The pretty town of Tavira, full of historic churches and fine mansions with
filigree balconies, lies along both sides of the Gilão river, linked by a bridge  of Roman origin. This was part of the coastal Roman
road between Castro Marim and Faro.

Tavira’s early ascendancy began with the Moors, who saw it as one of their most
important settlements in the Algarve, along with Silves and Faro. It was
conquered in 1242 by Dom Paio Peres Correia, who was outraged at the murder of
seven of his knights by the Moors during a truce.

Tavira flourished until the 16th century, after which a slow decline set in,
aggravated by a severe plague (1645–6) and the silting up of the harbour. The
town now accommodates tourists, without compromising either its looks or
atmosphere.

The best view of the town is from the walls of the Moorish
castle  in the old Arab quarter on top of the hill. From here the
distinctive four-sided roofs of the houses that line Rua da Liberdade are
clearly visible. These pyramid-like roofs possibly evolved to allow the sudden
torrential rain of the Algarve to run off easily. From the castle walls, the
nearby clock tower of the church of Santa Maria do Castelo 
also acts as a landmark. The church itself occupies the site of what was once
the biggest mosque in the Algarve. Its façade retains a Gothic doorway and
windows, and its interior, restored in the 19th century, houses the tombs of Dom
Paio Peres Correia and his seven knights. Santa Maria do Castelo and Igreja da Misericórdia  are the only two of Tavira’s 21
churches to be open outside service hours. Below the castle, is the 1569 convent
of Nossa Senhora da Graça .

Renaissance architecture was pioneered in the town by André Pilarte, and can be
seen on the way up to the castle, in the Igreja da Misericórdia (1541–51), with
its lovely doorway topped by saints Peter and Paul, and in the nearby Palácio da Galeria  (open for temporary exhibitions). Rua da
Liberdade and Rua José Pires Padinha have a sprinkling of 16th-century houses.
The river embankments are graced by a few 18th-century mansions.