Algarve Unlocked

Currently Playing: CABANAS DE TAVIRA: The Village Born from Five Fishermen’s Huts

They say this village began with just five huts — not a castle, not a church, just fishermen and the sea. Three and a half centuries later, those same tides still shape how people in Cabanas de Tavira live, eat, and dream. In this episode of our Algarve Unlocked series, we head east of Tavira to uncover one of the Algarve’s most peaceful and authentic coastal villages — a place that still feels connected to the rhythm of the Ria Formosa lagoon. Join me as we: 🌊 Explore Cabanas’ beautiful boardwalk along the lagoon. 🦪 Learn how to harvest razor clams and follow them from the sand to the plate. 🏰 Step inside the mysterious 17th-century Fort of São João da Barra — a coastal stronghold with stories hidden in its walls. 🏠 Discover what it’s really like to live here year-round, from schools and shops to healthcare and housing. Whether you’re thinking of moving to the Algarve or just exploring new corners of Portugal, Cabanas de Tavira shows another side of southern Portugal — quieter, simpler, and deeply tied to the sea. 🗺️ Chapters 0:00 Five Huts and a Miracle – The Origins of Cabanas de Tavira 1:03 Algarve Addicts 1:43 Where to Find Cabanas & How to Get There 3:45 The Boardwalk and Steve and Galina 8:14 Razor Clam Fishing on the Ria Formosa 12:22 Interesting places 15:06 Boardwalk and Sandra Santos 16:32 Lunch at Dunas Restaurant 17:32 Walkthrough Cabanas 21:50 Wildthing drinks 📍 About Cabanas de Tavira Located just east of Tavira, Cabanas began in the late 1600s as a seasonal camp for tuna fishermen from Conceição. The name Cabanas literally means “huts”, and over the centuries those huts became homes. By the 1980s and 1990s, domestic tourism helped the village grow, leading to its official recognition as a parish in 1997. Today, Cabanas belongs to the Union of Parishes of Conceição and Cabanas de Tavira, home to about 3,400 residents. With its lagoon views, fresh seafood restaurants, and connection to the Ria Formosa Nature Park, it’s now one of the Algarve’s most loved yet least spoiled coastal retreats. 🧭 How to Get There 🚗 45 mins from Faro Airport via the toll-free A22 highway 🚆 45 mins by train from Faro to Conceição 🚌 Just over an hour by bus from Faro city centre 🍽️ Places Mentioned Razor Clam Fishing with Steve & Galina Richardson Dunas Restaurant – fresh seafood on the waterfront Noelia & Jerónimo – Michelin-recommended modern Algarve cuisine Wild Thing – creative fusion dining on the boardwalk Fort São João da Barra – 17th-century bastioned fort Eolis Watersports (Sandra Santos) – kitesurfing, SUP, and lagoon adventures 🎥 Filmed and narrated by Nick from Algarve Addicts / Algarve Unlocked 📍 Location: Cabanas de Tavira, Algarve, Portugal 🕰️ History, Lifestyle, Travel & Relocation