Praia de Cabanas is a 7km barrier island beach in the eastern Algarve, reached by a short boat taxi ride from the Cabanas de Tavira waterfront. Dune-backed and stretching toward Cacela Velha, it holds a Blue Flag award and offers warm, calm water with far fewer visitors than the beaches closer to Tavira.
Why This Beach
Seven kilometres of sand, and almost nobody on most of it. Praia de Cabanas sits on the Ilha de Cabanas, the easternmost barrier island in the Ria Formosa Natural Park, and the boat ride needed to reach it acts as a natural crowd filter. The beach near the landing point has a bar and sun loungers, but walk ten minutes in either direction and you are effectively alone on a dune-backed strip between lagoon and ocean.
The sand is soft and pale gold, the water is some of the warmest in the Algarve (this far east, sea temperatures run a couple of degrees above the central coast average), and the whole setting sits inside a protected natural park. The beach has held Blue Flag certification since 1987.
It is not dramatic in the way the cliff-backed coves of the central Algarve are. The appeal here is different: scale, quiet, and the feeling that a five-minute boat crossing has transported you somewhere far more remote than the map suggests.
How to Get There
Cabanas de Tavira village is about 40 minutes from Faro Airport by car. Take the A22 motorway east and exit toward Tavira, then follow signs to Cabanas. The village sits about 6km east of Tavira itself.
Boat taxis depart from the pier on Avenida Ria Formosa in the centre of Cabanas. The crossing takes under five minutes and runs from roughly April through October, with boats operating at irregular intervals throughout the day. Always confirm the time of the last return boat, particularly outside peak summer. Getting stranded on an uninhabited barrier island makes for a better story than an actual experience.
Free parking is available on the streets near the waterfront, though in July and August spaces go early. There is no car park as such, just village street parking. If you are staying in Tavira, the drive or taxi ride to Cabanas takes less than ten minutes. A bus service connects Tavira to Cabanas, though frequency is limited enough that driving or a taxi is more practical for a beach day.
During the crossing, the Forte de São João da Barra is visible on the mainland side. Built in the late 1600s to defend the port of Tavira, it sits right at the channel mouth. Not open to visitors, but it adds to the scenery.
What to Bring and What to Know
Sun protection is the priority. The island has almost no natural shade beyond the small area around the bar and the parasols available for hire near the boardwalk. If you plan to walk along the beach (and you should), bring a hat, water, and sunscreen. There is one bar-restaurant on the island, but nothing else. Cash is worth carrying.
The ocean-facing side of the island has calm to moderate conditions for most of the summer. Water temperature on this stretch of the eastern Algarve reaches around 22-24°C in August, noticeably warmer than beaches around Lagos or Sagres. By June, it is already sitting at 20-21°C. Comfortable for swimming without needing to psych yourself up.
The island is about 70 metres wide in most places, so you are never far from the lagoon side. The lagoon water is shallower, warmer, and calmer still, which makes it a good option for small children who find the open-ocean side too much. Windsurfing and sailing are popular here because the island catches reliable wind, though you will need to bring or arrange equipment from the mainland.
One thing worth knowing: the beach stretches roughly 7km in total, but the monitored section with lifeguard coverage is concentrated near the boardwalk and bar area. Wander far enough east and you are on your own in every sense.
Nearby Beaches
Praia da Ilha de Tavira is the next island beach to the west and significantly busier, with more restaurants and facilities behind the sand. If you want the infrastructure of a developed island beach with a pine forest, restaurants, and volleyball nets, Ilha de Tavira delivers that. The trade-off is more people.
Praia de Cacela Velha lies to the east, at the very end of the Ria Formosa system. You can reach it by walking along the sand from Cabanas, though the distance is considerable and a tidal channel may block the final stretch. Most people access it separately from below the clifftop hamlet of Cacela Velha, wading across the shallow lagoon at low tide. Worth the effort for the setting alone.
Walk east (left when facing the sea) for ten to fifteen minutes and you will likely have a stretch of beach entirely to yourself, even in August. The area near the boardwalk and restaurant is where everyone clusters.