Lagos is an attractive and busy fishing port with beautiful beaches nearby which draw an international crowd of tourists. Life here goes beyond catering solely to tourists, and the town still maintains much of its historic heritage. Lagos is the perfect holiday destination in the Algarve for the younger crowd, bursting with restaurants, clubs and bars and some of the best beaches on the Algarve. Since tourism started to grow here, Lagos has earned a deserved reputation as a good time town.

The main streets in the historical centre of the town leading off the Praça Gil Eanes are packed full of shops, restaurants and bars, all of which do a roaring trade in the summer months.

The town has a venerable history, which can be seen all over town. Lagos’s deep water harbor and wide bay have made it a natural choice for settlers for centuries, since the town was founded around 400 BC. Under Moorish rule, Lagos was a centre of trade between Portugal and Africa and even when the town was taken by the Christians in 1241, this trade continued and expanded upon under the rule of Henry the Navigator.

The importance of Lagos led to the town becoming the capital of Portugal, a role which it lost following the great earthquake of 1756 which left the town in rubble. Despite this, some interesting buildings exist to this day together with the old city walls which encircle the town.

Lagos’s most notable building is the Igreja de Santo António (Church of St Anthony), the Baroque interior of which is gilded in the most extravagant style, made possible by the importation of gold from Brazil.

The largest beach near Lagos and one of the best for water sports is the 4km stretch of Meia Praia to the north east of town. All the other beaches are to the south-west of the Lagos town centre, the best of which is the Praia de Dona Ana. You can walk to this beach in about 30 minutes from Lagos town centre. Along the way, there are several other cove beaches with impressive cliffs and rock formations.

The town is chock full of good restaurants and you will be spoilt for choice for the duration of your Lagos holiday. Restaurants in the centre of town can be slightly more pricey during summer.

Once fed, you may decide to party the night away at one of Lagos’s myriad of bars and nightclubs. Most stay open to around 4am and keep an eye out for the tens of people handing out flyers for the bars, sometimes they offer great discounts.

Overall, Lagos has everything you will need within easy reach for a fantastic Algarve holiday.