Tips & tours in Lagos, Portugal
The perfect destination for Summer holidays: a beautiful charming little town, surrounded by plenty of watersports, boat tours, beaches, beautiful caves and turquoise water. Lagos has it all.
Whether you want to discover Portuguese cuisine, lie in the sun all day, do a boat tour, go out partying every night or do a different watersport or boat ride every day, you can choose from all of this.
We will help you find the best boat tour or water sports. You can do SUP, surfing or kitesurfing or just go on a boat tour and discover the caves around Ponta da Piedade.
Dolphin watching boat trips are also very popular, just like the coastal tours to the famous Benagil caves.
For us, this destination is the absolute Must-Do for ocean lovers! In fact, Lagos is the place where SeaBookings was born and part of our team lives here :)
- Our favorite beach: Praia Dona Ana
- Our favorite restaurant: Tasca do Kiko
- Our favorite boat tour in Lagos: Dolphin watching Lagos
- Our favorite watersport in Lagos: SUP in Lagos
Getting around
The best way to discover the Algarve during your tour in Lagos is definitely with a
rental car. With a car, you can not only explore all the attractions of the Algarve but also drive through all the authentic and
cute villages along the coast and in the countryside.
However, there’s a
train line all the way from
Lagos to Vila Real de Santo António and bus lines are becoming better and better too.
Lagos is a small city, almost everything at
walking distance, you can explore the city center, some
pretty beaches, and of course do a boat tour to the impressive caves of Ponta de Piedade or Benagil.
For more tips around getting around in the Algarve,
read these tips.
Discover the city
Lagos is a city located in the Algarve, South of Portugal. The city is known for
history, old town, cliffs, beautiful beaches and caves. There are amazing beaches to discover, from one of the biggest beaches of Portugal (
Meia Praia) to the small beaches, surrounded by stunning cliffs (
Praia D. Ana).
At
Ponta da Piedade, there are several beaches you should see. Don’t forget that from near the Lighthouse at Ponta da Piedade, you have a unique view you should not miss.
The wonderful beaches, cliffs and caves are best seen on a
boat tour, kayak tour or SUP tour. On these tours, you will have the chance to get into the
caves of Ponta da Piedade or Benagil.
With
children, in Summer or Winter, visit the interesting science museum or the
Portuguese Discoveries Wax Museum. The
Centro da Ciência Viva, is located in the old town. The Portuguese Discoveries wax museum (Museu de Cera dos Descobrimentos) is located in the Marina of Lagos. With good or bad weather, both will provide you with a pleasant and interesting time with your family.
Many historical monuments, were constructed from the end of the thirteenth century on, the
Lagos walls (Muralha de Lagos),
Lagos castle (Castelo dos Governadores), and
several fortresses (Forte da Ponta da Bandeira and Forte da Meia Praia) were built.
These monuments were constructed to guarantee the protection of the coast and citizens against invasions and constant attacks of pirates and corsairs. During the
Discoveries, the city had a very important role. It was one of the main departure points for the conquerors in the North of Africa, and the initial phase of the Portuguese Discoveries, lead by
Infante D. Henrique.
On the main avenida, you can find a replica of the “Caravela da Boa Esperança” (Caravel of Good Hope), on a caravel like those Gil Eanes the navigator, discovered a passable route around Cape Bojador, which marked the beginning of the African exploration. With the departure from Lagos, the
Portuguese navigators conquered and discovered
Ceuta, Madeira Island, the Azores Islands, Alcácer- Cequer, Arzila and Tânger.
In the middle of the 15th century, the first African slaves arrived in the historic city. The slaves started to be sold, thus a
slave market was built, next to Praça do Infante Dom Henrique.
Nowadays you can visit the
Slave Market, but as a museum which offers visitors a perspective on this regrettable chapter of Portuguese history.
The “
Igreja de Santo António” - Santo António church, is a must see. It has a beautiful baroque gilded temple, the decoration with baroque carvings, thus considered one of the most beautiful churches in the country.
You can visit the Santo António Church, by visiting the Lagos museum (Museu Municipal Dr. José Formosinho), open at Tuesdays to Sundays, with a cost of only 3€ each entrance. Another church worth a visit is the
São Sebastião Church, it also has some gilded carvings and a small bone chapel.
The best boat tours in Lagos
The most famous Lagos boat tours are most definitely the Ponta da Piedade cave tours. The cave tours allow you to see the rock formations and caves and grottos of Ponta da Piedade.
The famous Ponta da Piedade, can be seen on big or small boats, for big or small groups.
There are many boat tours to different sets of caves and purpose. We recommend a sightseeing cruise, to coastal cruising along the coast of Lagos and see the most beautiful secluded beaches.
Even sea caves including the caves of Benagil can be seen and should be on your TOP things to see on in the Algarve. The
cave tours are a must.
The wild dolphins have also been one of the favorite things to do, the sensation of seeing them swimming in the wild, touches everyone. The
dolphin watching tours depart from the Marina.
For the younger party generation, don’t miss out on one of
the best boat parties in Portugal. Dance, drink and go for a dive in the ocean on the
Booze Cruise. Don't miss out on the
Algarve Boat Festival.
There are many boat trips, but don’t forget to
book in advance, as they get sold out very quickly, especially during the busy summer season. We offer only the best quality tours.
During the COVID-19 pandemic the use of face mask is mandatory on most of the shared tours, while private tours give you the option to use mask or not.
Departure time and check-in location is provided in all booking confirmations.
The best watersports in Lagos
If you are sporty, or up for some adventure. The
water sports go from extreme kitesurfing to diving. Discover Ponta da Piedade on a
Stand Up Paddleboarding tour or a
kayak tour. There is no better way to come so close to the caves.
This city is known for a vibrant surf scene, have you ever thought about surfing? Maybe it’s about time, to grab some surf lessons, and go for a surf day trip including transfers.
Surf is a sporty and fun experience.
Coasteering is an exciting way to discover the most “secret” places along the Algarve’s coast. You’ll hike, jump into the water and climb up some cliffs.
Parasailing is a must for the adrenaline seekers.
Get a stunning view over the coastline. In a sum, there is a huge variety of cool watersports to offer.
SUP, Kayak tours, surf tours, coasteering, parasailing, jetskis and even windsurf lessons.
Where and what to eat
There are many options for everyone. There are some very
typical fish restaurants, typical Portuguese cuisine restaurants, but also trendy vegan and vegetarian restaurants.
For fish, depending on what time of the year you come, a different fish might be more recommended, for instance, the Sardines are fatter, more delicious, and abundant in the summer months.
Sargos, Douradas and Robalos (sea bass) should be eaten during winter months for best quality.
The most recommended typical fish restaurant with an
amazing view is restaurante “ O Camilo”. For dinner, and some good sardines
“O Escondidinho”.
The Portuguese cuisine is a lot fish-based but has also many traditional dishes such as
“Frango piri-piri” (chicken piri-piri), “Bife à Portuguesa” (Portuguese steak), “Jardineira” (vegetable and meat stove), “Bifinhos de perú com cogumelos” (turkey with mushrooms).
The most recommended typical restaurants for lunch is
Casa Chico Zé, just outside town. For dinner, with a real Portuguese atmosphere, go to
“Restaurante Calhou” or “Tasca do Kiko” for a bit fancier sphere.
For
vegetarian or vegans, there are some cool options for you. The most recommended place to eat for vegetarians or vegans in Lagos, are
“Artesão” in the Marina of Lagos,
“Poké Lagos”,
“ Fresco’s café”,
“Green Room” and many others.
Enjoy the gorgeous beaches
Lagos is well known for its beautiful beaches. You can go on a boat tour around the coast to check some out and then decide which one you like most.
We will list out some of the ones you can’t miss.
From the city-beach Praia da Batata, you have many beaches until Ponta da Piedade. Most of them are walking distance.
Praia dos Estudantes and Praia do Pinhão are right after Batata Beach.
Praia da Balança, is located after Praia da Boneca and Praia dos Pinheiros and is a very cute, sandy cove enclosed by towering cliffs. It can be reached by boat or by a challenging footpath.
Praia do Barranco do Martinho is located immediately to the west of Ponta da Piedade. This beach has nice and calm waters because of the small cove where the beach is inserted.
Praia do Camilo and Praia da Dona Ana are some of the most popular beaches. But therefore, they’re also rather crowded. Meia Praia is probably the best-known beach. It’s very long and has many beach bars. It’s ideal for beach days when there’s no Northern wind “Nortada”.
Praia do Canavial and Praia do Porto de Mós are a little further away from the city center. These beaches are very popular among locals.
Do you want to see all these beaches in one day? Well, guess what we have several
cave tours in that allow you to see all of them.
Whatever you decide to do during your trip to Lagos, we promise you will love any of the watersports and boat tours in Lagos! Sunshine and a lot of fun are guaranteed! For any further tips or requests, feel free to contact us anytime.