Sights in Tavira
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A
Igreja de Santa Maria do Castelo
Beside the castle, the Igreja de Santa Maria do Castelo, is a 13th-century Gothic Church, built on the site of a Moorish mosque but rebuilt by an Italian neoclassicist following earthquake damage 500 years later. However, the architect retained traces of the former church - namely the main doorway, two side chapels and Arabic-style windows in the clock tower. Inside is a plaque marking the tomb of Dom Paio Peres Correia, who won the town back from the Moors, as well as those of the seven Christian knights whose murder by the Moors precipitated the final attack on Tavira.
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Quatro Águas
You can walk 2km east along the river, past the fascinating, snowlike salt pans to Quatro Águas. The salt pans produce tiptop table salt and in summer attract feeding birds, including flamingos. Besides being the jumping-off point for Ilha de Tavira, the seaside hub of Quatro Águas has a couple of seafood restaurants and a former tuna-canning factory - now a luxury hotel, across the river. There's also a bus that leaves from the Tavira bus station July to mid-September, as well as taxis.
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B
Praça da República
For centuries, this sociable town square on the riverfront served as promenade and marketplace, where slaves were traded along with less ignominious commodities such as fish and fruit. The market moved to Jardim do Coreto in 1887 to improve hygiene, only moving again in 2000 to a new riverside location. A colourful affair, the mercado municipal is held on Monday to Saturday mornings.
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C
Castelo
What's left of the Castelo is surrounded by a decidedly unwar-like, small and appealing garden. The defence might date back to Neolithic times; it was rebuilt by Phoenicians in the 8th century and later taken over by the Moors. What stands today dates mostly from 17th-century reconstruction. The restored octagonal tower offers fine views over Tavira.
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Gothic Church
This 13th-century Gothic church, beside the castle, was built on the site of a Moorish mosque but rebuilt by an Italian neoclassicist following earthquake damage 500 years later. However, the architect retained traces of the former church – namely the main doorway, two side chapels and Arabic-style windows in the clock tower.
reviewed
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D
Ponte Romana
The seven-arched Ponte Romana that loops away from the Praça da República may have predated the Romans, but is so named because it linked the Roman road from Castro Marim to Tavira. The structure you see now dates from a 17th-century reconstruction. The latest touch-up job was in 1989, after floods knocked down one of its pillars.
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Church
Built in the 1540s, this church is the Algarve’s most important Renaissance monument, with a magnificent carved, arched doorway topped by statues of Nossa Senhora da Misericórdia, São Pedro and São Paulo. The church’s stone mason, André Pilarte, also worked on Mosteiro dos Jerónimos.
reviewed
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E
Igreja da Misericórdia
Built in the 1540s, the Igreja da Misericórdia is the Algarve's most important Renaissance monument, with a magnificent carved, arched doorway topped by statues of Nossa Senhora da Misericórdia, São Pedro and São Paulo. The church's stone mason, André Pilarte, also worked on Mosteiro dos Jerónimos.
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F
Torre da Tavira
The Torre da Tavira, which was formerly the town’s water tower (100m), now houses a camera obscura. A simple but ingenious object, the camera obscura reveals a 360-degree panoramic view of Tavira, its monuments and local events, in real time – all while you are stationary.
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G
Palácio da Galeria
Enter the old town through the Porta de Dom Manuel (by the turismo ), built in 1520 when Dom Manuel I made Tavira a city. Around the back, along Calçada da Galeria, the elegant Palácio da Galeria holds occasional exhibitions.
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H
Igreja de Santiago
Just south of the castle is the whitewashed 17th-century Igreja de Santiago, built where a small mosque probably once stood. The area beside it was formerly the Praça da Vila, the old town square.
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Castle
What’s left of the castle is surrounded by a decidedly unwarlike, small and very appealing garden.
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