A day trip from nearby Carvoeiro, the city of Lagos is actually a more popular place to stay in the Algarve. However, we decided to do the reverse: stay in the quieter town and do a day trip to Lagos. We were happy with our choice, as we preferred a slower pace after five days in Porto.

The town goes uphill as you approach the southern coast, where you can find a variety of beaches and unusual rock formations throughout. The coastal route near the town is crisscrossed by a series of boardwalks, making it easy to get around.

A short distance from the parking lot is the Praia do Camilo, a pretty little spot that was easy to access.

Continuing north from the parking lot, we headed closer to Lagos. The boardwalks continued over the rocky terrain with lookouts scattered here and there.

We eventually reached a stairway down to the road. This opened up to a small urban area with hotels and restaurants along with some boarded up buildings. Continuing back up the stairs, we passed the nearby Praia Dona Ana located close to the hotels.

The cool winter weather meant few people were venturing into the water. But there were people sunning themselves on the beach.

We didn’t want to continue closer to the city so we turned around and headed south. We wanted to get to the lighthouse at the Farol da Ponta da Piedade before sunset.

We eventually passed our starting point and continued on towards the southern edge of the walkways.

It was easy to get off the main boardwalk, and the unofficial dirt trails went everywhere. The boardwalks were elevated in some spots, so getting off required a jump.

As we made our way south, softer coastal ridges gave way to steep cliffs with narrow lookouts. We checked out a few but didn’t get too close to the edge.

The Lagos Grotto, located near the Ponta da Piedade, is a dramatic sight as the stairs make their way directly onto the water at to the bottom. where the waves smash against the walking area. The stone steps continue right into the water although signs warn not to enter.

We went just a bit further so we could view the southern coastline that stretched out to the west. It was part of a trail system that we would have liked to explore further if we had more time. For now, it was enough to take in the views that stretched out into the distance.

With the sun starting to set, this was the furthest we were going. It would have been nice to continue west as the trail is well marked. For now, we enjoyed Lagos without doing much inside the city itself, so a future visit might include staying there.

There were more beaches to the west, but it was not swimming weather and we were there for the views this time around. We would have been happy to stay in Lagos, but it made for an easy day trip from Carvoeiro so had no problems with the way things worked out. We had one more place to visit on our way towards our last accommodations near the Spanish border.