It was in late April when I could no longer resist the steps on the other side of the Rio Gilão, or perhaps I should say Rio Séqua as the river changes its name at the Ponte Romana.
We park near the bus station when we visit, and usually stroll along the river pass the bus station to a small cafe near the square. On this particular day though we were so hungry that we decided to walk across the modern bridge below the viaduct and head straight for one of our favourite restaurants on Rua Joao Vaz Corte Real.
This road is named after João Vaz Corte-Real, an Algarvian sailor who is believed to have landed on the shores of North America around 20 years before Columbus. His father was also once Captain-General of Tavira. Whilst I have been able to learn more about the road, I cannot for the life of me remember the name of the restaurant!
We usually enter via its back entrance on the Rua Borda d’Agua da Assèca. Yes that does appear to be another a name for the river. This name (I’m guessing here!) reflects the river’s source, which is located in the Serra do Caldeirão mountains of the central Algarve, at the confluence of the Asseca, Zimbral and Alportel rivers.
On this particular day after joining the many locals for a delicious Pratos do dia, we went for a stroll. The walk began by leaving through the main entrance and turning left up Rua Joao Vaz Corte Real before a sharp turn right up some steep cobbled steps. We then meandered around the cobbled streets before finding ourselves in a lovely plaza with stunning views of the rest of the town.
Tavira is a perfect place to stay and also ideal for day trips as you can wander endlessly around its cobblestone streets as well as spend time exploring its churches, enjoying the view from the castle and stopping for a coffee in one of its beautiful squares. To find out more about Tavira check out some of my older posts or pop across to Jo’s lovely blog as she knows Tavira much better than me. We can’t wait to return in November – if you are there now or visited recently share your favourite places to stroll by leaving a comment below.