DISCOVER LAGOS

It is a historic city and popoular with tourists for it's beaches.The majority of the population lives along the coastal line and works in tourism and services. The inland region in sparsely inhabited, with the majority of the people working in agriculture and forestry.

Lagos is located approximately 35 kilometers east of Sagres Point, the southwesternmost point of Europe. To the north of Lagos is the road to Silves, the first capital of Algarve, which has a Moorish castle, Monchique (spa town/mountain), Milfontes, a coastal town and port/harbour of the city of Sines, that winds through the scenic protected landscape of the Southwest Natural Park (Costa Sudoeste Alentejana e Vicentina).

ECONOMY AND CULTURE OF LAGOS

Lagos' economy, like many coastal towns in Portugal, has always been closely linked to the sea, and fishing has been an important activity since very ancient times. Since 1960, the city has embraced tourism, which has become its most important economic activity. It has beautiful beaches, good climate, the sea, a scenic coastline, and historical patrimony. It also has plenty of cultural and night-life entertainment venues. Many local traditions are celebrated, ranging from architecture to gastronomy and handicrafts.

In gastronomy, there are the local specialties: Dom rodrigos and morgados cookies based on local products, such as almonds, figs and eggs. Lagos is also a wine producing region and is famous for its moscatel wine, and also for a strong alcoholic spirit, the aguardente de medronho, made of berries of strawberry tree.

Lagos has many natural interest sites, including:

• Ponta da Piedade (Mercy Point)
• Grutas da Costa d'Oiro (Golden Coast grottos)
• Laguna de Alvor (Alvor Lagoon)
• Mata Nacional de Barão de S.João (National forest of Saint John's Baron)

BEACHES OF LAGOS

• Meia Praia (Half beach) - With soft and white sand, is one of the biggest bays in Europe and has a calm sea due to its width. Owing to its lack of rocks it is ideal for nautical sports. When the wind is strong, there are many sheltered sand beaches between the cliffs.
• Praia Solaria (Sunny beach).
• Praia da Batata (Potato beach) - It's a small beach tucked between two small cliffs, where the river meets the Atlantic Ocean. It is also known by the small music festivals that take place there during Summer.
• Praia dos Estudantes (Students' beach).
• Dona Ana - Probably the beach most frequented by tourists, and for good reason. The sand on Dona Ana is slightly thicker than the beaches in the surrounding area, and the beach itself is bounded by lovely rock formations. Many different shapes come alive when you look at the rock formation, a birthday cake, the titanic, and the sphynx's to name a few. Dona Ana is essentially split into two beaches with a protruding cliff separating the two sides at high tide.
• Canavial
• Camilo
• Praia da Luz (Light beach) - A beach in the popular nearby tourist town of Luz, the beach has watersports facilities and is bounded on its Eastern side by the so-called 'Rocha Negra'.

LAGOS HOTELS & ACCOMMODATION

ALGARVE TOURS, TRAVEL & ACTIVITIES