How To Spend One Amazing Day In Lagos, Portugal

Justin and I spent a week in the Algarve for our honeymoon. The Algarve has got it all for a romantic getaway: incredible scenery, charming little towns, and an amazing dining scene. While this guide is meant to show you how to spend one day in Lagos, Portugal, we actually made Lagos our home base for the trip.

During our week in the Algarve, we spent one full day in Lagos and spent our other days in nearby towns and villages. We also spent many of our mornings in Lagos and returned to Lagos in the evening. For this reason, we got to try many restaurants and cafes here.

I'll share the best things to do in Lagos in a day, plus our favourite dining spots. I'll also share exactly where we stayed in Lagos, just outside of the Old Town (but within walking distance) where we could easily access our favourite part of Lagos, Ponte da Piedade.

Jump to:

Getting There and Getting Around
One Day in Lagos, Portugal: Ponta da Piedade
Visit the Promenade and Marina
See the Lagos Fortress and Old City Walls
One Day in Lagos, Portugal: Visit Old Town
Where to Eat and Drink
When to Travel to Lagos
Where to Stay in Lagos, Portugal
More Algarve Travel Guides
Don't forget travel insurance!

Getting There and Getting Around

There are a couple of ways to reach Lagos. We flew direct to Faro, Portugal from Edinburgh after our wedding there. When we flew home, we drove up to Lisbon and flew home to Toronto directly from Lisbon. It's best if you fly to Lisbon or Faro.

Here's where you can find:

Next, pick up your rental car at the airport, depending on where you fly.

Public transportation does exist in the Algarve, but it isn't the fastest or most convenient choice. We highly recommend renting a car and driving everywhere you'd like to go in the Algarve.

Some places are quite remote and not really accessible by public transit. We also chose a place to stay that included a parking spot (more on that at the bottom of the post!).

We use Discover Cars anytime we rent a car when traveling. You can compare rates between multiple companies to find the best price.

Plus, they have great customer service and we've always had a positive experience. Find your rental car in Faro or find your rental car in Lisbon.

One Day in Lagos, Portugal: Ponta da Piedade

If there's only one thing you do when you're in Lagos, go for a walk on the boardwalk to Ponta da Piedade. We started this walk directly from our accommodation, though it's not a super far walk from town.

Begin walking from the streets above Praia Dona Ana. Generally speaking, the streets, pathways and boardwalk will be up above from the top of the cliffs, whereas the beaches are always down below.

If you'd like to access any beaches or get up closer to certain rock formations, there are usually staircases leading down to them. You'll spot these as you walk on the boardwalk.

If you're driving to reach the boardwalk and Ponta da Piedade, I suggest parking your car at "Parking Camilo" on Google Maps. Translating to "Piety Point", Ponta da Piedade is one of the most brilliant landscapes and views of the Algarve.

As we walked along the boardwalk, Justin and I discovered the incredible reddish-orange rock formations on the coastline, as well as rocks poking out of the turquoise waters. These rocks are sculpted and carved by the wind and sea for thousands of years. We also explored little coves and beaches on the way.

We reached the end of the hike at the Ponta da Piedade headland where we essentially hit a dead end. There are fascinating cliffs to the southeast and southwest, as well as a lighthouse from 1913. Unfortunately, you can't enter the lighthouse, but it adds to the dramatic scenery.

Have a Beach Day

From the boardwalk, it's really easy to plan for a beach day. There are many stunning beaches on the way. When we visited in mid-October, it was a little bit too cold to swim.

If you travel during the summer or warmer weather times of the year, definitely take advantage of the soft sand, gorgeous waters and cliffs all around.

Two of the best beaches in Lagos are right on the Ponta da Piedade walk. These are Praia do Camilo and Praia Dona Ana.

There are a few other beaches outside of the boardwalk trail, but still in Lagos. Meia Praia is a vast expanse of sandy beach with great surfing.

Praia da Batata is a smaller sandy beach right near Old Town Lagos, making it a convenient choice for anyone visiting the town. Praia de Porto Mós is another fantastic beach for lounging, swimming and surfing.

Take a Boat Ride

Why not explore Ponta da Piedade from the water? For an alternate perspective, take a boat ride from Lagos to Ponta da Piedade. While Justin and I didn't find the time to do this experience, we saw many boats out on the water during our hike.

The boats maneuver in and around the rocks that jut out from the sea. They get pretty close to the tall red cliffs. If you have the time, don't skip the hike, but also take the boat ride. Book your Ponta da Piedade boat tour here.

There are other boat tours that depart from Lagos, too. The most famous boat ride in the Algarve takes you to the Benagil Caves. Well, good news! It's easy to see the caves of Benagil via a boat tour that departs from Lagos. Book your tour to the Benagil Sea Cave here.

For the animal and nature lovers out there, there is a third boat tour you can take from Lagos. This is a dolphin watching boat tour with marine biologists. Admire dolphins from a respectful distance and learn about this majestic creatures and conservation efforts from your guides. Book your dolphin watching tour here.

Visit the Promenade and Marina

The Lagos Promenade is a great place to go for a walk while admiring the waterfront views. Walking from the south end to the north end, we walked past the old medieval castle of Lagos and an old fortress. Sometimes on the promenade, there's a small market with vendors selling their wares.

Starting at the Batata Beach Bar and ending at Restaurante Munich at the far side of the promenade, the walk is about 22 minutes long and 1.6km.

There's also a little bridge that you can walk across to reach the Marina de Lagos. While you will be able to see so many boats at the marina, the main reason to visit are the restaurants. We dined at the restaurant called Artesão which offered delicious eats with a view of the marina.

See the Lagos Fortress and Old City Walls

Speaking of the old architecture we walked past on the promenade, it's worth stopping to take a look at the Forte da Ponta da Bandeira (fortress) and Castelo de Lagos (castle). Forte da Ponta da Bandeira is a fortress built between 1680 and 1690. It was once used to defend the pier of Lagos and portions of the old city wall.

This is one of the most advanced fortresses in the Algarve, as well as one of the best preserved. While Justin and I admired the fort from the outside of it, you can go inside of it for a closer look. The fort is free to visit, so you may as well pop inside if you have the time and interest to do so.

The Castelo de Lagos (Castle of Lagos) was once a medieval castle with city walls that wrapped around Lagos for defence measures. Construction of the Governor's Palace and the city walls began in 1504.

While one might assume that it was destroyed in battle, the castle and its defenses were decimated by the earthquake of 1755 and the tsunami that followed.

Nowadays, the walls and its ramparts are national monuments. Go for a walk by the walls and through its archway to reach the Old Town.

Lagos had the longest fortified perimeter in the Algarve, so it's nice to still be able to see a piece of history still standing. There's no admission fee and you can walk past anytime of day.

One Day in Lagos, Portugal: Visit Old Town

If you're spending one day in Lagos (or more), I'm sure you'll want to visit the Old Town. We spent quite a few days wandering around Old Town Lagos, whether it was for our morning cup of coffee or for a meal in the evening.

There are so many cobblestone streets to walk up and down, and amazing architecture where the buildings are covered from top to bottom in tiles. The green house at Praça Luís de Camões (Luís de Camões Square) is the most famous building to see in the Old Town.

Many of the cafes and coffee shops open around 8:00am, though most of the shops don't open until 9am or 10am. One day, I walked into town pretty early to grab a coffee, but found that none of the shops were open yet. If you're looking for souvenirs, be mindful of this.

I don't recommend trying to drive around Old Town Lagos. Park just outside of the Old Town and walk 5-10 minutes into town. Many of these parking lots offer free parking. We also left our car at our apartment accommodation and walked into town on most occasions.

Admire the Street Art

Old Town Lagos is full of colorful murals and street art. We noticed them hidden around every bend. Some covered entire walls and others were bright bursts of colour peeking out from behind buildings.

Whether you spend one day in Lagos or several, it will take some time to find them all.

I don't have exact locations for all of the street art that we discovered. Murals and street art are always changing and evolving as well. What you end up seeing might be completely different from what we saw.

I've shared a little collection of the public art we saw in Old Town Lagos. See if you can find them, too!

Where to Eat and Drink

Lagos has such a vibrant dining scene where it's easy to find Portuguese and international cuisine alike. We found Portuguese tarts (even vegan ones!), German food, Belgian food, Asian food and so much more.

Everything tastes so fresh, whether you're eating a dish made of fresh veggies or even a breakfast bagel.

I'll be writing a complete vegan guide to Lagos, Portugal soon, but until then, here's where we recommend getting coffee and dining (whether you follow a plant-based diet or not):

Take a Bao
Pom Pom Bagels
O Ninho Family Bar (for Portuguese tarts)
All Things Dough
Munich
Artesão
Restaurante la Esterella
Goldig Café
Black and White Coffee Shop
London Tiger Coffee
Coffee & Waves

When to Travel to Lagos

Wondering when it's the best time of year to visit Lagos? From June to August, expect the hottest weather and the most crowds. Visiting in the summer is the busiest time of year to visit, but you'll experience the most sunny, hot days. This is the best time of year to go to the beach.

The shoulder season months are April, May, September and October. When we visited in mid-October, the tourist season was wrapping up. The temperatures were mild and pleasant, but it was a little too cold to enjoy the beach. We also experienced some rainy days.

From November to March, the tourists are pretty much gone. You'll share the town with the locals. Many restaurants close down for the year, so you might be more reliant on groceries and preparing your own meals. You may be able to enjoy some local festivals and events that take place this time of the year, like art exhibitions and film screenings.

Where to Stay in Lagos, Portugal

Justin and I stayed for one week at Casa Aurora in Lagos. For us, this was the perfect place to stay in Lagos and I can't imagine spending our honeymoon anywhere else.

Of course, you might be thinking, "you didn't spend one day in Lagos...you spent one week in Lagos!". That's correct!

While this itinerary is for one day in Lagos, we actually visited for the whole week making Lagos our home base. Then, we ventured to other places in the Algarve for day trips.

This is a luxury apartment in Lagos, perched at the edge of Dona Ana Beach. The apartment comes with its own private balcony (that's so spacious!), access to the swimming pool for a small fee, and easy access to the beach down below. You will need to walk down some stairs to reach the beach due to the nature of the landscape.

Casa Aurora is a massive apartment with so many luxurious amenities. There are two bedrooms, two full bathrooms, a huge kitchen with every appliance imaginable, a living room, a laundry room and more. You could stay here with friends (two couples would be perfect) or your whole family.

It's really easy to begin your walk from here to Ponta da Piedade or walk into Old Town. Everything about this place is so ideal, from the location to the fact that you have your own luxury apartment in Lagos.

It's situated inside a local apartment complex, so you'll feel like you live here...if only temporarily! Book your stay here.

More Places to Stay

Use the handy map below to view all properties in Lagos, Portugal. There are hotels, apartments and vacation rentals. Enter your travel dates for more accurate information and click on each property to learn more (and book your stay).

More Algarve Travel Guides

Looking for more travel guides and itineraries for the Algarve? Here are the travel guides we wrote after visiting to help you plan your trip:

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