Wondering what to do in Lagos in the Algarve? You’ve come to the right place. During our road trip through southern Portugal, we stopped off in Lagos, a must-see town in the Algarve, known for its spectacular cliffs, especially those of Ponta de Piedade, its sea caves, its turquoise beaches and its lively historic center.
Lagos offers a perfect balance of nature, sea and local life. Find our complete guide and all our tips to make sure you don’t miss a thing during your stay.
Key facts : Lagos
Where is Lagos?
In the western Algarve, about 1h15 from Faro, on one of the most beautiful stretches of the Portuguese coast.
Must-see
🏖️ The beaches of Lagos (Praia dos Estudantes, Dona Ana, Camilo, Porto de Mós)
🌅 Sunset at the cliffs of Ponta da Piedade
🚤 Boat trip to the sea caves
🐬 Dolphin watching with a professional marine biolgist
The historic center and its ramparts
Our hotel with swimming pool
🏨 Booking information for hotel Top City Hostel & Suites downtown with swimming pool
Explore the caves and cliffs of Ponta de Piedade
These impressive cliffs, sculpted by erosion, with their natural arches, sea caves and amazingly shaped rock pillars, are a must on your Algarve road trip.
You can either visit them from the water or on foot.
Ponta de Piedade and Lagos caves by boat
If there’s one activity not to be missed in Lagos, it’s clearly the boat trip along the cliffs and into the sea caves, our favorite of the trip.
🚤 We recommend this excursion departing from Lagos, offered by the Happy Time company, with a French-speaking guide. Departure is directly from the port, which is very convenient.
🚤 The small boat will enter several caves accessible only from the sea, offering a totally different perspective to that from the coastal paths.
The guide will explain the formation of the rocks, tell you the history of the coastline and show you the various landmarks.
👉 short, small-scale excursion (max 10 people per boat), accessible to all, ideal even with children.
⚠️ Please note: as with Benagil, access to some caves is impossible on foot, and swimming is not recommended due to currents. A boat is the best option.
Ponta de Piedade from land
In addition to the sea excursion, we really recommend discovering Ponta da Piedade on foot. A path leads from Lagos Castle along the cliffs, offering spectacular views of the ocean.
The walk is easy and well laid out, allowing you to see the rock formations from above.
🌅 This is one of the best places for sunset in Lagos .
👉 Read our full article on how to organize your visit to the Ponta da Piedade cliffs.
Our most beautiful beaches in Lagos
The beaches of Lagos are among the most beautiful in the Algarve.
- ❤️ Praia dos Estudantes: our favorite, a small beach tucked between cliffs, famous for its rocky bridge that links two walls and gives the place a lot of charm. Access is only possible at low tide, as you have to pass through a small tunnel under the cliff, which is filled with water at high tide.
- Praia do Camilo: accessible via a long staircase and footbridges, a magnificent little cove with clear water and a picture-postcard setting.
- Praia Dona Ana: an emblematic beach, surrounded by golden cliffs, ideal for swimming and photography.
- Praia da Batata: close to the town center, practical and pleasant.
- Praia de Porto de Mós: larger, off-centre, perfect for swimming and long walks.
❤️ We’ve fallen in love with these rocky beaches, which create small coves that are often well sheltered, even when the wind picks up.
The historic center of Lagos
The historic center of Lagos is one of the Algarve’s prettiest and most pleasant places to explore on foot. We loved wandering through the colorful cobbled streets, skirting the ramparts and exploring the marina.
It’s a good place to eat (we’ll give you our good addresses at the end of the article), have a drink or simply stroll at the end of the day after the beach.
How do I book a boat trip from Lagos?
From Lagos, there are 3 types of excursion. We advise you to book in advance, as excursions fill up quickly in summer.
- Info and booking for a cruise to the cliffs of Ponta de Piedade
- Info and booking for a dolphin watching cruise and the famous Benagil cave with Sea trips
- Info and booking for a dolphin watching cruise with a professional marine biologist with the Bluefleet company
You can book via GetYourGuidewhich offers flexible booking conditions. It’s very easy to change your dates directly from your interface, or cancel the activity up to 24 hours before departure.
Where to sleep in Lagos?
The village of Lagos offers a wide range of accommodation: hotels, apartments and guesthouses. We advise you to stay close to the center or port, so you can do everything on foot, or slightly outside if you’re looking for more peace and quiet.
💡 As elsewhere in the Algarve, accommodation with a swimming pool is a real plus: the ocean water stays cool, even in midsummer, and book as early as possible. A word of advice: if you have your own wetsuits, take them along with your children’s for a swim.
🔔 Top City Hostel & Suites – economical
Top City Hostel & Suites is a great budget option in Lagos. Located just a few minutes’ walk from the historic center, it offers easy access to the surrounding beaches and port.
✔️ Very good value
✔️ Rooftop pool with sea view
✔️ Well placed to do everything on foot
📌 Rated 8.8/10 on Booking
🏨 Info and booking for a double room or dormitory bed at Top City Hostel & Suites
🔔 Carvi Beach Hote – mid-range
The Carvi Beach Hotel is an excellent option, conveniently located just above Praia Dona Ana.
✔️ Rooftop pool with sea view 🏊
✔️ Parking (a real plus in the area) 🅿️
✔️ Direct access to beaches and Ponta da Piedade
✔️ Double and family rooms
Where to eat in Lagos Our best addresses
In Lagos, it’s easy to find good food, and here are a few simple, friendly places we’ve tried.
- The Garden The Garden: a very nice address in a beautiful garden for a drink or to dine on good burgers.
- Olhaabolinha a little yellow food truck (that you can’t miss) to try the Bola de Berlim, a soft Portuguese doughnut, here with Nutella. Clearly dangerous for the summer body, but so good.
- Black and White Coffee Shop An excellent option for a coffee break, with good products and a simple, pleasant atmosphere. Ideal for recharging your batteries between visits.
How to get to Lagos
From Faro airport, allow around 1h15 driving time. The car remains the most practical solution for an Algarve road trip at your own pace.
Renting a car in Faro is easy and very affordable. This is an ideal option for an Algarve road trip at your own pace. Expect to pay around €20 per day with the Best Deal agency.
👉 We always use DiscoverCars to compare rental offers: simple, reliable and often very competitive.
Find our complete guide and all our advice for your car rental in the Algarve.
How long can I stay in Lagos?
We recommend staying a minimum of 2 nights in Lagos, and ideally 3 if you really want to enjoy it without running out.
👉 2 nights / 2 days
That’s enough for :
- explore the historic center
- discover Ponta da Piedade on foot
- take a boat trip to the caves
- enjoy a beach around Lagos
👉 3 nights / 3 days (our recommendation)
This is the right pace for :
- alternating walks, beaches and boating
- see Ponta da Piedade at different times of the day, especially at sunset
- take the time to stroll around town and try out a few good addresses
💡 Lagos works very well as a drop-off point for exploring the western Algarve, before continuing on to Sagres or back down to Alvor and Armação de Pêra.
Our opinion on Lagos
Lagos is clearly one of our favorites in the Algarve, and an excellent place to stay. The scenery is spectacular, the beaches magnificent and the boat trip to the caves a real must.
We recommend staying for at least 2 or 3 nights, to take the time to enjoy the beaches, take the sea excursion and discover Ponta da Piedade on foot.
Our Lagos map
Find all the above locations on our interactive map.
👉 A perfect stopover to combine with Alvor, Armação de Pêra or Olhão and the Ria Formosa Natural Park on an Algarve road trip.
Feel free to leave us a note below to let us know if you are planning this trip, ask any questions or share on social networks(our Instagram) we will answer you with great pleasure!
Before you leave, find all our articles to help you organize your trip:
- 🛏️ Where to sleep in the Algarve? our best addresses
- 🗺️ Itinerary for your Algarve road trip?
- 🚗 Car rental in Faro in the Algarve: our tips and advice
- Visit the villages ofArmaçao de Pêra, Alvor, Albufeira and Olaho
- 🌊 Visit the must-see Benagil cave
- ⛵ How to visit the cliffs of Ponta da Piedade? by boat and on foot
- 🦩 What to do in Portugal’s Ria Formosa natural park and islands?
