3 Days in Lagos Portugal: Itinerary for the Algarve’s Fun Destination

Here’s my itinerary for spending 3 days in Lagos Portugal.

I have been living in Europe since 2017, and I have to say that Lagos on Portugal’s Algarve coast is the best beach destination for me.

If you are on this page, then most likely you have just booked a ticket for Faro, and are planning on visiting the Algarve, the stunning coast of Portugal. Super, now let me show you how to have an amazing time in Lagos, the most fun and prettiest part of the Algarve.

I spent a week in Lagos, Portugal but I’m writing an itinerary for 3 days because I repeated a few places multiple times.

I’d like to mention that out of my 7 days in Lagos Portugal, I spent at least 6 evenings going to the same sunset spot at Ponta da Piedade since it is stunning. But I will give you more options.

Beach itineraries are different than city breaks because they are a little relaxed and include a mid-day break to freshen up.

How to get to Lagos from Faro?

When you land in Faro, you can decide whether you want to spend a night here or not.

If you are traveling solo, then the best way for you to get to Lagos from Faro would be on the train. The train takes 1 hour 38 minutes from Faro train station and leaves at 7:11 am, 9:02 am, 10:23 am, 12:25 pm, 4:17 pm, 5:41 pm, and 6:25 pm.

You can buy your tickets on the train, no need to stand in line at the station.

Buses take a bit longer time 2 hours and run many times a day from Terminal Rodoviário in Faro.

The easiest way to get to Lagos from Faro is on a rental car. I recommend you do this if you are traveling with a partner or family. This way you can drive to Lagos directly from the airport in Faro, without having to spend a night in Faro.

Day 1 of Lagos Portugal Itinerary

Today is going to be about taking a quick look at Lagos city center, doing a small hike for 15-20 minutes, and relaxing on the beach. There will be a small break and then you will see the sunset from my favorite spot in Lagos.

Carry a small backpack and pack the below items:

1. A beach mat,
2. Swimsuit (wear it already under your clothes),
3. A towel or a sarong,
4. Sunscreen,
5. A water bottle,
6. A book to read on the beach,
7. Your phone, wallet, & room keys.

See Lagos Town & Eat Pastel de Nata

Since it is your first day in Lagos, it makes sense to get a feeling of this cute town by walking around in the city center. Most of your time in Lagos will be spent on the beaches so enjoy the historical buildings adorned with Azulejos, cute streets, and purple-bloomed Jacaranda trees.

The streets have slopes and as a result, there are some amazing views but on the flip side, they are slippery so wear comfortable shoes.

Lagos city center is a nice spot for shopping. There are affordable shops all around for beach clothing, travel gear, and surprisingly also home decor.

If you like to buy souvenirs, then Lagos town has a lot of options. A lot of them are wooden and handmade. I bought a wooden hanging honey bee for my daughter and sunglasses for myself since I lost mine on the way.

Lagos city center is a very good spot for eating because there are a lot of restaurants and bakeries.

What’s the first thing that I always eat when I arrive in Portugal? Pastel de Nata. It is a famous Portuguese pastry that makes a perfect breakfast.

I ate pastel de nata at a very local bakery and wasn’t fancy. These are usually the best ones in Portugal. Even though I am more of a salty breakfast person, I make an exception for Pastel de Nata.

I often packed Pasti de Nata and carried them onto the beach instead of eating them at the bakery. You can do that too if you want.

Another thing that you can perhaps do in Lagos town center is to rent a bicycle from Coast Supply Co. I did that too and it made things easy for me to understand where everything was in Lagos.

Keep in mind that cycling in Lagos isn’t so easy because the streets have slopes.

See Pinhão Beach

From Lagos city center, walk for 10 minutes or cycle for 5 minutes and you will reach Pinhão restaurant. From there, walk a bit till the end of the road till you reach a hiking path.

Hike for just 3-5 minutes and you will be on the cliff that’s on top of Pinhão beach. There are a few steps that go down to the beach.

Pinhão Beach is tiny and was full of dead seaweed when I visited. But it has a cave and two arches and I ended up clicking some really nice photos here.

I didn’t spend more than 15 minutes here but you can spend more time if there’s no seaweed.

Hike from Pinhão to Dona Ana (10-15 mins)

The hike from Pinhão Beach to Dona Ana is a small one and it won’t take you more than 15 minutes. What I liked about this hike is the view of Pinhão in the beginning and the view of the entire Dona Ana beach up ahead.

You can see a part of the hiking trail in the above picture, it goes on the cliffs that surround Pinhão beach and one part of Dona Ana beach. As a result, the views are amazing.

The hike from Pinhão to Dona Ana is easy and I did it in my flip-flops. Although I would have had a steadier footing with my sneakers, I decided not to wear them in warm weather.

Relax on Dona Ana beach

Now let’s do what is an absolute necessity for a beach vacation – relax on the beach. Lay your beach mat at a nice spot and lie down. I normally used my sarong as a beach mat.

Go for a swim and then lie down in the sun again to dry yourself and get a nice tan. If you carried a book to read then you can lie down and read it. I packed my pastel de nata and ate one while I was here to recharge.

Dona Ana Beach also has a restaurant and well-kept toilets. Look for the WC sign to find the toilet.

Rent a Paddleboat at Dona Ana Beach for 2 Hours

One of the best ways to explore the caves around Dona Ana beach is on a paddle boat. You can rent one and sit on it with your friend, or stand on it to try SUP.

I’m not so sporty but I found paddle boats to be easy to maneuver. I did try my hand at SUP in Ireland (and not in Lagos) and realized it was easy and fun.

The rental price is EUR 30 for two hours per boat, so take your time and explore the rocks around.

Lunch

If you didn’t carry a snack to the beach, then now would be a good time to eat lunch. The restaurant directly on the beach is Marisol but I will give you a few more options.

The nearby restaurants are Alma Lusa (homely Mediterranean food), Don Gull (newly opened fusion Portuguese food), Gato Pardo (pizza restaurant), and Palacio Da China (Chinese restaurant).

More Beach time at Dona Ana

After lunch, it is up to you if you want to stay on Dona Ana beach or go back to your room to freshen up for the evening.

Considering sunset time is 8:30 pm in summer here, I’d spend a few more hours on the beach before heading back to the room.

By the time it was 6 pm, Dona Ana Beach got suddenly empty because it looked like everyone had the same idea – go to the room, freshen up, and eat dinner.

Go Back to Your Room to Freshen Up

Got too much sun? Go back to your room, shower, and wash the sand away. If your room has a balcony or a garden area, then sit and enjoy a drink or two.

Portugal isn’t like Italy, the locals don’t dress extra fancy in the evenings (thank god), so you can wear your casuals and get ready to watch an amazing sunset.

Ponta da Piedade Sunset

Depending on how early or late you eat dinner, you can swap this point with the next one. Sunset time in summer in Lagos is after 8:30 pm, so just once I ate dinner after but on the rest of the days, I ate dinner before I went for this hike.

You can miss whatever part of the itinerary that you want, but just don’t miss this because watching the sunset at Ponta da Piedade is a seriously stunning experience.

If you have a car, then drive to Ponta da Piedade lighthouse, and from there walk for 3-5 minutes to reach this spot. I often walked the entire way from my guest house and it took me around 20 minutes one way.

Be sure to carry a hoodie because it gets surprisingly cold here even in summer. You can read more about the Ponta da Piedade hike here.

If you like this hike, then I have to tell you about a similar hike in the Algarve – it is the Seven Hanging Valleys hike that starts from Carvoeiro and ends at Marinha Beach with loads of viewpoints on the way. The famous Benagil Cave is a part of this hike.

Dinner at Aqui Há Gato

When you come back from Ponta da Piedade, there’s an excellent restaurant on the way from there before you reach the busy city center. I loved this place so much that I went back every single evening to eat the same meal.

Aqui Há Gato is a family-run restaurant and the best thing to order is what you see on “today’s special” board, which is of course in Portuguese, so use the Google Translate app.

They wrote somewhere that they have the best prawns in Lagos, so being a seafood lover I had to try. I loved the meal so much that I ate it every day.

Day 2 of Lagos Itinerary

To make the most of your second day in Lagos, you will spend most of your time today on the prettiest beaches of Lagos and hiking. If you are renting a car, you can drive to make it a bit easier for yourself.

Grab your breakfast and coffee at your guest house or in a nearby bakery and make your way to the beach.

Tip: If you are a morning person, then you can do the same hike super early and move the lunchtime.

Depending on how early or late you start the day, you can jumble up the points and turn the lunch restaurant into your dinner spot.

Prepare to spend almost the entire day outside without a break, so pack your backpack accordingly.

1. A beach mat,
2. Swimsuit (wear it already under your clothes),
3. A towel or a sarong,
4. Sunscreen,
5. A water bottle,
6. A book to read on the beach,
7. Your phone, wallet, & room keys,
8. A hoodie or a jacket to wear in the evening because it will get cold after sunset,
9. An optional change of clothing.

Are you ready? Let’s start.

Start your Day at Camilo Beach

The best morning that I had in Lagos was the one when I arrived at Camilo Beach before most of the people did.

Praia do Camilo is the prettiest beach in Lagos and it tends to get crowded. Moreover, it is tiny, so visiting it in the morning is the only sensible way.

You can walk to (or drive to) O Camilo restaurant and from there climb down. Be prepared, you have to climb down 500 steps to reach this beach but trust me it is worth the effort.

The reason I loved Praia do Camilo the most out of all the beaches in Lagos is because it has the clearest water, the softest sand, and amazing rock formations. There is even a cave that goes from one part of Praia do Camilo to another part.

Lunch at O Camilo

Praia do Camilo has a super tiny snack bar but if you want a nice lunch experience with the view, then make your way to O Camilo restaurant. Be prepared a spend because it is a high-end restaurant.

Hike from Camilo to Ponta da Piedade to Carnial (60 minutes)

Want to do something fun? Let’s hike to a hidden beach and make a few stops on the way to admire the view.

You have two options – if you want a shorter hike then go directly from Camilo to Praia do Canavial (see the hiking map above). If you have a bit more time and energy, then do to the other viewpoints too. Most likely you already visited Ponta da Piedade yesterday for sunset so you can skip it now and head straight to Praia do Canavial.

Praia do Canavial isn’t that hidden but is one of the beaches that’s hardly visited because one has to get off the hiking trail to reach here.

After your lunch at O Camilo, get ready to hike on the Ponta da Piedade hiking trail to Canavial Beach. This hike will take you over some amazing viewpoints when you start from Camilo Beach.

There are many viewpoints from Camilo to Canavial but there are a few that really stand out.

Praia da Balança viewpoint (15 minutes)

This is a nice viewpoint that’s right before Ponta da Piedade. You will see the lovely Balança beach below as you stand on the rocks

Ponta da Piedade Caves (10 – 20 minutes)

Climb down 200 steps near Ponta da Piedade lighthouse to go near the water. This way you can see some interesting rock formations. I personally felt that the view from the top was better.

Praia do Barranco do Martinho Viewpoint (10 minutes)

This is the stop where I went most often because it looked so pretty. From this spot one can see a tiny almost circular beach that’s literally impossible to reach – Praia do Barranco do Martinho.

Canavial Beach viewpoint (15 minutes)

There is a spot from where you can see two beaches one after another – Porto Mós and Canavial. We will go to both of these beaches soon!

Canavial Beach (15 minutes)

In order to reach Praia do Canavial, you have to walk towards Miradouro da Praia do Canavial and keep going on the wooden hiking path.

At some point, you will reach a white house kind of building, after that you have to get off the hiking path and find your way to the beach. Either you find it or you don’t.

If you do end up finding Canavial Beach then enjoy your time on this almost empty beach that’s massive in size. It is a nidust beach so please don’t click photos when people are around.

If you don’t find Canavial Beach, then don’t feel sad because it isn’t essentially a prettier beach than the ones you saw already in Lagos, but it is more about experiencing a nearly empty and partially hidden beach.

Porto Mós Beach & Sunset

Porto Mós is a kilometer away from Canavial Beach and is definitely worth visiting if you are so close to it. Moreover, it is a good spot for watching the sunset so it is a good idea to end your hike and your day here.

Porto Mós is massive and has super soft sand without pebbles. The water is clean and is perfect for a swim and this is why a lot of families visit this beach.

Porto Mós was in my experience the most crowded beach in Lagos. Don’t be fooled by my picture above, I clicked it in an empty corner.

There is a bus stop right outside Porto Mós beach and from here you can get on a bus that will take you to the city center.

Alternatively, you can also take a taxi. I don’t like getting on cabs because they are expensive in Europe but they were surprisingly cheap in Portugal.

Dinner & Drinks

I didn’t find a lot of restaurant options near Porto Mós, so you can come a bit closer to the city.

Day 3 of Lagos Portugal itinerary

Today we will visit two pretty beaches that are side by side and do a kayak or a boat tour depending on your preference to see the stunning caves of Lagos.

We will visit 2-3 beaches that are near the city center today and get on to a boat or a kayak for a fun tour of the caves.

If you have a wet bag already then it will come in handy today. But in my experience, most of the tour operators in the Algarve included a wetback with the tour – I still recommend you double-check with them when you book.

So, here’s what you should already pack in your bag for today:

1. A beach mat,
2. Swimsuit (wear it already under your clothes),
3. A towel or a sarong,
4. Sunscreen,
5. A water bottle,
6. A book to read on the beach,
7. Your phone, wallet, & room keys,
8. A hoodie or a jacket to wear in the evening because it will get cold after sunset,
9. An optional change of clothing.

Praia dos Estudantes

Praia dos Estudantes is a small beach that’s near Lagos city center. What sets it apart from the others is an old stone bridge that goes between two cliffs. It is sometimes also called the Roman Bridge, and is marked on Google Maps as “Pinhao Fort Bridge”.

Spend some time at the beach of Estudantes and click some cool photos. I traveled solo so I couldn’t as anyone to click my picture under the bridge but it makes an amazing photo spot. My tripod refused to stand stable here.

Batata Beach

Estudantes Beach is attached to a bigger beach that’s called Batata Beach. Go spend some time on Batata Beach or relax with a cocktail at Batata Beach Bar.

Kayak Tour or Boat Cruise (1.5 to 2.5 hours)

A lot of people end up visiting the Benagil Cave when they are in Lagos, and I did that too. It was totally worth the experience.

However, Lagos also has many stunning caves which aren’t yet as popular as Benagil Cave. Moreover, Benagil is not near Lagos so if you have just 3 days in Lagos then it makes more to do a cave tour in Lagos.

I have handpicked a kayaking tour for you that starts right from Batata beach and is highly rated.

This kayaking tour in Lagos lasts 2.5 hours and the cost is EUR 35. Even if you haven’t done kayaking before in your life, you can still do this tour because it is guided.

You will not only see caves but also see beaches that aren’t easy to reach. There is an absolutely stunning beach called Praia da Balança that isn’t easy to reach, but I see a few kayaks on it when I was at the viewpoint.

Another cool way to experience the beautiful cliffs and caves of Lagos is by getting on to a small boat for a tour.

I have personally handpicked a tour for you based on the boats I saw when I was hiking in the area.

This particular boat tour costs EUR 20 and lasts for 1.5 hours. The meeting point is near Lagos train station.

Lunch at Marisqueira “O Perceve” for Seafood Lovers

Marisqueira O Perceve restaurant was recommended to me by a local for fresh seafood, so I had to visit it. Honestly, I missed my train out of Lagos to Faro because I ate here, but it was worth it.

If you’re not into seafood, then read on for another option.

Lunch at Momo Express

Alternatively, you can also eat in one of the many restaurants in Lagos city center. I ended up going to a Nepalese restaurant for a quick snack of chicken momos (dumplings).

Afternoon & Evening at Meia Praia

Meia Praia Beach is a massive one, almost as big as a village. With a length of 4.5 KMs, this massive spacious beach is just off Lagos train station.

For a quick walk, you can put “Bahia Beach Bar” in Google Maps and walk there. Don’t put “Meia Praia” as your destination because the beach is massive and it will take you to the middle of it instead of the closest entry.

Explore the Bar Scene at Lagos

Lagos has an amazing nightlife and bar scene that you should try to experience if you are into that kind of thing.

As recommended to me by a local, here are the bars that you should check out – Zanzibar Lagos, Beer & Co, Peppers, and Aficionado.

I will be honest. I visited just one bar and drank Caipirinhas with a few girls on one of the nights but I was pretty tired after hiking every single day so I slept early.

Where to Stay in Lagos Portugal?

I stayed in a place called Safari beach guest house which wasn’t in the city center and was closer to Camilo Beach, Ponta da Piedade, and Dona Ana compared to places to stay that are in Lagos city center.

I’m sharing a few recommendations below for places to stay in Lagos:

• B22 – Rising Sun 2 Bed Flat – Ideally suited for families and couples who are looking for an apartment with a view. I’d book this in a heartbeat if I was visiting with my husband and my little girl.
• Lemon Tree Relaxing Guest House – Peaceful Place with a garden and a shared kitchen.
• Safari Beach Guest House – Affordable private rooms and dorm beds in a quiet residential area.

How to move around in Lagos, Portugal?

The best way to move around in Lagos would be on a rental car and it makes so much sense if you are with your partner or family.

I traveled solo to Lagos, so I rented a bicycle for a day and returned it the next day. After that, I often walked or got on buses.

I realized the buses in Lagos were pretty convenient and easy. Just use Google Maps to find the nearest bus stop and the bus number that you need to get on to.

Taxies aren’t expensive in Lagos at all but the one time I called for one, it came 20 minutes late and I could have done the whole way by walking in lesser duration.

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