Lagos (Portugal) Travel Guide
From Wikitravel
Lagos is a city in the Algarve, in the south of Portugal.
Contents |
Get in
To get to Lagos, pronounced Lagosh, from Faro – to where many fly in from all over Europe - you take the A22 and it's about 1 hour drive (rather fast). You also can take the 125 west, the older road, that takes you through about half of the western Algarve. The 125 brings you closer to some of the interesting towns and villages of the Western Algarve. These include Albufeira, Carvoeiro, Ferragudo, Porches – with the famous Porches Pottery -, Alvor, and then Lagos.
From Sagres, pronounced Sagresh, almost the most Western point in the Algarve you take the the 125 east and drive through Salema, Burgau and Luz, pronounced Lush. These small towns are beach communities the are undergoing massive construction to house retirees from the UK and Germany and to a lesser extent from the rest of Europe. English is very common although the number of Americans is small. The drive takes about 30 minutes at reasonable speed.
Get around
See
There is a great variety of things to see: The city center is sculped with traditional architecture and colors from the region. Beaches vary in shape and style from long sandy beaches to almost private ones hidden by cliffs.
Ponta da Piedade is a beautiful spot with a nice lighthouse from where you can make boat tours to the natural caves.
The harbour in the morning is full of activity, if you like to wake up early dont miss it. Also the fish market is an interesting spot.
Do
The beaches are great for exploration. Beaches outside of town are long desolate stretches of sand with tall cliffs that are excellent for privacy. Many sea caves can be explored during low tide.
Buy
Southern Portugal is famous for it's ceramics, and Lagos won't let you down. Ceramic dishes and tiles of all price ranges, styles, and colors are available. Some stores don't provide boxes for your goods, only newspaper wrapping, so ask before you buy, if it matters to you.
There is sometimes a small fair in front of the church near the harbor where unique clothing can be bought.
Eat
There are some wonderful family run operations in Lagos. Many of the restaurants are starving for business in the off peak time and will go way out of their way to make your visit to their restaurant a pleasurable experience. One restaurant NOT TO BE MISSED (if you can find it) is a family owned Irish hole-in-the-wall restaurant. Exceptionally tasty food, cold beer, and the friendliest downhome atmosphere in all of Portugal.
Drink
Lagos bars are quite fun, catering to the young back-packing crowds. Often one can find a Brit or American helping to serve drinks (for a little under the table wage).
Sleep
Get out
If you want to get away from the backpacking tourists, head to Vila do Bispo. It's about an hours bus ride from the garage. From the Vila do Bispo bus stop it's about 5 kilometers to the beach. It's not a bad walk, and there are hiking trails that head off into the hills if you're interested too. The beaches are gorgeous and seem to never end. Beaches are clothing optional, but most people are clothed.
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