Lagos Portugal: A Mini Guide

We loved Lagos! 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, and 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. 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. MOST things in this guide you can do entirely without a car, but I will list some things in which a car will be required. I will split the guide into two sections.. with and without car. Believe me there is PLENTY to do here either way! 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!

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Without a Car in Lagos

Where to Stay

Vila Graciosa Guesthouse

@planformedani

This place was perfect for us. It was a bit of a walk from the main town but we could park here easily and we were fine with a little walk. The Guesthouse is so colorful and so incredibly charming. The pool area is a great place to relax and hang out and we were very happy with our stay here.

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Old Town Lagos

@planformedani

Lagos Old Town is beautiful and you'll likely spend a lot of time walking around here and exploring. You can see it all in a few hours but it is really nice to spend more time there and get deeper into the charm of this city.

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Favorite Beaches

Beach Estudantes

@planformedani

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. It's also great that you can walk right into Lagos town if you need anything!

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Porto Mós Beach

@planformedani

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 doing this in Lagos.

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Ponta da Piedade

@planformedani

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.

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Praia do Camilo

@planformedani

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.

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Praia do Cais da Solária

@planformedani

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.

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Where to Eat/Drink

Taberna da mó

@planformedani

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!

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Casa do Prego

@planformedani

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!

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GeIícia - Italian Gelato - Lagos

@planformedani

Always get gelato!

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Empanadas & Co.

@planformedani

This was a great little stop, a bit outside the main area of Lagos town. We grabbed up a bunch of empenadas 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!

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Indigo Bar

@planformedani

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!

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The Sanctuary

@planformedani

We really enjoyed having a drink here at happy hour and looking down over the streets of Lagos

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Taninos Wine & Kitchen

@planformedani

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!

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With a Car

Benagil Caves Tours

@planformedani

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Praia do Carvalho

@planformedani

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!

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Praia de São Rafael

@planformedani

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.

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Praia de Albufeira

@planformedani

This beach stretches right in front of the town. Though it may not be the most beautiful beach on the Algarve it is still very beautiful and very accessible. You can walk right into town from this beach, eat along the beach, walk along and enjoy views etc.

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Albufeira

@planformedani

Take a day trip to check out this fun and bustling town.

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Kayak Algarve - Secret Algarve

@planformedani

We did a sunrise kayak tour to Benagil Caves and really enjoyed the experience. We got to kayak around the area as well and it was great to see the cave before it becomes super crowded later in the day. We had friends who took a boat tour there and they were shocked at how we got to see it with very minimal people!

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Things I'd Do in the Future

Lagos Avenida Hotel

@planformedani

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!

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I would definatley get out on the water if we returned here. We didn't do a boat tour and I regret that. I would either kayak or get on a boat with a lunch tour, or really anything! I just think seeing all the cliffs and beauty of the algarve from the water would be incredible. You can click below for the top viator tours.

THE TOP 10 Lagos Water Tours (w/Prices)

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Restaurante Camilo

@planformedani

This spot comes up on a lot of lists and blogs when researching Lagos. It has great views and supposedly great seafood!

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Beats & Burritos

@planformedani

This is supposed to be a great and fun stop!

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Sagres

@planformedani

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.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Plan For Me Dani

Available for hire

My name is Danielle and I have been planning trips for the past 10 years. One thing special and unique about my guides is that I am not producing guides that I didn't currently use myself. The places in my guides are places I have been, the itineraries are itineraries that I have personally followed. Everything is real and I have vetted myself. My travel planning story started with a honeymoon to Italy and since then it has grown each and every year. I love all kinds of travel! It's hard to fine a niche because I fit into so many categories. I love nature, hiking, and being outdoors. I love beaches and sunsets and sipping wine and cocktails in pretty places. I love learning about people and cultures and history. I love street art and busy cities and I also love small towns and quieter places. I will sleep in a hostel and I enjoy a beautiful hotel. I love South and Central America and I am obsessed with Europe. I've been to Asia twice and hope to get back in the next few years. I love to eat and one thing you'll always get from me are true and great reviews of places that I've personally eaten! I have just returned from Albania and I am working on guides from that trip! My full time job is as a School Leader of Social and Emotional Learning in Philadelphia. All my travel is done on school breaks and in the summer. I have still managed to visit over 36 countries and countless cities along the way. Being a teacher my whole life is about planning and I do believe I am exceptional at it. I work VERY hard to plan incredible trips and now you can hopefully benefit from that as well!

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