2751 Travel Guide

Ponta da Piedade lies beyond Lagos in Portugal's Algarve — a coastline wonder of golden rock pillars, natural arches and deep sea caves. The water shifts between emerald and deep blue among the reefs, and drifting by boat beneath the arches and into the caves is the most beloved way to experience it. From the clifftop wooden viewpoint and the white-and-red lighthouse, visitors take in both the grandeur of the Atlantic and the delicacy of the rock formations — a serene spot for photography and for waiting on the sunset.

Praia Dona Ana lies just outside Lagos in Portugal's Algarve, a jewel-like cove embraced by golden limestone cliffs. The water is crystal clear, and sea stacks, arches and carved caves take on a dreamlike silhouette in the evening light, making it one of the most photographed beaches of the Algarve. A clifftop wooden walkway links a string of hidden coves, and in the warm season the beach is perfect for swimming, snorkelling and lazy afternoons in the sun.

The Mercado de Escravos (Slave Market) stands in the historic centre of Lagos, beside Praça Infante Dom Henrique, and is generally regarded as one of Europe's earliest slave-trading sites, dating from the mid-15th century. In Portugal's Age of Discovery, Lagos was a key base for Prince Henry the Navigator's ocean exploration, and enslaved people from West Africa were traded here. The restored building now serves as an exhibition space explaining this history and its impact. It is closely tied to Lagos's maritime and slave-trade past.

Lagos Castle is a 17th-century defensive fortress on the Algarve coast that guarded this Age-of-Discovery port. Its square bastions and sea walls witnessed both the departure of Portuguese expeditions and the grim history of the slave trade. Today the castle and the adjacent slave-market museum recall Lagos's complex role in the explorations, while golden bays lie just beyond the ramparts.

The Igreja de Santo António sits at the heart of Lagos old town in the Algarve. First built in the 16th century, it was ruined by the 1719 earthquake, shaken again by the 1755 Lisbon quake and rebuilt in the 18th century in today's form. The plain exterior — a flight of steps leading to a surviving 16th-century stone portal — opens onto the most dazzling baroque interior in the Algarve: blue-and-white azulejos climb from floor to vault, patterned with flower baskets, birds and beasts, while gilded carving (talha dourada) sweeps from the altarpiece across the entire ceiling. Once used as a military warehouse and later restored, it remains the wedding church of choice for locals, dedicated to St Anthony, patron saint of marriage.