Lagos is an excellent place to add to your Algarve road trip itinerary. Lagos felt like the perfect mix of authentic culture and also was touristy enough to keep us very entertained! It was wonderful to be able to walk to so many beaches! Plus, hiking along the coast was one of our favorite things we did during this trip.
We loved the food and the kindness of all of the people we met. Even the streets in Lagos were creative and decorative. There are stunning tiles everywhere and such a beautiful vibe.
The great thing about this area is that if you have a car, you can access SO MUCH within an hour of Lagos. I will not list anything in this guide that is beyond an hour.
This guide will include all of the things we did while in Lagos. It will include our favorite beaches, places to eat, and things to do. It will also include things I would LOVE to do if we had more time in this beautiful town!
Where to Stay
Vila Graciosa Guesthouse
Vila Graciosa Guesthouse: This place was perfect for us. It was a bit of a walk from the main town area. But we could park here easily and we were fine with a little walk. Admittedly, if we were to return I may want to be closer to town. The Guesthouse is so colorful and so incredibly charming. The pool area is a great place to relax and hang out. Overall, we were very happy with our stay here.
Lagos Avenida Hotel: If you want to skip the walk from the other hotel I suggested and just be close to town this spot looks great and has really beautiful looking views! It has some nice room views as well and great reviews.
Favorite Beaches in Lagos Within “Reasonable” Walking Distance
Praia Estudantes
This was truly one of my favorite beaches in all of Portugal. I loved walking through the little cave entrance to get here. The views and the little bridge on the rocks are so incredible to stare at. The vibe here was fun and upbeat and we hung here for quite a few hours. The beach can get crowded here because it’s so lovely and it may not be a favorite spot if you’re traveling with children. On the plus side, it’s also great that you can walk right into Lagos town if you need anything!
Porto Mós Beach to Lagos Town Hike
We didn’t actually spend time on this beach. But we used this beach as a starting point to do a hike along the cliffs of Lagos. We LOVED this hike. It took a few hours and we saw so many beautiful views along the way. We started here and basically walked our way back into Lagos town along the cliffside. I highly recommend taking this walk, it is INCREDIBLY beautiful! It is best to go earlier in the day, and make sure to wear sunscreen and take enough water!
Ponta da Piedade
This is, in my opinion one of the most beautiful viewpoints in all of the Algarve. We hiked here and walked all along the cliffs above this area. It was just stunning and I could have stood there for hours looking at the views. It would have also been incredible to kayak or boat around this area. You could also walk directly to this area from Lagos town if you didn’t want to do the full hike.
There are lots of different boat and tour options as well for visiting this area, you can check them out here —–> Ponta Da Piedade Tours
Praia do Camilo
This was a beautiful beach and a perfect spot to finish our hike. There was a little drink/snack stand at the bottom of the stairs. This beach was SUPER crowded though and is very popular. It would likely be best to visit here early or late in the day.
Praia do Cais da Solaria
Beach right next to Lagos Old Town. Not nearly the most visually stunning beach but an easy spot to get to and spend time on near the old town. It’s large and open and if you just want to enjoy the sunshine and take a dip this spot does the trick!
Where to eat
Taberna da mo
This was an excellent lunch stop. I honestly wanted to come back here again it was so good. The food was SO fresh and the drinks were great too. We loved everything we ate here!
Casa do Prego
This is a great spot to eat and they have a really fun concept going. You go in and put in your name for dinner, then they lead you up to their rooftop bar and you can have drinks and snacks while you wait for your turn to eat! We had an excellent white sangria here and some small bites and then had a great dinner!
Gelicia (Italian Gelato)
If you’re not having all the gelato you can when you’re in Europe, I don’t know what you’re doing! This place was great and I”m pretty sure we visited here a minimum of 4 times in 3 days!
Empanadas & Co.
This was a great little stop, a bit outside the main area of Lagos town. We grabbed up a bunch of empeñadas and took them back to our pool for an afternoon picnic and we really enjoyed it! They had a lot of different types and we enjoyed tasting them all!
Indigo Bar
This was such a charming little bar! It had an amazing rooftop area to hang out and have a cocktail! We had espresso martinis here and they were delicious! Would highly recommend a happy hour stop here!
Taninos Wine & Kitchen
We had an excellent dinner here with great wine! We really enjoyed sitting out on the street and people watching while having dinner! Highly recommend this spot! Make a reservation!
Adventures with a car
Benagil Caves Tours
There are so many ways that you can tour the Benagil caves! We took a sunrise kayak tour and really enjoyed it. Although we had to wake up early, it was worth it to be the first people to set foot in the caves in the morning. We had a good amount of time and had the whole space almost entirely to ourselves besides a few independent kayakers.
I have seen photos and videos of what this place can look like later in the day, and although it is still stunning, I don’t think I’d enjoy it as much with the intense crowds. It is one of those spots people say you “must see” on the Algarve route and I do agree 100% that it is worth seeing!
There are lots of options for visiting the caves by kayak, boat, etc. you can find a tour that works best for you here ——> Cave Tours
Praia do Carvalho
This beach wasn’t far from where we did the kayaking tour to the Benagil Caves. It was beautiful and a nice place to chill for a few hours!
Praia dos Arrifes
Stunning beach with some really cool rock formations right out in the water. There is a restaurant there as well if you need food/drink/services.
Praia de Albufeira
This beach stretches right in front of the town. Though it may not be the most beautiful beach on the Algarve it is still lovely and very accessible. You can walk right into town from this beach, eat along the beach, walk along and enjoy views etc.
Things we didn’t get to
Restaurante Camilo: This spot comes up on a lot of lists and blogs when researching Lagos. It has great views and supposedly great seafood!
Beats & Burritos: This is supposed to be a great and fun stop!
Sagres: This is supposed to be a slow sleepy surfer town with incredible sunsets and I know we’d enjoy visiting here if we had the time.
More Portugal
If you’re looking for a Portugal Road trip itinerary that covers a lot & has lots of action, check out my post here —-> Road Trip Portugal
This post may contain affiliate links, if you book through my links I may earn a small commission at NO cost to you. This helps me to keep this blog ad free and easy to read.