Just like the rest of the region, Tavira spent quite a few centuries under Arab rule, in this case it was between the 8^th and 13^th centuries, after which it was conquered by the Knights of the Order of Santiago in 1242. Then between the 16^th and 18^th centuries, Tavira was the main trading port in the region. As you can plainly see, a very rich history, and we’ll try to give you a general overview on the place with this short Tavira guide.

What makes the town of Tavira stand out from most of the other Algarve towns is that it managed to somehow stave off the influence of mass tourism and preserve its unique traditions and handsome character. Part of this character is the seven arch bridge which spans the Gilao river; while its current appearance dates from the 17^th century, the bridge itself is believed to have been built by the Romans. Severe floods affected the bridge back in 1989 and ever since it has only been open to pedestrian traffic, so you can still get to cross it, only you’ll be doing it on foot and some might argue that this is a much better way.

The river is a major part of the town, Tavira’s river front being populated with a plethora of shopping, dining and other types of opportunities. For instance the market hall present here was re-vamped a few years ago and now plays host to many shops, cafes and restaurants with its central area being reserved for exhibitions and other special events.

The entire river front is a great place for a walk or for a sit at one of the cafes and enjoy the incredibly quiet and picturesque setting. The gardens located near the bridge are a particularly great place to sit down and relax in the shade and usually you’ll see quite a few groups of older men chatting away the day or playing some dominoes.

Before we go any further we should mention that the town isn’t very far away from Faro and in fact you can quickly reach it by using some Tavira transfer from Faro Airport services.

Back to what sets the town apart, the place has some of the finest churches that you’ll see in the entire region of the Algarve and that’s saying something. Not only are they very beautiful, but there’s also quite a few of them, more than twenty in fact, which can be found in and around the town.

The church that is usually mentioned to be the finest in town is the 16^th century Igreja da Misericordia; this might be largely due to its blue and white azuejos, and wonderful carvings and scenes from the life of Christ. Close-by you can find the older Igreja da Santa Maria do Castelo which dates back from the 13^th century; this is where you’ll find the tombs of seven Christian knights of the Order of St. James who were killed by the Moors during the many battles that raged in the region in medieval times. This church is called ‘do Castelo’ because it is located near the 13^th century castle which was rebuilt by King Dinis from what were Moorish fortifications. Nowadays it is used for tourist visits and to offer fantastic views across Tavira.

The churches, while there’s quite a few of them, are only a part of the architectural heritage of Tavira, the town showing signs of defensive structures dating from the Phoenician, Islamic and Portuguese eras of leadership and you can find out where yo look for these things in a booklet printed by the Tavira Municipal Council.

The have been only a couple of the major sights to keep in mind when visiting the town of Tavira, rest assured that there are many more than these, of a much greater variety as well. The best way of seeing the town and enjoying your vacation at the same time will be with the help of some Tavira car hire services, so make sure to keep those in mind when you budget for your trip to the Algarve.

The settlement that is today known as Silves, has always been an important one in the region because thanks to its positioning, it lay at the entrance to the inland areas of the Algarve. Going there now, you can’t really see it, because the river is now too silted up to allow large vessels to travel it, but in centuries past, that was not an issue.

Any Silves guide is pretty much obliged to mention the most prominent monument in the city, namely the Castelo de Silves. This is now the best preserved castle in the region and it towers above the town alongside the nearby Cathedral. Being a fortress it was built on an overlooking hill, obviously so the views from the battlements are quite spectacular. The castle features eleven towers, two of them being barbicans, and its thick walls still enclose an area of about twelve hundred thousand square meters. Four of the towers were rebuilt during the 14^th and 15 centuries and as such feature Gothic doorways.

The defensive walls and towers which protected Silves have disappeared long ago, however one of the four gates still remains up, the Torreao da Porta da Cidade – the interior of the tower features two rooms and annexes in which you can now find the Municipal Library.

The earlier mentioned Cathedral is the Se de Silves one of the few remaining Gothic monument in the Algarve; it features ancient tombs and a network of old and narrow, cobbled streets will take you down into town from here.

One other both important and interesting monument that you must visit while here is the Cross of Portugal. This is a three meter tall limestone cross which dates back to sometime during the 15^th or 16^th century, you can find it to the right of the roundabout that takes you to the castle at the eastern end of the river front. This brings into discussion the method of transportation that you will be using while in Silves, and while you can reach Silves by using some Silves transfer from Faro Airport, you can also enjoy more of it and its surroundings with the help of Silves car hire services, but it all depends on what it is that you need from your transportation during your stay. For those who will have a car at their disposal during their trip, they should know that Silves has made some serious improvements to its road layout, so that the city maintains its picturesque quality while also allowing people to move around it at a decent clip.

The local town square, the Praca do Municipio features a lot of greenery, an unexpected amount for a town center actually. There are gardens, flowers and palms as well as a paved river front. The nearby swimming pool has a fitness area and an outdoor ‘play area’ for adults. The weather is definitely nice enough to encourage activities in the sun light.

Silves is a very relaxed city indeed, a great place to visit and enjoy the weather and local culture, especially when considering the large number of cafes and restaurants which offer outside seating. Simply walking around town will offer you a great experience since many old buildings have survived, these were built by rich merchants and are still in use, even if under different management.

The local gastronomy is definitely a major part of any trip to the Algarve, and visiting in Silves is no different. The city offers a good selection of places to enjoy some very tasty local dishes as well as wines.

The surroundings are just as interesting and in case you tire a bit from exploring the city, you can look into the option of boat trips to and from Portimao.

There are obviously many things to see and do while in Silves, much more than we can talk about in this article, rest assured that you will surely have a booked schedule once you’re there.

A large majority of travelers to the Algarve will pass through Faro because this is where the local airport is situated, and Faro Airport transfers are available to reach a wide number of Algarve locations.

There are however those who choose to stay awhile around Faro and they are rewarded with the discovery of a charmful town, with an interesting history, and the feel of an actual Portuguese fishing port.

While the city definitely has an industrial feel to it, keep in mind this is a working city, not an Algarve resort, there are definitely sightseeing opportunities to be had here, especially in the Old Town or Cidade Velha.

One enters this part of Faro through an 18^th century gate, which sets the mood for the area which is still enclosed by the remnants of the medieval walls which protected it in centuries past from attackers and raiders. Within the Old Town you will find possible the city’s most famous and by far its most macabre attraction, the Chapel of Bones, which can be found at the Igreja do Carmo. The chapel here decorated with the bones of more than 1,200 monks who lived here throughout the centuries, it is macabre and intriguing at the same time.

One other major sight that you must not miss if you stay in Faro for a few days, is the Ria Formosa Natural Park, which is near the city and also located a short distance away you can find the peaceful village of Estoi which features a strikingly pink Roccoco palace and Roman ruins which date from the 1^st century.

Of course considering the fact that this is the Algarve, a wonderful beach won’t be far away, in fact only a few miles away a long sandy spit of beach awaits for you, across the bridge close to the airport. Reaching all of these places will be considerably easier if you choose to employ some Faro car hire services.

Faro Shopping

The city’s main shopping area is located right in the heart of town, better said it is located along the Rua Santo Antonia and the Rua Francisco Gomes. If you’re interested in mingling with the locals and trying out some of the local fresh produce, there’s a produce market on the Largo do Mercado open every day. Faro is also the place where you can get plenty of holiday buys such a traditional clothing, various handcrafts and local wines.

Faro Restaurants

There’s a huge variety of restaurants and good food in Faro, the pedestrianized Rua de Santo Antonio which features a large number of eating establishments caters to all tastes and more importantly to all budgets. But you can’t stay in Faro without tasting the local seafood, especially since this is a port town; you should head for the Dois Irmaos, the city’s oldest seafood eatery where they only use the fresh catch of the day for their products.

Faro Nightlife

Considering the fact that we are dealing with a university city, Faro has an extremely frenetic nightlife, fueled by the student population. The place to be at night is along the Rua do Prior and in the narrow alleys around Rua Conselheiro Bivar and Rua Infante Dom Henrique. The dance clubs here start around 11PM or even midnight and they will be open till morning. The bars on the other hand are open from about noon until the early hours.

When talking about visiting Faro it’s impossible to create a complete Faro guide because there are many things to talk about, and many more that will get left out.

In a nut-shell, the main tourist attractions of the town can be found in its old town, where holidaymakers interested in architecture and history can brush up on those notions. On the other hand there are quite a few solid museums in town as well, ideal for the culture vultures. However what has to be taken into consideration is that Faro Portugal isn’t an Algarve resort, it’s a working, bustling city, and thanks to the presence of the airport here, it is the gateway to the Algarve.

While a good beach is accessible, for more specified fun with sea and sand activities you have to travel to the more touristy coastal resorts.

How considerably action you put into adequately preparing the outdoor camping trip can determine how effective (and pleasurable) the trip could be.  Though some of these duties may seem boring and tiresome, the more often you put these duties into practice the a lot more fun you will possess performing them.

Here we have 15 TIPS  You Must Know Earlier than You Go On Your First Camping holiday:

• 1.  Collect all the camping hard drives in a nook of a room and keep building to it as you think of it.
• 2.  Use holder cabinets in your car for simple storage.
• 3.  Keep the clothes in sports baggage.
• 4.  Make sure all hefty objects are secure and are loaded at the bottom of your car boot with lighter in weight items on top.
• 5.  Consider one prepared food in a freezer food that may be easily reheated on arrival at the destination.
• 6.  Guarantee you have everything you necessity for a drink quit like tea luggage, instantaneous coffee, sugar, condensed whole milk, cordial, powder, biscuits, a two litre bottle of water, satisfies, kettle, wet wipes and tea fabric
• 7.  If you are going away for a brief trip prepare the hot dishes so which you have a lot more time to chill out at your camp site and take pleasure in yourself.
• 8.  Stock up on fresh and crisp berries and veggies at every single chance.
• 9.  List everything you will eat on the variety of days you are away.
• 10. Retain extras always on give that includes a flower bouquet for desserts and breads, noodles, rice, beans and lentils.
• 11. Recall long life milk products (two to three cartons of lengthy life milk per day should be sufficient for a family of two youngsters and two parents as a guide).
• 12. Try tenting in the backyard to see how you sense regarding the tent and sleeping baggage etc.
• 13. The initially backpacking gear does not have to be expensive.  It is far more essential which it is long lasting and keeps you protected from artificial conditions.  Provide a piece of floor material with you, a piece of plastic material that goes beneath the tent.  Tuck the edges neatly with the tent.  The first issue you need to consider when selecting the tent is the volume ie the number of people your tent is heading to house.
• 14. Consider cutlery using you which is old and surely won’t be skipped if it doesn’t happen house with you.
• 15. Retain cutlery separate from crockery by putting them in plastic containers using lids or in a tea towel in a plastic material bag.

All great ideas and tips if you decide to go camping in Algarve where you can choose from many towns like Alvor camping,  that have special places for the camping lovers.