Lagos and Ponta da Piedade

1 brewery · 2 venues

Lagos lies at the mouth of the Bensafrim river on the western Algarve coast, an ancient maritime town with more than 2,000 years of history. Golden cliffs, sea stacks and grottoes, wide sandy bays and a walled old town full of reminders of the Age of Discovery make it one of the most rewarding places to visit in southern Portugal.

The town's name goes back to Lacobriga, the settlement of pre-Roman times. In the 15th century Lagos became the centre of Portuguese maritime exploration: Henry the Navigator lived here much of the time and sent caravels down the coast of Africa, and Lagos was the home port of Gil Eanes, who in 1434 became the first to sail beyond Cape Bojador. The town also has a darker side to its history: in 1444 the first enslaved Africans were brought to Lagos and sold here, and for a time the town was a centre of the European slave trade. In 1578 King Sebastian assembled his fleet here for the ill-fated campaign in Morocco. From 1576 to 1755 Lagos was the capital of the Algarve, until the old town was devastated by the earthquake and tsunami of 1755.

Begin inside the walls: the medieval Cerca Velha, finished in the 14th century, enclosed the original grid of streets known as Viladentro, and parts of the later Renaissance walls still stand. Visit the Castelo dos Governadores, built in the second half of the 15th century and probably a residence of Prince Henry, the Regimental Storehouse of 1665 on Praça do Infante, and the building that houses the Slave Route exhibition, one of the possible sites of Europe's first 15th-century slave market. The Church of Santo António, rebuilt after the earthquake, has some of the finest gilded woodwork in the region, and the Church of São Sebastião, a National Monument since 1924, dominates the skyline. By the harbour, the 17th-century Fort of Ponta da Bandeira guarded the entrance to the port, and the Museu de Lagos Dr. José Formosinho covers the town's history.

Spend the morning in the old town and the afternoon on the coast. South of town, Ponta da Piedade is famous for its golden cliffs and sea stacks up to 20 metres high, several of its grottoes can be visited by boat, and its lighthouse dates from 1913. The beaches of Dona Ana, Porto de Mós and Meia Praia, one of the largest open bays in Europe with calm water for watersports, are the most popular. Inland, the Barão de São João National Forest has walking and mountain-bike trails, and the Bravura reservoir lies in the hills to the north.

Lagos station is the western terminus of the Algarve railway line, with CP trains running east via Faro and Tavira to Vila Real de Santo António. Around town and the wider municipality, the public bus network is called A Onda.

Craft beer in Lagos is still a rare find, which makes tracking down a local glass part of the adventure. After a day of cliffs, coves and boat trips, ask around for something freshly brewed.