The Town of Lagos – Algarve Portugal

One of the highlights of the Algarve region of Portugal is the historic town of Lagos, former headquarters of the famous explorer Henry the Navigator. Crammed with historic buildings despite being severely damaged in the great earthquake of 1755, Lagos has some of its old city walls, a 17th century castle and many interesting post earthquake buildings and monuments. Also a well known area for surfing, this part of the Algarve coast is windswept and battered by the Atlantic Ocean, with numerous prime locations between Lagos and Sagres in the extreme west. For beach lovers, Lagos is perfect as there are lots of wonderful beaches in the area and some charming little seaside resorts nearby. Despite this, the old town is the main draw, best explored by foot, visitors can wander the narrow winding streets taking in the atmosphere and imagining what the place was like when Portugal was a major seafaring nation. The port area dates from Roman times and was at that time called Lacobriga, it would have been a major trading town, servicing ships going along this busy coast. Later controlled by the Moors, it came back into Christian hands in 1241 and enjoyed the boom created by Portugal’s growing Empire in Africa and South America. Present day Lagos has a population of around 18,000 most of which is concentrated near to the coast, the main industry is tourism.

Surfing and Sightseeing in Sagres Algarve

Well known as a surfing resort, the town of Sagres is situated in the far south-west of the Algarve region of southern Portugal. Famously the home of on of Portugal’s most famous sons, Henry the Navigator, Sagres was also where he set up his renowned sailing and navigation school for the training of seamen to man his extensive voyages which established Portugal as a great sea power and colonial nation. Situated on a wind swept peninsular, once believed to be the edge of the world, Sagres is today popular with surfers, divers, golfers and hikers. Surfers find the Sagres weather conditions ideal for their sport and there are a number of surfing and diving schools in the town, the rugged coastline is attractive and ideal for walking. Sagres also has four excellent beaches, though these can be very windy and beach lovers may prefer to head to more tranquil parts of the Algarve. Worth a visit is the massive Fortaleza de Sagres fortress, originally built in the 15th century. Sagres Map.