Tavira

The Castle and the many steeples of churches, the mirror of a river where houses and gardens are reflected, the triangles of the roofs, the horizons of the beach and the sea make up the charms of Tavira, a city of art and history, a must-see in the Algarve cultural route.

Tavira, the Muslim metropolis, developed quite late, in the course of the 12th century. It was a sort of small commune or maritime republic of pirates, prosperous and proud of its autonomy. It was capable of putting up a strong successful resistance against the power of the Almohads, twenty years after the start of the expansionist movement on the territories and people of al-Andalus.

In 1242 the city was conquered by the master of the Order of Santiago, D. Paio Peres Correia.

At the beginning of the 20th century, Tavira found in tuna fishing and in the canning industry a new path towards economic prosperity. With the near extinction of tuna in the Algarve coast during the 1970s, the city focused on tourism, an activity that constitutes one of the pillars of its economy.