Algarve > Lagos

Lagos is a delightful small city, at one time, the district capital of the Algarve; some 80-Km from Faro easily reached by rail and the new expressway. Lagos has lots of restaurants, cafés, discos, shopping, markets, churches, a yatching marina, a live fishing fleet, and an auction fish market serves the city well.

There are several different beaches and many things to see. Contrary to many other places in Southern Europe Lagos still derives some of its income from Agriculture and Fisheries and has a buoyant market economy though building has in recent years been a growth industry. Lagos has had a long association with the building industry. In the 1775 earthquake it was completely destroyed and the city had to be rebuilt. Its planning department then and now has successfully guided moderate development to a city plan despite the external pressures.

Lagos, historically linked to the sea, once inhabited by the Romans (Lacobriga) and the base for Portuguese exploration of the African coast in the 15th century, has a significant collection of monuments and religious buildings, making it a compelling place to visit. The Church of Santa Maria da Misericordia, with its renaissance doorway; the magnificent jewel of the Algarve, the Church of Santo Antonio, with its lower walls covered in tiles - contrasting with the golden baroque carved sculpture and the Church of São Sebastião are more than sufficient reasons to sacrifice an afternoon on the beach. A visit to the municipal museum (in the Church of Santo António) or a look at the local exhibition dedicated to the Portuguese Discoveries, housed inside the Forte da Ponta da Bandeira, where you can enjoy a beautiful view of the city and the sea, are also interesting options. Spreading from the centre, where the statue of King Dom Sebastião stands (a work of art by Jose Cutileiro, a contemporary Portuguese sculptor), various restaurants, shops and bars give life to this part of town. A stroll through the centre can be an invitation to shop, to meet people or to have a drink and a snack. Lovers of the night life will not be disappointed, as Lagos is famous for its energetic partying.

A few metres from the place where the trawlers unload their catches, on the left bank of the Bensafrim stream, you will find the marina. Inaugurated in 1993, and awarded the Euromarina Anchor Award and the European Blue Flag, with in excess of 400 moorings, and a customs office. Protecting the bay of Lagos is the Ponta da Piedade headland, a series of rock formations, cliffs and beaches, like Praia da Luz, with its fabulous view from the Miradoura da Atalaia (108 m high).