Picolo recommends · Hotel in Tavira, Algarve
Pousada Tavira
A former convent at the top of Tavira, where you swim in the garden pool and look out over the old town's tiled roofs.
Morning light falls through the arches of the cloister, and beyond the walls the town wakes up slowly. Pousada Convento de Tavira has turned an old convent on the hill into a hotel, with a pool in the garden and rooms that look across Tavira's roofs.
Tavira is one of the most attractive towns in the Algarve, built along a river, with churches, an old stone bridge and squares full of cafés. Pousadas are Portugal's network of hotels in historic buildings, and this one puts the town right outside the door.
Picolo’s verdict
Why we chose Pousada Tavira
We picked it for travellers who want a real Portuguese town rather than a resort. You get history in the walls, good fish in the restaurants by the river, and the island beaches a short boat ride away.
The beach is not on the doorstep. To reach the sand on Ilha de Tavira you take a boat from town, which makes a good day out but takes some planning. Families after a pool and beach week will find more to do further west.
What you get
- Rooms in a former convent
- Cloisters and garden
- Pool in the garden
- Boats to Ilha de Tavira from town
- Fish restaurants by the river
A day at Pousada Tavira
- Morning
- Coffee in the cloister before the town is up.
- Midday
- Catch the boat to Ilha de Tavira and stay for the beach.
- Afternoon
- Back to the garden pool with the roofs below.
- Evening
- Walk down to the river for grilled fish and octopus.
Location
Tavira, Algarve, Portugal
Open in MapsQuestions about Pousada Tavira
How do you get to the beach from Pousada Tavira?
Boats to Ilha de Tavira leave from the town and from Quatro Águas nearby. The island has a long sandy beach backed by dunes.
Is Pousada Tavira in the old town?
Yes. The convent stands on the hill in the historic centre, so churches, squares and the riverside restaurants are all a short walk downhill.
What is a pousada, and why stay at Pousada Tavira?
Pousadas are Portuguese hotels set in historic buildings such as castles and convents. Here you sleep in a former convent in one of the finest towns in the Algarve.
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Updated 6 Nov 2026All articles
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