Ilha de Tavira
Lies south of the town of Tavira, just a few hundred metres off the coast.
It is 11 kilometres long and varies between 150 m to 1 km in width. The island has 11 km of the best beaches in the Algarve, Portugal, including areas where naturism can be legally practised. It is part of the Natural reserve of Ria Formosa. It is also popular among tourists, people that like to swim and bird watchers.
Getting there
The island of Tavira can be accessed via water boat in the summer (July and August) from the riverside behind the enclosed market next to the river past the bridges in Tavira. Alternatively it is easy to drive to. Cross the main arched bridge in Tavira take the right turn as you go down the other side, then turn right and drive under the arched bridge. Continue along this road past the salt flats to the end where you can park in a number of car parks (the unmanned ones in the middle are free if you get there early enough i.e. 9 a.m.) Then you pay 1 Euro return for the ferry crossing to the 
beach. There are numerous restaurants for lunch on the island.
Even better
Drive east to Prai Verde or the stunning Manta Rota approximately 5 km away. Here there is ample free parking and a wooden walkway to the beach that is stretches as far as the eye can see. There are various cafes a short distance from the beach or take the cooler from the apartment with a packed lunch and the small parasol. This is a good location for many different shells to discover..
Other options
Drive west to Falesia.
The beach by Vilamoura the Vale Do Lobo or Pria Do Olhos de Agua are very pleasant but much more crowded.
Click here for the Tavira Island Wikipedia Page
Click here for Tavira Island on Google Maps
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This is a truly lovely island. We reached it from Fuseta on the small ferry which takes about 10 minutes. The beach is great and in season there are even a couple of small cafes on there but worth taking a cool box for the kids.