The beaches in Lagos are among the most beautiful beaches in the Portuguese Algarve. Where to go to? These are the best beaches in Lagos Portugal.
Beach holiday in Lagos
Lagos is a city located in southern Portugal, in the Algarve region. It’s one of the best places to visit in Portugal since the city has a beautiful old center full of fun shops and restaurants. And since Lagos is located on the Atlantic Ocean, a lot of people come to Lagos to visit the beaches.
With about 300 days of sun, the weather in Lagos is usually pretty good. Most of the year, temperatures remain above 25 degrees Celcius. Temperatures drop during the winter months, but if you’re lucky it’s still about 20 degrees Celcius.
The Lagos beaches are famous because of the golden rock formations and almost all of the beaches have soft golden sand. It’s for good reason that the Algarve was named Europe’s and the World’s Leading Beach Destination at the annual World Travel Awards numerous times in the past few years.
The best beaches in Lagos Portugal
Every winter, I spend a couple of months in Lagos. Almost every day I explore one of the beautiful beaches. Here is a list of the absolute best beaches in Lagos Portugal.
Meia Praia
Meia Praia is the largest beach in Lagos. It consists of several beaches. From east to west:
- Duna Beach
- Praia de São Roque
- Meia Praia
- Praia do Vale da Lama
Together, these four beaches are one very long beach, it’s almost five kilometers! It even has its own train station. Along the beach, there are several parking lots, and beach restaurants.
Praia da Batata
Praia da Batata is the closest beach near central Lagos. The high cliffs that surround the beach make it feel like a very isolated place. You can watch boats from here because they sail along this beach to the port of Lagos.
For the best view of this beach, climb to Miradouro Praia da Batata. Close to the viewpoint, you’ll find Restaurant Mar. This is a great place to enjoy a cup of coffee on the terrace with great views.
Praia dos Estudantes
Via a tunnel in the rocks, you can walk from Praia da Batata to Praia dos Estudantes. Although it is near the city center, it feels even more remote as it is really completely enclosed between the high cliffs. As a result, it is also in the shade for a large part of the day (which may be nice on some warm days).
Very striking on this beach is the stone bridge that you can also see in the photo. You cannot walk over this as it is on private land. If you still want to do it, the villa that the bridge belongs to is currently for sale for about five million euros.
This is a perfect beach to watch the sunrise. In fact, the sun rises beautifully behind the bridge.
Praia do Pinhão
The beach called Praia do Pinhão is kind of my own secret beach and a bit of a hidden gem. When I am in Lagos, I always rent the same apartment and this beach is closest to it. It’s just a short walk from the Lagos town center and you can only get here on foot. Just follow the Avenida dos Descobrimentos and go left right before the fire station. After a curve, you’ll see a staircase leading to the beach.
Praia do Pinhão is in the sun most of the day. It is enclosed by limestone cliffs, so the wind does not bother you. This makes it a great beach for a cooler day, even in winter, it can get nice and warm here.
It’s a perfect place to go for a picnic or read a book in complete silence, as not that many people come there.
Good to know: this beach kind of disappears with high tide, so I would recommend only visiting it with low tide.
Praia de Dona Ana
Praia de Dona Ana (or Dona Ana beach) is one of the most beautiful and popular beaches in Lagos. It’s located right next to Praia do Pinhão and it is so pretty! This beach is also located between several high cliffs, and it is quite large.
Do bring your own food and drinks when you visit this beach because there are not many nice restaurants in the area (the pavilion on the beach itself is not that good). There’s a large parking lot right next to the beach, so it’s easy to reach by car.
Praia do Camilo
The most beautiful beach in Lagos (and I think it’s also the most beautiful of all the Algarve beaches) is Praia do Camilo. You get here via a long staircase (200 steps!) and the more you descend, the more beautiful the view of the beach and high cliffs.
It’s a small beach, but if you walk to the left, you will see a tunnel in the rocks that leads to a different (quieter) part of the beach. This is a great beach to go snorkeling or paddle boarding. Because it’s such a popular beach, you might want to get here early (especially during the Summer months) to really appreciate its beauty.
There’s a small parking lot next to the beach which fills up quickly. The restaurant next to the stairs is really good, so it’s a great idea to visit Praia do Camilo a little before dinner time.
Praia de Porto de Mós
Praia de Porto de Mos is the second-largest beach in Lagos and is located about 3 kilometer southwest of the town center. This beach is very popular with locals. Especially on weekends, it can get very busy. But since it’s so big, it’s never really crowded.
It is a wonderfully wide sandy beach, surrounded by high, steep cliffs. Praia de Proto de Mós is the best place for surfing in Lagos. There’s a large parking space near the beach, that’s usually filled with vans with surfboards on top of them.
The area around Praia de Porto de Mós is also very nice to explore because it is full of luxurious villas and beautiful resort hotels.
At low tide you can walk all the way to Praia do Canavial, this is also a beautiful beach (and very quiet because you can only get there on foot or by boat).
Praia de Porto de Mós is the best beach in Lagos to watch the sunset.
Ponta da Piedade
To be honest, Ponta da Piedade is technically not a beach. It’s a rock formation. But a spectacular one! And therefore a must-visit while you’re in Lagos. If you see golden cliffs on the front page of one of Portugal’s travel guides, it is a picture of Ponta da Piedade.
On top of the cliff, there are several hiking trails. Just follow them to find the best viewpoints. Whatever you do, don’t get too close to the edge, the cliffs can be very unstable and slippery. It’s recommended to visit Ponta da Piedade for sunrise. You’ll see the sunrise above the Atlantic Ocean and the rocks will look even more golden. It’s absolutely gorgeous!
There’s also a staircase leading to the bottom of the rock formation. Here you can hop on a boat if you like to and explore the hidden caves along the coast. Because of the rocks and the many boats and kayaks, it’s not recommended to go swimming near Ponta da Piedade.
Ponta da Piedade is located 3 kilometers south of the Lagos town center. There’s a parking lot (free parking), a lighthouse, a shop, and a restaurant (mostly closed in Winter). You can also choose to walk to Ponta de Piedade, which will take about 30 minutes. Walk to Praia da Dona Ana and follow the wooden boardwalks to the lighthouse. It’s a fun hike!
Praia da Balança
Are you looking for a real hidden gem? Try Praia da Balança! It’s located between Praia do Camilo and Ponta da Piedade and you can only get there on foot. Make sure to wear the right shoes! It’s surrounded by rocky cliffs and it’s a great place to go snorkeling.
Beaches Lagos map
This map shows all the best beaches in Lagos Portugal.
This is an image, click here to open an interactive map of beaches in Lagos.
Discover more beautiful beaches in Lagos by boat
In my opinion, these are the seven most beautiful beaches in Lagos. All these beaches can be reached on foot and most of them also by car.
There are more beautiful beaches in Lagos, but some are only accessible by boat. Would you like to visit them as well? You can book various fun tours through Get Your Guide. Here are a few recommendations:
- Discover the caves and beaches by kayak
- Cruise around the caves and beaches on a catamaran (meal and snorkeling included)
What do you need to bring to the beach?
Do you fancy a fun day at the beach during your visit to Lagos? Don’t forget to bring these items.
- Good shoes! Some of the beaches are only accessible via steep staircases or slippery hiking trails.
- A beach towel or a hammam towel to lie on (or to dry off after a refreshing dip in the sea)
- Sunscreen (preferably with a high factor, the sun can be very bright in the Algarve, even in winter!)
- A cap or hat against the sun.
- Flip-flops, the sand can be very hot.
- If you plan to go in the water for swimming or snorkeling, it’s smart to wear water shoes. The rocks can be very sharp and slippery.
- A bottle of water.
- Cash. On some beaches, you have a cozy beach bar where you can get something to eat and drink. Usually, you can use a debit card to pay, but that’s not always the case. Credit cards are rarely accepted.
What else can you do in Lagos?
Lagos is one of the most beautiful places to visit during a vacation in the Algarve. There are many historic buildings to see, it has some interesting museums, and you can taste some delicious food in one of the many restaurants. Lagos is an ideal base to discover other beautiful places in the Algarve, such as Sagres, Cape Saint Vincent, and Portimão.
Read more: 10 fun things to do in Lagos .
Book a trip to Lagos
Would you love to discover one of these gorgeous beaches in Lagos or other beautiful places in the Algarve? Book a trip to Lagos asap!
Get to Lagos by plane
To get to Lagos, it’s best to fly to Faro or Lisbon. Use WayAway to find the best deal on plane tickets.
How to get around
You can get around in the Algarve by rental car or public transportation.
Rental Car
The best way to get around in the Algarve is by car. The drive from Faro airport to Lagos takes about an hour (via toll road). From Lisbon, the drive is about 3 hours (also via toll road). Check Rental Cars or Discover Cars to find the best deals on car rental.
Public Transport to Lagos from Faro
From the airport, you can take a taxi or Uber to the train station in Faro. I myself regularly used Uber in the Algarve and it’s cheap and safe.
From the train station in Faro, a train goes to Lagos almost every one or two hours. Check the Comboios de Portugal website for times and prices. You can buy tickets at the station, via the website, or through the app. The train journey from Faro to Lagos takes approximately 1.5 hours.
Public transport from Lisbon to Faro
From Lisbon airport, take a metro to the train station of Lisbon Oriente. From here, you can either take a (direct) bus or a train (1 transfer in Tunes) to Lagos. Both trips take about 4 hours. Check Busbud for bus tickets and Comboios de Portugal for train tickets.
Accommodation
Lagos is a popular place for people to visit, so there are many places to stay. From a bed in a hostel to a private villa with a swimming pool.
These are some great places to stay in Lagos:
- The Salty Lodge: beautifully furnished apartments with a balcony in the city center of Lagos.
- Guesthouse Our House: cozy guesthouse near Meia Praia.
- Lagos Avenida Hotel: luxury hotel with a rooftop pool, right in the city center.
Check Booking.com for more options and availability.
Would you like to read more about the Algarve?
Are you excited to visit the Algarve and do you need some additional tips? These guidebooks are filled with useful tips:
DK Eyewitness Top 10 Algarve (Pocket Travel Guide)
In addition, on this website, you can also find a lot of information about a vacation in Portugal. For example, check out these articles:
- What to do in the Algarve? 26 tips!
- 15 awesome things to do in Portimão
- Silves, the oldest city in the Algarve
I also regularly share fun travel stories and tips for the most beautiful destinations in my monthly newsletter. Subscribe now.
This article was published in May 2021. Last update: September 2022.
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