Things to do in Lagos Portugal Algarve – Lagos, Portugal in Algarve is a destination that offers a wide array of exciting activities and attractions for visitors of all ages and interests. Whether you’re a beach lover, history enthusiast, or foodie, there are plenty of things to do in Lagos Portugal that will make your trip memorable. From exploring the stunning coastline and hidden caves to indulging in the local cuisine and immersing yourself in the rich cultural heritage, this charming town has something for everyone. In this blog post, we will guide you through the top things to do in Lagos Portugal, ensuring that you make the most of your time in this enchanting coastal gem. So, let’s dive in and discover the best of Lagos Portugal together!
Table of Contents
Lagos is a lovely city
Lagos is a lovely city for many reasons. First of all, Lagos has a very nice city center where you can walk and find many shops and restaurants.
Lagos is a perfect place for your shopping, whether you want to buy gifts for your friends or something for yourself to take home as a souvenir.
In the shops of Lagos, you can find various items and cork products that are typical of this area. You can find cork products elsewhere in the Algarve, but here in Lagos, there is more choice of both in kind of shops and in the variety of products.
Once you have visited and strolled through the historic center of Lagos you can head towards the coast where you will find another very busy and popular area of Lagos: the riverside area.
Lagos is also divided by a river, and along this river, there is a beautiful walk where you can relax and enjoy the city.
This pedestrian street connects the Marina de Lagos to the beach. Along this avenue, you can also find gazebos with various tour proposals in the area.
We also have ancient points of interest in this area, such as the Ponta da Bandeira Fort or the Sao Goncalo Door.
What about the beach? We are along the Algarve coast, so there is also an amazing beach!
Don’t miss the Ponta da Piedade panoramic point when you are in Lagos: it’s unique. It’s easily reachable by car.
Thanks to the city center and all the points of interest, Lagos is also a good idea for your travel destination in winter.
Video: Lagos Portugal in winter and Things to do
In the following video, you can virtually visit Lagos, see what are the best things to do and visit in Lagos, have some historical information, and see Lagos Portugal in winter.
Content Guide
CONTENT GUIDE
- 00:00 Is Lagos worth visiting in Portugal?
- 00:25 Lagos Old Town
- 12:16 Praça da Republica Lagos & history
- 14:04 Walk along Lagos River
- 16:28 Marina de Lagos
- 17:25 Ponta da Bandeira Fort
- 18:58 Lagos City Walls & Sao Goncalo Door
- 19:16 Castle of Lagos Portugal
- 19:30 Beaches Lagos Portugal
- 21:05 Ponta da Piedade Lagos
- 25:56 What is Lagos Portugal best known for?
- 26:14 Is Lagos worth a day trip?
- 26:30 Suggested Videos
- 26:37 Lagos Portugal Short
Video Text
Hi everybody, we’re in Lagos, Portugal and we want to answer the following questions: Is Lagos worth visiting in Portugal? What is Lagos Portugal best known for? Is Lagos worth a day trip? What are the best things to do and see in Lagos?
We leave the car in this free parking, and we go to explore the city. We start by walking toward Rua Infante de Sagres. It’s a morning in winter, and few people are still on the streets.
Lagos is a lovely city for many reasons. First of all, Lagos has a very nice city center where you can walk and find many shops and restaurants.
Walking along Rua Infante de Sagres, we arrive directly at Luís de Camões square. Luís de Camões square is one of the points of greatest interest in the historic center of Lagos. It is in this square that the characteristic green house is located.
The circular area in the center of the square that you see empty, at lunchtime turns into an excellent place to have lunch outdoors, even in winter thanks to the mild temperatures. Here is the view from this point of the square.
We now continue our walk on Garrett Street.
Lagos is a perfect place for your shopping, whether you want to buy gifts for your friends or something for yourself to take home as a souvenir.
In the shops of Lagos, you can find various items and cork products that are typical of this area. You can find cork products elsewhere in the Algarve, but here in Lagos, there is more choice of both in kind of shops and in the variety of products.
As you can see, Lagos is worth visiting in any period of the year thanks to its old town area. Lagos is not known only for its beach but is also an interesting city to visit and explore.
Lagos today is a town and a tourist center well equipped with hotel facilities, but in the past, it also had historical importance. The first expeditions of Portuguese navigators along the coasts of Africa left Lagos.
This was possible thanks to Gil Eanes. He left Lagos and managed to pass Cape Bojador in 1434, pushed by the infant Henry the Navigator. In the past, it was assumed that here sea monsters prevented the passage and destroyed the ships.
Gil Eanes was the unwitting architect of the beginning of the era of the “great discoveries”. All this reinforced Portugal’s role as a maritime power.
On “praça da Republica”, the city’s main square, in addition to the monument to Infante Dom Henrique , there is the Alfandega (16th century), traditionally indicated as the place where the first market of African slaves brought in by Portuguese ships took place.
On “praça da Republica”, noteworthy is the Baroque church “de Santo Antonio” from 1769, with a sumptuous interior.
Lagos faces the ocean and rises along the banks of the Rio Bensafrim. It’s here you can enjoy your walk along the river till arriving at the Marina of Lagos. In the meantime, you can choose your next tour thanks to the vast choice you find in the gazebos.
We now come back to see a more historical part of Lagos before arriving at the beach.
You will find a fascinating historic building between the river and the beach: Ponta da Bandeira Fort, also known as the Fort of Nossa Senhora da Penha de Franca.
The Ponta da Bandeira Fort is a building of public interest with military architecture from the 17th century. It is located at the entrance to the port of the Ribeira de Bensafrim. The Fort of Nossa Senhora da Penha de Franca was built between 1680 and 1690.
It was used to defend access to the quay and the south-eastern and eastern sections of the town walls by cross-firing with the Porta da Vila Bulwark and the Governors’ Castle Bulwark.
In its time, the fort was one of the most advanced fortresses in the Algarve. It stands out for its quadrangular plan and for being particularly low with thick walls on the seafront, an excellent example of military architecture used for artillery warfare.
The moat can be crossed using a rebuilt drawbridge leading to the only door. The cylindrical sentry boxes were added during 20th-century restoration works. The small Chapel of Santa Barbara is covered in 17th-century tiles.
As you have seen, Lagos was surrounded by city walls, and we can see Sao Goncalo Door in front of us. It’s military architecture from the 14th century. This was the main access to the quay of the late medieval town in the 15th and 16th centuries.
Lagos also has a castle that is a medieval fortress surrounded by the strong city walls. You can notice it when you are in Infante Dom Henrique square.
Now go back to the Ponta da Bandeira Fort, and continuing our walk along the coast, we arrive at one of the suggestive Lagos beaches.
On one side Ponta da Bandeira Fort, and on the other side, the beach.
This is not the only beach because, for example, we can see a long beach on the other side of the river: Duna Beach.
Other beautiful beaches are Praia do Pinhão and Praia de Dona Ana.
You can’t miss seeing Ponta da Piedade when you are in Lagos. It’s only a few minutes by car from Lagos and it’s a unique point of view of the Lagos coast both in winter and in summer.
Let’s go to explore it together!
You can see other beautiful beaches from Ponta da Piedade, such as Praia da Balança.
At Ponta da Piedade there are also wooden walkways where you can walk enjoying the view.
As you can see, there is much to do and visit here in Lagos. Lagos is really worthy of a visit for its old town, historical monuments, beaches, and beautiful walk you can do at Ponta da Piedade. You can spend several days in Lagos but also a day trip as we did today it’s a good idea. As we keep walking, we greet you: bye and see you in the next video! Bye.
Things to do in Lagos Portugal Algarve
What are the top things to do and visit in Lagos, Portugal? Here is our list.
- Old town
- Ponta da Bandeira Fort
- Sao Goncalo Door
- Lagos Beach
- Ponta Da Piedade
- Walk along Lagos River
- Lagos Marina
- Castle of Lagos
Lagos old town
What are some of the main streets to visit in Lagos old town? Here are some of them:
- R. Infante de Sagres, 8600-728 Lagos, Portugal
- Praça Luís de Camões, 8600-302 Lagos, Portugal
- Platz Gil Eanes, Praça Gil Eanes, 8600-657 Lagos, Portugal
- Av. dos Descobrimentos 5, 8600-645 Lagos, Portugal
In the shops of Lagos, you can find various items and products made from cork which are typical of this area. You can find cork items elsewhere in the Algarve, but here in Lagos, there is more choice of both shops and a variety of items.
Praça Luís de Camões
The Praça Luís de Camões is one of the points of greatest interest in the historic center of Lagos.
It is in this square that the characteristic green house is located.
R. Infante de Sagres Lagos, Portugal
Ponta da Bandeira Fort
You will find a fascinating historic building between the river and the beach: Ponta da Bandiera Fort, also known as the Fort of Nossa Senhora da Penha de Franca.
The Ponta da Bandiera Fort is a building of public interest with military architecture from the 17th century. It is located at the entrance to the port of the Ribeira de Bensafrim. The Fort of Nossa Senhora da Penha de Franca was built between 1680 and 1690.
It was used to defend access to the quay and the south-eastern and eastern sections of the town walls by cross-firing with the Porta da Vila Bulwark and the Governors’ Castle Bulwark.
In its time, the fort was one of the most advanced fortresses in the Algarve. It stands out for its quadrangular plan and for being particularly low with thick walls on the seafront, a good example of military architecture used for artillery warfare.
The moat can be crossed using a rebuilt drawbridge leading to the only door. The cylindrical sentry boxes were added during 20th-century restoration works. The small Chapel of Santa Barbara is covered in 17th-century tiles.
Sao Goncalo Door
National Monument. Military architecture from the 14th century. As part of the Cerca Velha, the main entrance is flanked by two barbican towers, in keeping with Islamic fortresses.
This was the main access to the quay of the late medieval town in the 15th and 16th centuries. The main East-West axis of the town (nowadays Rua Miguel Bombarda) ended, which connected the port to the upper district where the Parish Church of Santa Maria da Grata was located.
Castle of Lagos
Lagos Castle is a medieval fortress surrounded by strong walls. Its walls surrounded the entire city of Lagos, providing the town with its main means of defense.
Lagos beaches
On one side Ponta da Bandeira Fort, and on the other side, the beach.
This is not the only beach because, for example, we can see a long beach on the other side of the river: Duna Beach.
Other beautiful beaches are Praia do Pinhão and Praia de Dona Ana.
Walk along Lagos River
Lagos faces the ocean and rises along the banks of the Rio Bensafrim. It’s here you can enjoy your walk along the river till arriving at the Marina of Lagos. In the meantime, you can choose your next tour thanks to the vast choice you find in the gazebos.
Lagos Marina
Ponta da Piedade
You can’t miss seeing Ponta da Piedade when you are in Lagos. It’s only a few minutes by car from Lagos and it’s a unique point of view of the Lagos coast both in winter and in summer.
You can see other beautiful beaches from Ponta da Piedade, such as Praia da Balança.
At Ponta da Piedade, there are also wooden walkways where you can walk, enjoying the view.
Parking area
Free and very convenient parking for visiting the center of Lagos up to the marina or the beach is the following: Aparcamiento Público R. Infante de Sagres 104, 8600-686 Lagos, Portugal.
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