Lagos Portugal is pretty impressive. We finally had a chance to visit this summer thanks to the fact that our house sitters had ten days free between sits and we spontaneously decided to extend our Madrid-Stockholm-Rome-Bologna trip. No wonder we’ve been nesting since we got back. We were gone a total of thirty-one days!, and I’m proud to say with just carry-on luggage too. Here’s how to experience a most relaxing vacation in this popular destination of the Algarve.
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Our Lagos Portugal Blog Post:
We have found in the after some years of blogging, a tight-knit community of people who are warm and very friendly. We have had the pleasure of meeting online friends in the past, such as Jed and his family in Rome and Victoria and her family when they visited Seville on their holiday. We had the good fortune to connect with Anita and her husband Richard online last year.
She had somehow found the blog online. We had something in common. We had both been pharmacists in our working days. Their blog no particular place to go is one of my favorites. I enjoy traveling virtually with them. You might remember me interviewing them on a previous podcast. They had been permanent nomads for almost four years, starting off in Latin America. They have however settled in Lagos for the foreseeable future.
Ways to have an awesome vacation in Lagos? (Lagos Portugal Things To Do)
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Chilling in Lagos Portugal – a very popular pastime
It was like meeting old friends when we finally came face to face. They were the most gracious hosts and showed us an amazing time. We stayed with them during our time in Lagos. We spent the days chilling on their balcony, cooking, checking out the downtown area and sampling the local food. I couldn’t have designed a better way to enjoy this laid back town that is insanely popular with tourists, especially the British. We took it easy for a lot of the time because it soothes your soul.
There is a pulsating Lagos Portugal nightlife for the youngsters. Lots of clubs and bars because Lagos has become a top draw for expats and families on holiday, especially from the U.K, but more and more people from the Americas as well now. If shopping is your thing, there are plenty of big name stores in the center as well as traders selling handmade items all along the beach all along the coastline. Surprisingly, most are not too expensive either when you consider it is tourist focused.
Where to stay in Lagos Portugal:
Our friends usually have visiting friends and relatives stay at the Hotel Marina Rio for the location, free breakfast and rooftop pool among other amenities.
There are also plenty of Lagos Portugal apartment summer rentals. Expect to pay a premium in the summer time. There are plenty of luxury Boutique hotels and flat rentals in the Algarve Lagos area on AirBnB (first time users can get some $ off their stay with this code) or Flipkey, a popular site with the Brits. Most people spend their days at the beach or hanging out at the building community pools.
You can use this link to search for best hotels in Lagos Portugal
As an alternative, you can search for Lagos Portugal accommodation .
The Old Center in Lagos, Algarve: What to do in Lagos
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We had another reason for visiting. Our lease will be up in less than six months and we have been discussing our next home base. Portugal being on the short list, we took the opportunity to check it out. Despite the fact that we liked Lagos a lot, we had more of an affinity for Lisbon, Porto even more so. We also found Portugal on the whole to be a bit more expensive than the south of Spain.
More like Barcelona prices, but l guess it’s to be expected as those are popular tourist destinations. Perhaps the lesser known parts would be cheaper. Ultimately though, we have decided to stay in Spain, even though we’re not sure exactly where. Somewhere closer to the water, so the research continues.
Lagos Portugal Facts :
- Early settlement of the Carthaginians
- Colonized by the Romans, named it Lacobriga
- Occupied by the Visigoths and later on the Byzantines from the 6th to 8th century
- Came under Moorish rule in the 8th century. They fortified the city
- They had Europe’s first slave market
- It was the capital of the Algarve from 1576-1755 when most of Lagos was destroyed by the great earthquake and tsunami.
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We found Lagos to be a lively and historic place, utterly quaint and charming. Despite the fact that the city was packed, it didn’t feel crowded. It was more like a steady hum of activity which l found fascinating. Imagine someone pushing the slow motion button on the remote. Very hard to describe, but no one place was too crowded despite a large number of people.
Lagos Portugal is the perfect destination for sun lovers. Where is Lagos you ask? It is located on the coastline of the western Algarve region of Portugal and one of numerous quaint towns. To say the beaches are beautiful would be an understatement. The rocky beaches remind me of the ones in Malta a lot, only much bigger. Even though we didn’t actually spend time at the beach, we visited a few. Perhaps next time.
Visiting Ponta de Pierdade should also be on your Lagos itinerary. You can find our dedicated post to this absolutely stunning place including how to get there from Lagos here on this Ponta Post.
Lagos Portugal Beaches: The real draw
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Food in Lagos Portugal: (What to eat in Lagos Portugal)
The cuisine is very similar to what we have here in Spain. A lot of fresh seafood. We loved it.
How could we call ourselves foodies and not have images of food? 🙂 . We went to one Algarve restaurant called Forta Leza de Luz located in the little town of Praia de Luz, one of the many Algarve towns. I highly recommend this place if you visit the area. The food was fantastic.
The views were spectacular. It was just perfect. The service, while not impeccable, was way, way better than you get in other parts of Portugal and for sure Spain. The service at other places we ate at was more what l have come to expect. Nonexistent 😉 . The food makes up for it though.
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Anita and Richard also took us to the most amazing gelato place in all of Lagos. Do yourself a favor and check it out. Federico and l both agreed that it is Italy worthy!
Pin it for later:
What do you think of the Algarve town of Lagos? Does it look idyllic to you? Do you enjoy slower pace vacations or are you an always on the go person? I like both. What about you?
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That food looked amazing!!! This looks like a quaint, charming place! Thanks for sharing! The little historical timeline you listed looks quite turbulent! Both socially AND physically, with the quake and tsunami.
Excited to hear as you explore your next base. Did you know I was a pharmacist first? 🙂 —Terri
Get out 😉 !!! No..I did not know!!! Don’t blame you one bit for giving it up.. Haha! I had a junior sister who quit pharmacy after like 2 years of practice. She hated it with a vengeance and cried daily. Now she is a dentist and much happier. What made you change? Yeah.. Lagos is really nice and l was taken aback by the fact that they had the first slave market 🙁 . Being close to Africa, they did a lot of damage..and so many people got rich including the king who got an a percentage of each sale. Dark history indeed for such a small place. I am kind of excited to see where we’ll end up too :-).
Great post and very timely for us. We’re heading to Lisbon in October and then Lagos until early January. You make it sound wonderful. We have apartments booked in both places and are looking forward to experiencing Portugal for the first time. We also plan to meet Anita and Richard while we’re there. The food looks fantastic and as seafood lovers it seems perfect. Cheers, Tim & Anne
Oh how nice! You would love both places in Portugal. We certainly did. It is so pretty and chill. I can’t believe it took us that long to visit it. Anita and Richard are really great people and they make you feel so welcome. Oh yeah..seafood lovers delight, especially that jambalaya looking thing, l think they call it cataplan or something like that. Enjoy, and l look forward to reading your thoughts on the area.
Now that’s a blinged out church for sure! Dazzling & very pretty. Some of those quaint buildings have cousins in parts of Lagos, Nigeria and that green & white one makes me go hmmm.
Gorgeous though and I like old architecture.
Anita & Richard sound & look lovely and it’s cool when bloggers actually become friends.
How do you settle at home after such enjoyment?! *sigh*
Yeah, that church was pretty cool for such a tiny space, and the view was stunning. The beach is right outside..imagine..a church on the beach! If l were the priest l would camp out there on Sunday and make people feel ashamed for skipping church :-), guilt them in. Haha yes, they do. I still think the origin of the name is from the other Lagos, the real one in Naija :-), and yep..the buildings look familiar. They really are a wonderful couple and we had a fun time. It is not easy settling back at home after all that..no sirrreeee! 🙂
What a beautiful city and deliciously-looking food! I usually am not a big fan of old buildings that obviously need some renovation, but somehow the ones in Lagos manage to look charming and I couldn’t picture them any other way. Not to mention that the places that matter – like the apartment buildings – look really good and that pool is very inviting!
Yeah, it amazing how they have managed to mix the old with the new. It really does remind me of Malta, at least in some villages. In the center of Malta though, the mix looks like like a punch in the eye. They call it the concrete jungle in that they have so many, many, many new constructions that the older parts look out of place almost and to get the charming ones like Lagos, they are on the outskirts. The apartments are really modern and they all come with gigantic pools. You would like it :-).
How great to open up your post this morning and see Lagos! I think we’re getting a little bit homesick after 4 weeks in the States. We had so much fun playing host to you and Fede and finally meeting you face-to-face. We felt like we’d known you for years and had so much fun showing you some of the reasons we decided to call Lagos home. We would have loved to have had you for neighbors but it might be even more fun to visit you (often :)) and see more of Spain as well as sample more of its amazing food. Love planning out future trips and it’s fun to share the adventure with intrepid travelers like you two! Anita
Hope you guys are enjoying your trip. I’m positive you’re homesick, but you’ll be back soon enough :-). Thanks again for showing us a wonderful time. Lagos is so serenely beautiful. We’ll be back in best Arnuld voice, and we hope to see you soon so we can return the favor. You’re right..it would be fun to travel back and forth.. 🙂
Loved this blog post – so informative! I’ve also been blogging about the Algarve.
Thanks a lot for the comment and compliment. I will check out your blog. You can never know too much 🙂
Those beach shots are gorgeous! I was in the Algarve 25 years ago and remember walking the cliffs and thinking how beautiful the whole scene was.
I like the food shots, especially the grilled fish!
Frank (bbqboy)
Thanks Frank! Hope you’re feeling better. I’m sure it’s just as gorgeous now as it was 25 years ago. I’m not a huge fan of sardines..too many bones to pick out :-). I loved that grilled fish too and the gravy beef plate was to die for :-).
Lagos is beautiful. I love how you and Federico are living your lIves, definitely inspiring.
Hello there! You are like a Ninja :-). Hope you’re doing well! It is indeed a beautiful place. Quite the contrast from Lagos in Naija, which is beautiful in another way. Glad we inspire 🙂
I have just returned from a week in Lagos. Unfortunately did not get to meet the lovely Anita and Richard, since they were not back yet from the US. I felt very at home there speaking Portuguese and enjoying the similarities with my own country. We stayed in an AirBnb apartment in a great location very near praia Dona Ana, our host gave us lots of good tips on places to visit and eat authentic Algarve food. Your photos are a great reminder of our time there????
Glad to hear that you had a great time in Lagos. It is absolutely beautiful isn’t it? The seafood is also wicked good. I can almost understand the outrageous prices they charge for lodging in the summer :-). Wonderful that you had great hosts. How lucky to be able to speak the language. I really need to up my game with studying Spanish. I was surprised that a lot of people spoke English. I look forward to visiting again :-).
This looks amazing! I remember seeing the picture you posted and thought-wow! I need to get to Portugal. I had no idea it was as expensive as Spain. I want to be like u when I grow up lol. 31 days traveling? I’m lucky to get two weeks! I love the dilemma you have of where to settle down next. I would def pick closer to the ocean. The seafood here looks so good too. Yum!!
It is amazing, and so pretty. We were a bit surprised at the prices, but like l said, l think if we went away from the tourist areas, the prices might be way less. Haha! I remember the good old days of 3 weeks vacation per year, even though l always managed to stretch it by switching shifts, but l definitely don’t miss those days. You’ll have more soon enough :-). Portugal was a nice bonus, and yep! the seafood was awesome. Last summer was hot and dry, l was calling people wimps for not being able to handle it. This summer was hot and so humid! I felt like l was back in Houston. Yeah..the water calls..pool or no pool 😉
Oh I LOVE those cork sandals, Kem Kem!!! So cool! This looks like a completely relaxing vacation, and those beach views are beautiful! Can you believe summer is almost over?!
It really was relaxing. We had a wonderful time. Those sandals are indeed comfy. Portugal makes like 90% of the world’s cork or something close. Cork everything..shoes..belts..bags.. Amazing how they make them so pliable. The summer went by fast, but l am definitely ready for some cooler weather :-).
Thank you for sharing your travel experience again. The pictures of the old center remind me our trip to Portugal a few years ago. We drove from Sevilla, crossed the border, and entered Portugal. We stopped by a small town called “Loule” but did not driver far enough to reach Lagos. Southern Portugal is very historic and beautiful. Life seems to be slow-paced and easy-going there.
We did the same route, driving from Sevilla. It was quite a nice feeling crossing the border and seeing that unique bridge. I don’t recall seeing Loule on the way, but l’m sure it’s still there of course. So much greenery. Southern Portugal is indeed historic and very beautiful. We intend on visiting again, and perhaps at some point when we want to slow down even more, it will be on the radar for that as well. Didi you prefer Spain or Portugal? I know l’m asking a tough question. It seems they are cut from the same cloth.. :-), so maybe not a fair question?
I still remember the route and was surprised that there was no immigration between Spain and Portugal. We had to swipe our credit card at the border to pay a toll.
It is a tough question to decide Spain or Portugal. If we have a chance, we would take Andalusia because we speak Spanish. When we visited Portugal, we tried to communicate with the locals in Spanish. No one really understood Spanish. We had to speak English instead. So I assume that we have to learn Portuguese if we decide to live there. But the Southern Portugal is gorgeous and probably cheaper for retirees…
We were shocked there was no border control either. They have someone there now who just takes your credit card to keep on file for the tolls. I suppose you couldn’t go wrong with either one. We’ll keep watching and l am also curious to see where we end up. The water is a big draw though, especially for Federico. Thanks for answering the feedback.
So glad you posted this! I wonder what Lagos is like in the winter as Jave and I are toying with the idea of adding a quick trip to southern Portugal on to our quick European getaway this winter. Or maybe it’s best to save southern Portugal for the summer when we can really get in some good beach time – not sure. Your beach pictures are gorgeous. The mussels look amazing. And I’m wondering how comfy your cork sandals were?
According to our friends who just visited from there, the water is already too cold to get into. It gets very quiet as the vacationers are back home. You might want to save it for when you can really enjoy the beach seeing how you guys love that :-). The cork sandals are surprisingly comfy.. I don’t know how they can make them so soft and pliable.. It rubbed for one day at a spot and l thought l would need a pad, but then it stopped..so l’m good. Thanks for the compliment 😉
Lagos looks lovely. I love the buildings. And the food looks fantastic.I hope I get there some day.
It is certainly a lovely little place. The food is awesome and l hope you get there some day too :-).
I really need to get back to Portugal – I love the old towns. I’ll add Lagos to my list!
You should. It’s so pretty and really, idyllic is a good word to describe it. 🙂
Somehow, Portugal has never made it onto my radar. But your post about Lagos has definitely now put it onto my list for future plans.
Good to hear. I know Lisbon gets most of the love, but Lagos is really nice and the beaches wonderful 🙂
I love the double attraction of Lagos itself AND meeting Anita and Richard. Aren’t we lucky to be making friends around the world?!
Haha! Anita and Richard are so sweet and we enjoyed meeting them and have kept in touch since. They came to visit us just this past summer too. We are indeed lucky! We both left Texas with the same professions to meet in Portugal! 🙂
Anita and Richard have been blogosphere friends and mentors now for a few years (where did the time go?) and we keep saying that one day we will go meet them or they must get to Greece to meet us. . .you’ve given me hope that we might actually pull off a get-together someday, somewhere. (Who knows? Maybe you and I will even meet face-to-face!)
Yeah! Time really does fly by. Much too quickly. I thought it was because l was getting old, but it seems that way with everyone. Anita and Richard are wonderful, and so sweet. I hope you do get to meet them one day with all the travels..it has to align somewhat. We’ve actually spent a few days together here in Valencia too a few short months ago. Haha! There is always hope. I am pretty sure we will meet face to face. Here, there or in-between :-).
What a gorgeous place – and so much to enjoy!
I definitely agree. It is indeed gorgeous. It gets wicked crowded, especially in the summer but it’s clear to see why.
I’ve never been to Portugal, but Lagos looks like my kind of place! That rocky beach with turquoise water and those fresh mussels are calling my name!
Haha! You should answer the call then. The food is awesome, I am a big seafood lover myself. Here in Valencia, we get 2 pounds of mussels for €1.95 and l am to the point of being sick of them..The view of that beach is my favorite memory :-).