Ultimate Road Trip in Lagos and the Southern Shores, Portugal

Stunning Beaches

We arrived in Lagos after a 5 hour beautiful drive down from Lisbon. We dropped our bags at our Air BnB a cute apartment. Silvias place was in the perfect location. A short walk to the city center and to the beach. This place also offers underground parking and a pool. Silvia was a great host and really helpful. We needed heaters and she was quick to bring them. I would recommend staying here. Click here for her place.

Storm Emma

This was something we were not expecting. It was a good thing we brought our rain coats and hair ties. This storm, as per the locals, was one of the worst they had experienced. This put a little damper on some of the things we had planned. We were unable to see the Benagil cave which was something I was looking forward to. A cliff restaurant, that I wanted to enjoy a coffee at, was destroyed. The surf was rough and of course I hit sand and that brought on a small injury. But, with this storm I was able to get a glimpse of some massive waves.

Taking a Drive Along the Coast

If you head East on the N125(not a toll road) and South down the M1154 you will get to Benagil Caves. To the East of it you will find Praia da Corredoura and to the west Praia do Carvalho. These two places have great Views, stunning sea caves and lovely beaches.

So if you are able to get to Benagil Caves I would suggest making a full day of it. Go to Benagil first thing in the morning and make your way to these other places.

Lighthouse of Cabo de São Vicente Sunset

Now if you head West of Lagos you will find yourself at the lighthouse of Cabo. Until the end of the 14th century many believed this place to be the end of the world. This here is a great place to watch the sunset.

Now if you venture further north of that to Praia da Arrifana. There is a restaurant called P Paulo. This place has great food and wine. It also has an amazing coastal view. We were not able to sit outside but with large windows all around we were able to get out of the wind and rain and take in the beauty.

Lagos Forts and Rock Formations.

Forte da Ponta da Bandeira and Castelo de Lagos are two very well preserved historical attractions and well worth a few Euro. Forte da Ponta was built in the 17th century, headquarters to the military government of the Algarve. The Castle of Lagos is a medieval castle located in the municipality of Lagos, Portugal. Its walls surrounded the entire city of Lagos, providing the town its main means of defense. Throughout the city you an see remnants of the old city wall.

We made our way South from the fort heading to Praia dos Estudantes, the bridge. We took the beach way as much as we could. Crawling under small opens in the rock. When we couldn’t take the beach we used the stairs, beach is way more fun, unless you like all that exercise😂. The views from the top were magnificent, this is a great time to take a break and absorb the scenery.

Surfing

The surf this day was not what I was use to. But I needed that time out on the board. Our instructor Filipe from Fil Surf school and his beautiful lady were great sports. I have surfed a few times by this point but Cyndi had not. The waves were short, the water was freezing and my body was not having it. After about an hour I slipped off the board and dug my knee into the sand. Yup I am done lol. It was a great day and Filipe gave us areas to go and see that most people don’t know and that was the Coast North of the lighthouse.

Cafes

Coming to Portugal I wanted 2 things, coffee and Pastel De Nata. Pastel De Nata is a custard tart, its something we can get in the Toronto Canada area. However, you will never have the true flavor till you come here. Café Cantina has great coffee and tarts and I would go here every morning before our journey in the car. There are cafes everywhere, my fav was done by the water called Harleys Cafe. Downtown you can find so many restaurants, from Italian to authentic Portuguese to McD’s. We did go out the first night to small Italian place for so pizza but did most of our cooking at the apartment. If you want to try something delicous, get chicken with Piri Piri, will warn you, it is spicy.