Things to do in Lagos
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Lagos
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Spring 18 to 24C, wildflowers, trails and golf at best, prices below summer, sea cold until late May.
Summer 26 to 30C, everything open, sea warmest. August peaks, June is the sweet spot, nortada wind afternoons.
Autumn locals favourite, sea warm into October, crowds gone by mid September. September is the single best month.
Winter 15 to 18C, quiet and mild, lowest prices, many smaller places close in January, not a beach holiday.
What's on
- Banho 29 29 August
Ritual night swim at Meia Praia and Batata said to be worth 29 baths, with music and food stalls.
- Festa de Sao Goncalo de Lagos late October, around 27 October
Celebrations for the town patron saint with processions and local festivities.
- Carnaval Feb/Mar, by Lent
Lagos parades and dances. The regions largest carnival is at Loule, about 30 minutes east.
- New Year's Eve 31 December
Fireworks over the marina and Avenida waterfront, Lagos biggest winter night.
Best things to do in Lagos
Ponta da Piedade Boardwalk
Signature cliff boardwalk past Dona Ana and Camilo coves to the Ponta da Piedade lighthouse and grotto headland.
Praia do Camilo
Small perfect cliff cove with a rock tunnel and calm clear water, best as an early morning swim.
Praia Dona Ana
Wider golden cove under ochre cliffs with facilities, the easier Lagos beach for a half day.
Ponta da Piedade Grotto Boat Tour
Small boats enter the low arches and lit grotto chambers that you can only see properly from the water.
Lagos Old Town
Walled cobbled centre for squares, tiled facades, coffee, markets, museums and the evening dinner stroll.
Igreja de Santo António
Plain church hiding a stunning gilded woodcarving interior, entered through the adjoining regional museum.
Mercado Municipal de Lagos
Working three storey market for morning fish, Algarve produce and edible souvenirs at local prices.
Meia Praia
Four to five kilometres of open sand for space, swimming, running and a sunset stroll when coves fill up.
Where to stay in Lagos
Old Town
first trip, all-round base
Everything walkable with dinner on your street and marina boats ten minutes away, but bar noise nearby.
Marina / Avenida dos Descobrimentos
boat-heavy, easy-access stays
Flat and modern facing the marina, with lifts and level walks suited to boats, station and families.
Dona Ana / Ponta da Piedade
beach-and-view resort stays
Upscale properties among villa streets between the coves, with pools and clifftop sunsets, walk to town.
Meia Praia
families, long stays, space per euro
Big resorts and apartments along an enormous beach, a resort strip rather than a town base.
Porto de Mos / Praia da Luz
quieter village version
Calm western beach suburb and a self contained family village, best for repeat visitors with a car.
Think twice about
- Old town bar core around Rua 25 de Abril
Loud stag, hen and backpacker drinking until late in high season. Sleep two streets back or in sealed modern rooms.
- Far ends of Meia Praia strip and Porto de Mos villa sprawl without a car
Empty, dark and far from an open restaurant outside high season, with infrequent buses.
- Albufeira as a Lagos base
A much rowdier resort 45 minutes east. Basing there turns every Lagos sight into a day trip.
Best restaurants in Lagos
Restaurante dos Artistas
Definitive celebration dinner in a restored old house with a walled garden and refined Portuguese cooking.
Al Sud
One-star tasting menu in the Palmares clubhouse built on Algarve fish, oysters and Monchique produce.
Casinha do Petisco
Small traditional room famous for cataplana and generous Portuguese dishes at a tier below fine dining.
O Camilo
Seafood terrace above Camilo cove serving grilled fish, cataplana and rice, endorsed by locals for food too.
Adega Típica A Forja
Busy plain tavern known as the blue door, serving impeccably grilled fresh fish at low prices.
Casa Chico Zé
Lunch only family barbecue legend for whole grilled fish, kebabs and piri piri chicken outside town.
Tasca do Kiko
Inventive petiscos tasca near a boatyard, ideal when a group wants many small plates to share.
Prato Cheio
Traditional local restaurant outside the core serving cataplanas and daily specials at the lowest prices here.
Outdoor things to do in Lagos
Kayak Ponta da Piedade Grottoes
Guided paddling into grottoes and arches no boat fully enters, best at sunrise on flat empty water.
Benagil Cave
Huge domed sea cave with a roof hole and beach inside, paired from Lagos with offshore dolphin watching.
Dolphin Watching Lagos
Offshore trip with marine biologists for common and bottlenose dolphins, approached slowly with limited pod time.
Praia do Amado Surf Lesson
Lagos surf school day on the west coast, with Amado as the beginner to advanced teaching beach.
Seven Hanging Valleys Trail
Celebrated six kilometre cliff hike past sinkholes, arches and Benagil from above, with no shade.
Sagres and Cabo de São Vicente
Windy end of the world day with Sagres fortress and the lighthouse cliffs at mainland Europe southwestern tip.
Silves Castle
Red sandstone Moorish castle above a quiet river town, combined with Monchique hills and Foia summit views.
Palmares Golf Course
Twenty seven holes mixing parkland and links toward Meia Praia, with huge views over the Bay of Lagos.
Best hotels in Lagos
Cascade Wellness Resort
Flagship clifftop five star wellness resort above Canavial beach with pools, spa and extensive grounds.
Palmares Beach House Hotel
Twenty room boutique inside Palmares golf resort, minutes from the first tee and Meia Praia sand.
Belmar Spa & Beach Resort
Polished spa resort above Porto de Mos beach with big rooms, apartments and multiple pools.
Iberostar Selection Lagos Algarve
Meia Praia flagship five star with pools, spa and two restaurants beside the enormous beach.
Lagos Avenida Hotel
Small adults only design hotel facing the marina with a rooftop infinity pool and old town access.
Tivoli Lagos
Large four star village style hotel just outside the walls with pools, spa and several bars and restaurants.
Carvi Beach Hotel
Straightforward well run hotel steps from Dona Ana beach with sea view rooms, pool and rooftop terrace.
Hotel Marina Rio
Dependable marina front four star with level walking to boats, station and old town, without the noise.
Is Lagos expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | €55 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | €120 a person |
| Splurge | €300 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Ponta da Piedade Grotto Boat Tour: a few days ahead
- Kayak Ponta da Piedade Grottoes: a few days ahead
- Benagil Cave: a few days ahead
- Dolphin Watching Lagos: a few days ahead
- Praia do Amado Surf Lesson: a few days ahead
- Palmares Golf Course: weeks ahead
- Espiche Golf: weeks ahead
- Boavista Golf Course: weeks ahead
- Good accommodation weeks to months ahead in June to September, especially boutique and adults only places.
- Book dos Artistas, Casinha do Petisco, O Camilo terrace and Al Sud days ahead in season.
- Book earliest Benagil and kayak departures and golf tee times in spring and autumn peaks.
Is Lagos safe?
- Theft from cars at beach car parks is the endemic visitor crime. Leave nothing visible.
- Watch bags on sand while swimming and use normal drink awareness in the late night bar core.
- Sea is the main hazard: Atlantic swell, rips, slippery cliffs and heat on exposed trails.
Lagos travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Benagil at midday in August is overcrowded. Go at dawn or see it from the trail.
- Marina and Avenida restaurant row has average food at above average prices. Walk into the old town.
- Couvert bread, olives, cheese and pates are charged if eaten. Wave away what you do not want.
- Never swim to Benagil and do not do unguided cliff jumping. Currents, boats and rockfalls are dangerous.
Getting around Lagos: public transport and more
- Walk the centre, marina, market and boardwalk start, all within about 20 minutes of each other.
- Use A Onda buses for Meia Praia, Porto de Mos and Luz, and Bolt or Uber for golf and Chico Ze.
- Rent a car only for day trip days to Sagres, Silves Monchique, Seven Valleys and surf beaches.
- Faro Airport is about an hour by motorway. Train from Faro station to Lagos takes about 1h45.
Who Lagos suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Great |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | OK |
| Families | Great |
| Bachelorette parties | Great |
Make Lagos your trip
Swearby drafts the days from places people swear by. Swap any stop, then invite the crew by text, even friends without the app. Vote on dates, track costs as you go, and everyone gets one number at the end.
Get Swearby on the App Store