Castelo de Tavira
Castelo de Tavira
4.1
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tours & experiences
Explore different ways to experience this place.
What is Travellers’ Choice?
Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Top ways to experience Castelo de Tavira and nearby attractions
Are you currently on your trip?
Help us find experiences available for you.
The area
Address
Reach out directly
Best nearby
Restaurants
306 within 5 kms
Attractions
52 within 10 kms
Contribute
Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.1
544 reviews
Excellent
166
Very good
254
Average
113
Poor
9
Terrible
2
These reviews have been automatically translated from their original language.
This service may contain translations provided by Google. Google disclaims all warranties, express or implied, with respect to translations, including any warranties of accuracy, reliability, and any implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and freedom from forgery.
gazza110
Kent, England165 contributions
Feb 2025 • Solo
Nice free attraction with walls to climb which surround a lovely garden area. Free toilet inside the garden to the side. Very steep stairs to climb to access the walls so be careful on wet weather which is today!. Nice views of Tavira.
Written 25 February 2025
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Raintree_Thailand
Bangkok, Thailand4,459 contributions
Apr 2024 • Couples
Cool Medieval castle overlooking the small town of Tavira. The origins of the castle are not entirely known, as it has been built and destroyed or damaged, and rebuilt many times. The castle is an easy 5-10 minute walk up the hill from the town center and includes lots of beautiful trees and flowering plants inside the walls. No fee to enter the castle and look around.
Written 10 June 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Helen C
Staffordshire, UK298 contributions
Mar 2024 • Family
Beautiful small castle remains in Tavira, just a short walk away from the Old Bridge.
Offers some fantastic rooftop views of the city.
Inner aspect planted with some lovely plants, flowers and trees.
A must visit when in Tavira.
Offers some fantastic rooftop views of the city.
Inner aspect planted with some lovely plants, flowers and trees.
A must visit when in Tavira.
Written 30 March 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
David G
6 contributions
Feb 2024 • Family
A lovely place to visit. It's free to enter, the little garden is beautiful with a range of flowering plants, all labelled for those interested. Only part of the castle walls remain but there are access steps (steep) to various parts with fantastic views over the city. Well worth a visit.
Written 2 February 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
annieok2014
Bergamo, Italy5,658 contributions
Nov 2023 • Family
The bridge of Roman origin connects and divides the two banks of the Gilão river: on one side the pretty and lively town dedicated to tourism, full of bars, restaurants and shops, on the other the more historical and cultural one, once chosen by the nearby noble families in power installed in the castle, full of ancient churches and elegant buildings with filigreed balconies.
The best view is enjoyed from the castle walls, of which very little remains, in the old Arab quarter at the top of the hill; from here you can see the bell tower of the church of Santa Maria do Castelo, one of the distinctive points of the city.
Of note are the traditional houses with wooden doors and the typical "scissor-shaped" treasury roofs.
The Gilão river, crossing the city, leads to the Ilha de Tavira, an extensive 11 km long beach which - parallel to the coast - is part of the Ria Formosa National Park.
The best view is enjoyed from the castle walls, of which very little remains, in the old Arab quarter at the top of the hill; from here you can see the bell tower of the church of Santa Maria do Castelo, one of the distinctive points of the city.
Of note are the traditional houses with wooden doors and the typical "scissor-shaped" treasury roofs.
The Gilão river, crossing the city, leads to the Ilha de Tavira, an extensive 11 km long beach which - parallel to the coast - is part of the Ria Formosa National Park.
Written 5 December 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Mairwen1
United Kingdom12,410 contributions
Feb 2020
Don’t expect an actual castle. These are only the ruins of a medieval fortress castle and there’s not a lot left other than the walls. Being a fortress, it was of course built at the highest point in Tavira where they could guard against attacks from North African raiders and pirates. Today this means that if you climb the walls, you get excellent views across Tavira as far as the Rio Formosa.
History is a bit fuzzy around the dates but it possibly dates from the 8th century. What you see here now is more likely from the 11th century and it we know that it was re-modelled and reinforced after the Christian crusaders arrived in 1242. 500 years later, it was very badly damaged in the devastating 1755 earthquake, leaving it in its current state of disrepair.
Inside the walls is a very pretty garden with vibrant purple bougainvillea, lavender hedges and showy orange flame vine with its long trumpet flowers.
The steps up to the castle walls are a little dodgy and walking around the battlements is not for the faint hearted. If you’re not good with heights, the old metal railings might not feel entirely safe. The views are definitely worth it though.
The castle is right next door to the Church Santa Maria do Castelo which has a great bell tower (for those not already tired of climbing stairs) and an excellent small museum.
TIP: we kept seeing a chap who stood out the front as if to collect an entry fee. You can safely ignore him as entry is free and he is just chancing his luck that some people will pay him.
History is a bit fuzzy around the dates but it possibly dates from the 8th century. What you see here now is more likely from the 11th century and it we know that it was re-modelled and reinforced after the Christian crusaders arrived in 1242. 500 years later, it was very badly damaged in the devastating 1755 earthquake, leaving it in its current state of disrepair.
Inside the walls is a very pretty garden with vibrant purple bougainvillea, lavender hedges and showy orange flame vine with its long trumpet flowers.
The steps up to the castle walls are a little dodgy and walking around the battlements is not for the faint hearted. If you’re not good with heights, the old metal railings might not feel entirely safe. The views are definitely worth it though.
The castle is right next door to the Church Santa Maria do Castelo which has a great bell tower (for those not already tired of climbing stairs) and an excellent small museum.
TIP: we kept seeing a chap who stood out the front as if to collect an entry fee. You can safely ignore him as entry is free and he is just chancing his luck that some people will pay him.
Written 24 January 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Kirk E
Santa Fe, NM970 contributions
Dec 2022
Tavira's old Moorish fort is still yielding up discoveries, which can be viewed at the nearby and extremely worthwhile Islamic Museum. Its walls still rise up through the modern city, all of them visible from the ramparts of this pleasant public park which makes for a nice morning or sunset stroll. The exotic flora is just as much an attraction as the ruins themselves.
Written 16 January 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Bruce M
Sydney, Australia809 contributions
Sept 2022
Located just off one of the main streets in the centre of Tavira, it’s a climb up a few flights of stairs to the remains of what was once a 5 hectare walled city. Today, there is only a small section of the battlements and a pleasant garden covering perhaps one quarter of a hectare.
Well worth a visit to experience both the history and take in the views over Tavira.
Take the circular route past the church down the road back into the heart of the town
Well worth a visit to experience both the history and take in the views over Tavira.
Take the circular route past the church down the road back into the heart of the town
Written 24 September 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Taxidevil
Glasgow, UK2,928 contributions
Feb 2020
It is free to enter the Castelo de Tavira; the gardens are lovely and even in February flowers were in full bloom, it must be lovely in the height of summer when even more flowers are out.There was a busker singing when we visited which added to the visit.
You can climb the steps and walk whats left of the ramparts for great views of Tavira.
There is also a toilet here which is handy to know.
You can climb the steps and walk whats left of the ramparts for great views of Tavira.
There is also a toilet here which is handy to know.
Written 21 March 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Alf R
Sausalito, United States31 contributions
Mar 2022
Tavira old town is a must. Great walks through the old city, the tiling on the houses, the doors and the whole feel to the city was just chilled. We had a lovely day out, walking, sitting with local friendly people drinking coffee.
Written 18 March 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi, I will be staying in Albufeira in May and am looking into possible day trips. We will already be traveling to Lisbon for a bit and don't want to take too many trips far from our hotel. Tavira is the only other longer trip we're looking into. I just wanted to know if it was worth the hour drive and what specifically we'd want to check out while we're there. Any tips would be helpful :)
Written 13 December 2016
I don't know exactly what you are looking for, if you want to have fun, Albufeira it's perfect but if you would like to discover a pice of history of Portugal, Tavira is the right place. There are different museum with video where they tell you more about the musulmans/arab people that were there before and how this people influenced the name of the cities, you can see this influence also on the building structures. You have there some objectives to visit/the river/good restaurants/nice views. It's the perfect place for a piece of culture
Written 15 December 2016
Ruth S
Bonn, Germany
Hallo, Sophia, da ist den System-Leuten wohl ein Fehler unterlaufen - das Restaurant Castelo läuft unter der Sehenswürdigkeit Castelo de Tavira. Möglichst korrigieren?!
Written 19 January 2015
Showing results 1-2 of 2
*Likely to sell out: Based on Viator’s booking data and information from the provider from the past 30 days, it seems likely this experience will sell out through Viator, a Tripadvisor company.
Is this your Tripadvisor listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim your listing