LAGOS, PORTUGAL

October 9, 2015
Lagos is more of a modern resort town located in southwest Portugal with origins that date back to 2000 BC, at the time known as Lacobriga. The old town area is still surrounded by the city walls that were built in the 16th century, they include Ponta da Bandeira, Porta de Sao Goncalo and Governor's Castle which were added during or after the 17th century.

We arrived later in the afternoon, relaxed for a few moments and then headed out to see Ponta da Piedade, one of my main reasons for visiting Lagos. Ponta da Piedade is regarded as the best natural feature in southern Portugal. According to the Huffington Post it "could be the most beautiful shoreline on earth", which is quite the statement! This area of Lagos is full of dramatic sandstone cliffs/towers, sandy beaches and crystal clear blue-green water. It is best to be seen by boat; however, the weather did not cooperate with us during our stay. It looks amazing when the sun is hitting it the water but clouds rolled in. I would say that it was still an amazing view though.

We headed into the old town after our visit to Ponta da Piedade. Daylight was slipping away so we walked through as much as we could, knowing that the next day was bringing rain. Although much smaller, the town is similar to Porto and Lisbon in that the streets are filled with white and black stones, tile buildings and many small squares. It is here that I finally found some egg cups that I fell in love with [hand painted to match the pattern of the portuguese streets]. It only took me three years!

One of the more lively squares in the city is Praça de Gil Eanes, which is usually full of street performers, painters and cafes/restaurants. Apparently, large screens can be found in the square during football matches. I would have loved to have seen that!

The walls surrounding Lagos

To the right - Lagos Marina
It has both the Euromarina Anchor Award and the
Blue Flag Award and has shops bars and restaurants

Our visit to Lagos was a little wet so we were not able to see all the sights and explore all of the areas that we wanted to. We only had one night in the town, which during the nice weather would probably be enough to explore the old area, although more time would be needed to fully enjoy the beaches.

Where we stayed: We stayed in a nice 2 bedroom apartment a little outside the old town area. It is part of a small complex with a pool and is an easy walk to the main sights [it is uphill when walking back, as are most places].
Where we ate: Cervejaria Abrigo