Portugal: Algarve Region

Salema Beach

Lagos

Our trip to Portugal started in the Algarve, included a few cities/towns in the interior, and ended with Porto and Lisbon.  Upon arriving in Lisbon we picked up our rental car, to be dropped off in Coimbra to avoid driving in Porto or Lisbon (turned out to be a great idea!).  The drive to Lagos (LAH-goosh) was an easy 2.5 hours.  We stayed at the Lagos Avenida Hotel, a great hotel with the best breakfast we had in Portugal (buffet plus free a la carte), and a rooftop bar with nice views of the marina.   It is ideally located across from the marina and minutes from the town center.  

Lagos Marina

Praca Gil Eanes

Lagos Tiled Street

The Algarve is a beautiful beach area with stunning cliffs, coves and caves.  We chose Lagos because it is located in the western Algarve, close to major sites, and large enough to have lots of restaurant choices.  If you prefer a tiny  fishing village with a great beach, Salema might be a better choice.  We had lunch at Boia Bar and Restaurant, serving very good seafood overlooking the ocean.  

Church of St Anthony Altar

Sites:

The Church of Saint Anthony (Santo Antonio) is beautiful, especially the altar, and has a great museum as part of the admission.  

Visit the square Praca do Infante Dom Henrique, named for Henry the Navigator who was instrumental in launching Portugal's Age of Discovery in 1415 in Lagos.  We saw more about Henry the Navigator when visiting Cape Vincent/Cape Sagres and Lisbon/Belem.  This square was completed in 1960 to mark the 500th anniversary of his death.  On the square, the Slave Market Museum (Mercado de Escravos) is on the site of the first slave market, from which more than 100,000 persons were sold into slavery from 1444 through the 18th century.  The museum is small but impactful.  

Slave Market

Lagos Main Steet

Exploring Lagos’s old town is great, walking the winding streets, all encircled by the medieval wall.  Countless shops, bars and outdoor dining options.  

Fort Ponta da Bandeira and the ancient city walls are worth exploring.  

We explored the beaches, cliffs, coves and caves near the Fort.  There are also boat and kayak tours to see other areas of the Algarve, including Cape Vincent/Cape Sagres.

Lagos beach

Lagos beach from Fort

Restaurant:

Casa do Pasto do Ze - family operated restaurant featuring fresh seafood.  The tourist menu includes appetizer, entree, bread, dessert and coffee for €15!  I ordered fried baby squid Algarvia style, pan fried in garlic and olive oil - it was outstanding!  

Cape Vincent/Cape Sagres

A short 25 minute drive west of Lagos is “The End of the World”, or so it was thought before Henry the Navigator launched the Age of Discovery.  Cape Sagres (SAH-gresh) has stunning beaches, coves and cliffs, as does wind-swept Cape Vincent with its picturesque lighthouse.  Between the two is Cape Sagres Fort (Fortaleza de Sagres), where Henry the Navigator founded a school for navigators in 1420.  Some of his students: Ferdinand Magellan (circumnavigated the globe), Vasco de Gama (sea route to India), Pedro Cabral (‘discovered” Brazil), Bartolomeu Dias (explored African coast), Christopher Columbus (North America).  Pretty impressive alumni.  The fort is absolutely worthy of a couple hours, including the 45 minute cliff walk around the fort’s perimeter.  The Cape Vincent (Cabo de Sao Vicente) Lighthouse is definitely worth the short drive from the Sagres Fort. 

Cape Sagres Fort

Cape Sagres Fort

Cape Sagres

Cape Sagres

Vape St Vincent

Cape St Vincent Lighthouse

Cape St Vincent Lighthouse