we see here today was erected in 1667. From the bridge there are good views of the palm-fringed riverbanks and many of the city’s finest buildings.

Photo Gallery

The below photos were taken on 01/10/2022 and 01/11/2022, both were sunny days.

Roman Bridge in the background

Night view of Roman Bridge

View of palm tress along the river from a hotel 

Republic square (Portugese: Praça da República)

View of Gilão river from Castelo de Tavira

References

1. Ponte Romana de Tavira

Tavira's Free Gardens and Old Walls: Stunning Views and History

Tavira is one of the most charming towns in the Algarve, and is a wonderful destination for your holiday. It is sometimes also called the Venice of the Algarve.^[1]

For an overview of Tavira, please see the companion article:

Tavira, Portugal: The Venice of the Algarve

Photo Gallery

The below photos were taken from 01/10/2023 to 01/11/2023.  The day (i.e., 01/09) I arrived Tavira, it was rainy-to-cloudy weather.  But, as you can see it here,  on both days I had stayed, they were sunny.  But, the clouds formed in the sky had made the photos look even more fantastic.  

One Google reviewer had commented on Tavira's Castle ⭐⭐:

Definitely worth a visit. Free entrance to the lovely gardens and old walls, with nice views over Tavira. WC also available inside.

Perfect and succinct descriptions.  But, I need to make one change to the comments:  It is a must-visit location if you ever visit Tavira.

Views over Tavira

View over Tavira

Lovely Garden

Castle Walls 

Igreja de Santa Maria do Castelo

 A church in front of the Castle entrance

View from the wall

View from the Garden

View when approaching the Castle

View from the garden

View from the street level

Igreja de Santiago

Igreja da Misericórdia

Church of Mercy on the way to Tavira's Castle

References

1. The Best Destinations for a Winter Break in PortugalTavira, Lagos, Lisbon, Madeira, Alentejo, Albufeira, Serra da Estrela, Porto, Praia da Rocha, Vilamoura, Caldas da Rainha, Óbidos
2. Ria Formosa
3. Average Weather in Tavira Portugal Year Round
4. 16 Enchanting things to do in Tavira, Algarve
5. 10 Free things to do in Algarve Portugal
6. Salty Water Petisqueira (Seafood Restaurant; Portuguese: Água Salgada)
7. How to visit the Ria Formosa, Algarve? ( the complete guide for 2022)