Lagos boasts beaches of every kind and ode-worthy sandstone cliffs

It’s a wonder why no one has written an ode to the sandstone cliffs of Lagos in Portugal. It’s also a wonder why no one mentions the 14th century town when you think of visiting the country. Less than an hour’s drive from the Faro airport, the town of Lagos — Portuguese for “lakes” — was the starting point of maritime excursions during the Age of Discovery.

It has some of Portugal’s prettiest beaches and some of its finest and oldest churches. Little white houses with coloured doors and terraced roofs — lined on two sides of cobbled mosaic streets — slope towards the sea, . If you stay in the Old Town, you can see the sea from practically every corner.


Since the Old Town houses most of the historical sites and is close to many beaches, stay in a serviced apartment instead of splurging on a seafront hotel. Once you have checked in, just start walking. And don’t forget to look down at the cobbled streets. Closer to the town centre, the streets are laid with small tiles in various designs stretching for kilometres. It’s a dying craft in Portugal and the stones are laid by hand.



The Old Town is surrounded by solid stone walls built in the 16th century. You can walk on parts of the stone wall, much like in Galle, Sri Lanka.

One of the defining features of Lagos and the Algarve coast are the Ponta da Piedade or the sandstone cliffs wrapped around each beach. There’s a beach for every kind of beach bum. There’s the massive Meia Praia, which is the main beach, and Batata beach, which is more commercial with its restaurants and proximity to high street.



There’s the very pretty Praia da Dona Ana, which has recliners and beach umbrellas and is near a large number of hotels, making it highly popular by mid-morning. The Praia de Porto de Mós is popular for surfing. But if you are looking for some quiet time, head to Praia do Pinhão, hidden at the bottom of a steep flight of stone steps.



You can place your towel in a grotto in the cliffs and walk barely 10 feet to reach the waters. All the beaches are interconnected and you can burn up some calories walking through the arches and caves and doorways that have been naturally formed in the cliffs. For the adventure enthusiasts, there are water cruises through the grottos, dolphin-watching and snorkelling.


Start early and head to the beaches by 9 am, before other tourists descend. By 11 am you can have your fill of the sea and head to various historical sites. The museum of Mercado dos Escravos, Europe’s first slave market, chillingly documents the history of slavery from when the first African slaves were brought to Lagos from the western coast of Africa in 1444. The 17th century Ponta de Bandeira fort museum is dismally curated but is a vantage point to look out at the sea. When you are done exercising your cultural sensibilities, walk into the jumble of streets lined with innumerable restaurants serving seafood and bustling with tourists, buskers and jugglers. The Cataplana, a seafood rice stew that is cooked and served in a large copper dish, is a must-try. The local piri piri chillis provide the hot quotient to the dishes. Wash them down with jugs of sangria flavoured with freshly squeezed Portuguese orange juice. The locally produced wines are delicious, as is the Porto Branco — a white port available only in Portugal.



Not as sweet as red port, this is the perfect aperitif. The temperature drops considerably, almost turning nippy in the evenings, and it’s a pleasure to walk through the streets, stopping for a drink here and a meal there. It’s safe, nobody bothers you and there are no drunks despite the flowing alcohol. If you fancy a slightly posh meal, head to Casa do Prego where the staff are friendly and the food truly divine. The prices are the same as at less fancy restaurants, but you will need to make a reservation. A meal for three would be around €45.

There are very few options for vegetarians. They might have to make do with the Portuguese version of fries and pizzas and pastas. Oddly, almost no restaurant or bakery serves the pastel de nata or the Portuguese egg tart. It’s like sandesh not being served at any sweet shop in Bengal. But you must have it, the combination of the custard — although a little too sweet — encased in a shell made of multiple layers of filo pastry, is almost like taking a bite of Lagos where every street corner turns up a new mosaic design, a glimpse of the sea and a centuries-old building.

Rajyasree Sen is a Delhi-based writer Follow the writer on Twitter @Rajyasree