Praia do Barril
Tavira, Algarve, Portugal
Praia do Barril sits on Tavira Island inside the Ria Formosa Natural Park in Portugal, reached by a narrow gauge train that trundles across the marshes from Pedras d'El Rei in about eight minutes. Rows of old ship anchors, left behind from the beach's days as a tuna fishing camp, are staked into the sand near the entrance, and the wide stretch of beach beyond them backs up to the Ria's wetlands.
The little train and anchor cemetery give it real character beyond just the beach itself, though the wide, exposed sand offers little natural shade once you're out on it.
Ride the little train rather than walking the marsh path in summer heat. It runs every 15 to 20 minutes in season, and the open carriages give a good look at the wading birds along the way.
Park at Pedras d'El Rei near Santa Luzia, then take the narrow gauge train across the marshes to the beach, with single tickets running only a couple of euros.
The train drops passengers close to the beach, and from there it's a short, mostly flat walk to the sand past the anchor cemetery.
June through September brings the warm, dry Algarve summer, while the wetlands stay scenic and active with birdlife in the cooler shoulder months too.
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