Visiting the Anchor Cemetery Graveyard – Tavira, Portugal

I’m always on the lookout for strange and odd attractions when I travel, so when I heard about the Anchor Cemetery in Portugal, I had to add it to our itinerary.

The anchor cemetery is located near the city of Tavira, in the southern Algarve region of Portugal on Barril Beach. Tavria once thrived on the tuna fishing industry, but eventually, the fish supply dried up. Sometime in the 1970s, the fishermen departed and left the anchors in their wake. Today, the anchors are arranged in rows on a section of a large sand dune on the beach, abandoned and rusting in the sunshine, as a memorial to a once prosperous industry. However, no one knows who put the anchors here.

Anchor Cemetery in Portugal – Details

Location & Getting Here: The Anchor cemetery graveyard is located near the town of Tavira, Portugal. The anchors are located on Praia do Barril (Barril Beach), which is what we put in our GPS. We drove here and parked on the road highlighted in yellow on the map above. From there, you will need to walk over the footbridge over to Tavira Island and through some marshy wetlands to the beach. Parking is free.

Cost: Free. You have the option either walk to the beach or to take a toy train ride for a few Euros after you cross the footbridge. We visited in January and the train ride was not operating.

The walk will take you about 15-20 minutes, one way.

Along the way, you’ll enjoy the marshy beach scenery, and hopefully spot some interesting birds. Once you reach the beach, you’ll see a restaurant and a beach resort. Public bathrooms (free of charge) are available as well (yes, they were open during the winter when we visited).

Once at the beach, you should be able to see the anchor cemetery if you look towards your left. Make your way over there to check out the rusty, crusty old tuna fishing anchors.

This location is great for photography, especially if you like to photograph old shit like I do. The anchors themselves are roped off – so you can’t walk into the cemetery – you have to photograph them from the sidewalk, which will limit your photography compositions.

If you visit in the winter, there isn’t much else to do here, as the cafe and resort were closed for the season, and it’s too chilly for beach activities. You can fish here, like this guy is:

Then, just head back the way you came and return to your car.

Anchor Cemetery Graveyard in Portgual – Final Thoughts

Pros:
Interesting photography location
Pleasant walk to the beach

Cons:
Not much going on here in the winter.
Nothing else to see except the anchors.