There is much to see and do in Lagos on the Algarve coast in southern Portugal. Lagos is a pleasant and tourist-friendly holiday town with beautiful beaches and a fine harbour. From beautiful churches and forts to boat trips and amusement parks, this city has a history as an old seafaring town. We've listed all the things you don't want to miss in Lagos on the Atlantic coast. Plus, we've got a great place to park your motorhome if you're travelling by caravan.
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Lagos on the Algarve coast
Lagos on the Algarve coast is one of the most popular holiday destinations in southern Portugal. There are plenty of hotels here, but if you're booking during the high season, you may still need to book well in advance. There is also a caravan park here, which we will tell you about further down in this post. There is a lot to see and do in Lagos, from strolling around the Old Town to taking boat trips.
You can also try Portuguese cuisine, which is often characterised by fish and seafood. For example, don't miss out on this delicious stew. cataplana! Did you know that Lagos means lakes in Portuguese? There are plenty of things to do, from boat trips and kayaking around the coast, to hiking trails and water parks. We've compiled a list of 15 things to see and do in Lagos on the Algarve coast!
15 things to see and do in Lagos on the Algarve Coast
1st Meia Praia
Meia Praia is the largest sandy beach in the region at 5 kilometres and runs in a wide arc. Along the beach, there are sandbanks out in the water that you can sit on.
2nd Ponta da Piedad
Ponta da Piedad is a beach with cliffs, hills and various formations of red and yellow limestone. They can be as high as around 20 metres and there are also natural arches and caves.
3. Praia do Camilo
Praia do Camilo is a beach with small coves and a long wooden staircase. At certain times you can swim around the caves, and when the tide goes out you can walk through them.
4. Praia de Dona Ana
Praia de Dona Ana is a beach located relatively close to the city centre. This open beach is surrounded by rock formations and the water is almost always calm as the rocks provide protection.
5. Old Lagos
Old Lagos and the historic city have whitewashed houses and patterned streets, still partly within the 17th century walls. Lagos was the capital between 1576 and 1756, and nearby is a monument commemorating a cruel period of the city's history. The Mercado de Escravos was Lagos' slave market for about 250 years from 1444, and is a reminder that the age of exploration had a human cost.
Stroll around the Old Town, where you'll find small alleys, surf shops, restaurants and a fish market. The centre, surrounded by the Moorish walls, makes this city a charming place in southern Portugal.
6. Lagos Zoo
Located a few kilometres outside the city, Lagos Zoo is home to animals from five continents. There are many different types of birds, as well as monkeys and turtles.
7. igreja de santo Antonio
The Igreja de Santo Antonio church is a Portuguese national monument. The church has two bell towers and is filled with wood carvings and paintings, depicting the life of St Antony of Lisbon.
8th Centro Cinecia Viva de Lagos Museum
The Centro Cinecia Viva de Lagos Museum is a science museum in Lagos. Located in Casa Fogaça, an 18th century mansion, it displays all the innovations that made Portuguese discoveries possible. In the Museo Municipal DR José Formosinho you will find out why everything happened from the beginning to the time of discovery with Lagos on the Algarve coast.
9. Lagos Marina
Lagos Marina is now a marina, but was once a harbour for seafaring vessels. It offers a wide range of activities on the water and is also the city's social centre.
10. See Dolphins
Seeing dolphins, or dolphin spotting, is an amazing experience. Of course, there is no guarantee that you will see dolphins, but there is reportedly a 90 per cent chance. Among others, you can see porpoises, bottlenose dolphins, common dolphins and Risso's dolphins. Several other boat trips leave from the same harbour, including deep-sea fishing.
11. Forte da Ponta da Bandeira
Forte da Ponta da Bandeira is a fort located at the mouth of the Bensa River and defended the harbour until the end of the 18th century. Inside there is a chapel inside with Portuguese tiles.
12. Water sports
Water sports are available on almost every beach around Lagos. On the other side of Ponta da Piedade there are big waves, and novice surfers can learn the basics at Praia Porto de Mós. On calmer days, you can hire a stand-up paddleboard or body board for a few hours.
13th Luso Aventura
Luso Adventurea is a forest adventure with high ropes courses, vertical nets and bridges, located just east of Lagos. There are different levels to challenge both children and adults.
14. Slide & Splash
Slide & Splash is a water park near Lagos and Zoomarine is a marine park specialising in dolphins, marine life and birds. The park also has aquariums and a water park with slides, wave pools and rapids.
15. day trips
Day trips – Silves was the ancient capital of the Algarve, and Silves is home to a massive red brick castle. There are also traditional houses and cobbled streets leading down to the river. Alternative day trips from Lagos include the quiet resort of Luz, the shopping town of Portimão and the bustling resort of Praia da Rocha. All these day trips can be reached by cheap public transport, and there is no requirement to hire a car.
Meeting with blog readers
A funny thing happened when we were walking back from the Old Town, heading towards the car park. Suddenly a Swedish couple shouted at us "Thank you for a great blog!". This was Solan and Lasse, who of course also stood at the site with their motorhome. It immediately became an intense conversation about places and travel routes of course. So much fun that we meet a lot of people through the blog. So don't forget to say hello if we meet, sooo fun!
Parking space for motorhomes
In Lagos, there is a large and quite ok camping site, although without electricity but on the other hand at the easy price of 3 euros/day. The only sad thing was that several times beggars came and knocked on the door, and we have actually never experienced that before ... The coast is beautiful everywhere in Portugal and it is difficult to distinguish all destinations. Everything is quite personal about what to think and how to get into a new place. on the whole Portugal is a lovely country.
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Matts Torebring says:
When we arrived at the campsite http://www.turiscampo.com just outside Lagos, both Birgitta and I said, "We want to live here". The people we met and the nature made this place one of the best experiences in southern Europe. We long to go back there. Hugs
13 January 2015 - 19:45
Katarina Wohlfart says:
So beautiful. Shit how lovely you have it. Portugal is all good and fine I think 🙂 .
13 January 2015 - 20:06
Maggan and Ingemar says:
Surely you meet a lot of nice people when you are on a winter trip 🙂 If they also read the blog and make themselves known, it is an extra plus 🙂 Yes, you have a lot to discover but you have time on you too. Now we will discover Sicily.
Take care 🙂
13 January 2015 - 20:33
admin says:
Matts, thanks for the tip! Great to find a place like that! However, we have gone back to Albufeira now. We will wait for the ACSI card that we ordered here...
Catherine, we like Portugal! Beautiful, simple (not so much complicated rules) and quite cheap. By the way, are you going to Matka in Finland?
Maggan and Ingemar, fun to meet other bloggers, blog readers and other motorhome drivers in general! Wish you a good trip in Sicily! We keep up with the blog!
13 January 2015 - 20:38
Ditte says:
How nice to meet blog readers and see Lagos, but not so nice with beggars knocking on the door.
It will be interesting to see where you end up here next.
13 January 2015 - 21:10
Elisabeth says:
It is certainly nice to meet both new and old acquaintances. Fortunately, we have not encountered beggars at any campsite or free camping.
13 January 2015 - 22:50
Jennifer Sandström - travel, love & dreams says:
How cool to meet readers just like that in the world! Ballt! And fun 🙂 Will greet the fair from you! Hugs
13 January 2015 - 22:58
Ulla widing says:
It's nice to see all the campervan drivers you meet, but it's even more fun when they make themselves known... we'll shout if we see you!
Hugs!
13 January 2015 - 22:09
Mr Steve says:
It's great to be recognised in completely foreign environments. Blogging is undoubtedly a way of making contacts and you are clearly making a mark with your blog.
14 January 2015 - 7:00
Lennart says:
I remember Lagos from 2013!
Keep up the good work!
14 January 2015 - 8:53
admin says:
Ditte, just that they knocked on the door feels a bit sad... like someone knocking on the door where you live... Otherwise nice in Lagos!
Ulla Widing, that sounds great!
🙂
Jennifer, great fun! And looking forward to hearing from the fair!
Steve, blogging does create contacts! Both in cyberspace and IRL!
Lennart, glad you were here too!
14 January 2015 - 11:08
Ama de casa says:
Isn't it great when blog readers come forward and talk! One of the major benefits of having a blog is
🙂
14 January 2015 - 17:44
Lena in Wales says:
Lovely storks, though I was most struck by the tiled houses. How typical of Portugal! There are very few in Spain. However, some in Gibraltar, which is very multicultural.
Take care!
14 January 2015 - 18:00
admin says:
Ama de casa, agree! The blog leads to a lot of fun!
Lena in Wales, I also like the tiled houses, nice and special! I understand that you are in Spain now. We will be staying in Portugal for a while, so I don't think we will get there, although it would be nice to see you!
14 January 2015 - 18:59
Allis & Stellan says:
How wonderful you have it!
We will of course make ourselves known and say hello if our paths cross later this year, we are currently planning our holiday in Europe and you never know 😉.
Enjoy some for us too, snow slush today....
14 January 2015 - 19:46
admin says:
Allis & Stellan, planning your holiday is a nice activity in the snow (ugh). You never know! Would be great fun if we saw you somewhere!
14 January 2015 - 21:14