Skip to content 
Lagos is a popular and well-known city in the Algarve and it was one of our favourite destinations of our recent 9-day road trip. It is the perfect blend of an old-school Portuguese town with a modern, bustling town. It is the one of the best cities in the Algarve for beach-hopping, with a large variety of beaches all fairly close to each other.
We also loved the food in Lagos! I summarized our favourite Lagos restaurants in a blog post here. Keep reading to find out how we spent three days in Lagos. Spoiler alert, we spent most of our time beach-hopping.
For a full breakdown of how we spent nine days in Portugal, click here.
MEIA PRAIA
With over 30 beaches to choose from in Lagos, a good starting place is Meia Praia, the largest beach in the region. It can get busy, but it’s such a big beach that spans almost 5km, so there should be more than enough space. Meia Praia is great for swimming as the terrain is flat, not too rocky and the sand is very nice and smooth. This was probably my favourite beach of all the ones we visited.
Location: Click here for the map.
PONTA DA PIEDADE
This was another favourite from our three day stay in Lagos and truly one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen. Ponta da Piedade is a group of rock formations with hiking paths and trails leading to beautiful blue water. At the bottom of very steep stairs, small boat tours are offered where you can explore the archways from the water. Make sure you bring good walking shoes when visiting!
Location: Click here for the map.
PRAIA DONA ANA
Praia Dona Ana is one of the Algarve’s most famous beaches and what I heard some locals refer to as the “Instagram beach” because it is so picturesque. It’s well-known for its surrounding rock formations and turquoise blue water. The beach itself is quite small and it can get very busy, so I strongly suggest going early to secure parking. The sand here is a bit rough and there is a lot of seaweed, so walking barefoot here is not the most pleasant. The view is truly beautiful though, so I’d definitely recommend seeing it.
Location: Click here for the map.
PRAIA DO CAMILO
Another iconic beach in Lagos is Praia do Camilo. It’s small, but very beautiful with clear blue water and golden sand. The beach is surrounded by cliffs which blocks the wind, so this is a great spot for swimming. When we went in June, the water was still quite chilly. This smaller beach has limited space, so go early to snag a spot!
Location: Click here for the map.
PRAIA DOS ESTUDANTES
Located near the Lagos city centre, Praia dos Estudantes is a beach that is well-known for its stunning archways. There are hand excavated tunnels leading from various sandy areas of the beach to the next. I also found the sand here to be quite rough and full of seaweed, so I kept my flip flops on for the most part, but it was still a great place to read in the sun for a few hours. The cliffs break the wind, which makes for a peaceful resting spot.
Location: Click here for the map.
PRO PUTTING GARDEN
We had a blast at the Pro Putting Garden! We stumbled across this mini golf garden in Lagos city center and decided to pop in for a round. You have the option of doing nine or 18 holes, we opted for 18 for more fun! The course itself was very creative and challenging. Watch out for the frog statues as they’ll spit water at you!
Location: R. José Afonso 23, 8600-315 Lagos, Portugal. Click here for the map.
