Lagos is a cute tourist town in the South West of Portugal. It attracts people from all walks of life, although the historical center has a reputation for parties. Besides this, Lagos is a great place to base yourself if you want to surf the South West. Therefore there are plenty of cheap hostels to choose from and there is a lot of tourist infrastructure. During the pandemic the parties were harder to find, although not non-existent, but there was still plenty to do. It seemed like particularly the Dutch, Germans and British had found their way to Lagos last October. It wasn’t crowded, but coming from the Rota Vicentina trail, I had to readjust to seeing so many tourists.
Lagos’ beach life
Lagos’ main attraction is certainly the ocean. The water may not be very warm, but there is a great variety of beaches to choose from. If you walk south from the center you’ll first see Batata beach. You can walk through tunnels in the rocks to explore the beaches behind it, until you get to the beach with the Roman bridge. To reach the beaches further along you’ll have to go back and take the road, but the paths close to the edge of the cliffs are an experience in itself. Past Praia do Camilo you can stay close to the see and enjoy some beautiful views all the way to Ponta da Piedade, the main attraction if you ask me.
Ponta da Piedade is a dramatic piece of coastline with tunnels, caves and rocks sticking out of the sea. Although you can’t see it all from the shore, a walk out here is a must! There are wooden walkways that unfortunately don’t offer the best views, but you get some great opportunities for photos around the lighthouse. Once you’ve gathered your first impression, you can join a kayak tour for an up close inspection of the caves and rock formations. This tour was one of the best activities I’ve done in Portugal.
From Lagos you kayak past the coast and your guide will explain about what you see. “This is elephant rock, because it looks like an elephant.” You know the kind. It’s not so much about this information though. It’s all about mother nature’s masterpiece. You can kayak in and out of caves where the water gets beautiful blue colors depending on the sun and the time of day. I decided to take the earliest tour so that it wouldn’t be too crowded yet. Besides kayaks, there are also lots of boat tours out on the water. In the morning it’s not too busy which is better for your photos and you don’t have to wait so much to enter the caves.
You kayak through little arches and tunnels and get up close to some amazing parts of the coast. I didn’t have my water proof camera, so I had my phone in a waterproof bag. I tried to get it out every now and then to take a photo, but the result isn’t that amazing. I then decided to just enjoy it and save the pictures in my mind. For me it was great to be out on the water, to be sightseeing in an active way. At the end I still had plenty of energy, but unfortunately time had flown by and we had a beach break before we were towed back to the center.
Exploring the town of Lagos
In the 14th and 15th centuries Lagos grew and became a well off city because it focused on ship building and trading. The first big slave auction was held in Lagos as well. 235 people were sold to the highest bidder. Now, there is a very small museum dedicated to the slave trade so that it won’t be forgotten. It’s strange to read the stories while outside people are enjoying sun, sea and cocktails.
Lagos’ old town is a small area of little streets with lots of shops, cafés and restaurants. You can find the local sweets with almond in the pastelarias or find a nice square with cafés for a cold beer in the shade. It’s very inviting to wander around and let time go by. Just around the old town the streets gets wider and you’ll find more houses and hotels, but I also came across some very cool and unexpected street art.
There is a pleasant boulevard that leads to the marina. Every day many vendors set up stalls selling cork souvenirs, towels and many other things. On Saturday you can visit the farmer’s market. Lagos is not the best place for the sunset, but it’s beautiful and quiet at sunrise. With the bus system it’s also easy enough to visit towns in the area. In the off season I found Lagos to be a nice base. You have nice beaches for relaxing and plenty of restaurants, cafés and bars. I’m not sure I want to find out what it looks like in the high season though!
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