Casa Mãe
Why we like it: A hotel in three buildings inside the Lagos wall, with a pool, vegetable garden and farm-to-table cooking, within walking distance of the old town.
Duration2 nights
From Huelva2 h 10 by car
From Seville3 h
TimeAn hour behind Spain
ActivityGuided kayak, €40 adult
Best timeMay – Jun · Sep – Oct
The plan
The plan, hour by hour
Designed to leave Huelva on Friday at 17:00; from Seville, leave an hour earlier. The times in the plan are Portuguese times, an hour behind Spain. Book the kayak for Saturday morning, when the sea is usually calmer.
Friday
- 118:30Arrival and a walk along the walls
Drop your luggage and walk down to the seafront promenade beside the wall and Praça do Infante.
- 219:30Dinner at Casinha do Petisco
A small home-cooking Portuguese restaurant on Rua da Oliveira, inside the old town, open Monday to Saturday from 17:30 to 23:00. Reservations by phone only, and only until 19:30: ask for that table as you leave home, or you will be on the waiting list afterwards.
Saturday
- 110:00Kayak through the caves of Ponta da Piedade
Lagos Adventure sets off from its warehouse on Rua da Docapesca, next to the fish market, on a 2 h 15 guided tour: you paddle past the harbour mouth and the beaches of Batata and Pinhão to the caves and arches. It costs €40 for adults and €30 for children aged 4 to 11. In a heavy swell it does not go out: they change your date or refund your money.
- 213:00Lunch at Avenida, facing the marina
The restaurant of the Lagos Avenida Hotel, in the Michelin Guide selection, only serves lunch on Friday and Saturday, from 12:30 to 14:30: a starter, main course and dessert menu for €49, plus a 10% service charge. Change beforehand: beachwear is not allowed, and only children aged 12 and over are admitted. Book on its website. Afterwards, rest: if it is a beach day, Batata and Dona Ana are a short walk from the centre.
- 316:30The clifftop boardwalks until sunset
From Praia do Camilo to the lighthouse and along the wooden boardwalks towards Porto de Mós: about 4 km each way, free. From above you see the same arches you paddled through in the morning. Return the same way or take a taxi in Porto de Mós.
- 420:30Dinner at D. Sebastião
Open since 1979 on Rua 25 de Abril, the pedestrian street in the centre: fish and shellfish from tanks, seafood rice, cataplanas and the house pork chop with figs, with a cellar of about 240 Portuguese wines. Its website does not publish opening hours: call to book and confirm it is open.
Sunday
- 110:00Slave Market
On Praça do Infante, the core of the Lagos Museum, on the Atlantic slave trade that began here in the 15th century, based on an archaeological find in 2009. Open Tuesday to Sunday, from 10:00 to 13:00 and from 14:00 to 18:00; admission costs €3. Between half an hour and three quarters of an hour.
- 211:30Meia Praia
Cross the pedestrian footbridge at the marina, next to the station: in a quarter of an hour you are on more than 4 km of flat sand. The further east you go, the fewer people.
- 315:00Heading back
On Sunday Casinha do Petisco is closed and Avenida only serves dinner: if you are sleeping at Casa Mãe, its restaurant Orta serves lunch from 12:00 to 18:00; if not, call D. Sebastião. You reach Huelva around 18:10 Spanish time; Seville, around 19:00.
Lagos is the Algarve of ochre cliffs. South of the town, Ponta da Piedade closes off the bay with columns, arches and caves that the sea has carved into the golden rock, and you can see them in two ways: from below, paddling among them, and from above, along the wooden boardwalks that follow the edge. From Huelva it is two hours ten of motorway, just right for setting off on Friday afternoon and having dinner there. From Seville, three hours: it fits too, if you leave an hour earlier. This plan makes kayaking the centrepiece of the weekend and leaves the rest on foot.
How do you get there from Huelva or Seville?
By car, along the motorway to Ayamonte, the Guadiana bridge and the A22, the Algarve motorway, to Lagos. Since 1 January 2025 the A22 has had no toll. When you cross the bridge, the clock goes back an hour. In Lagos, leave the car in a car park on the outskirts of the centre and get around on foot: the old town, the harbour, Ponta da Piedade and Meia Praia are all within walking distance.
Where to sleep in Lagos
To get around on foot all weekend, sleep in the centre. Casa Mãe is inside the walls, on Rua do Jogo da Bola: several buildings around a garden with a swimming pool and vegetable patch, from suites in the 19th-century manor house to cabins with a patio, and the farm-to-table restaurant Orta. The four-star Lagos Avenida Hotel is opposite the marina, with 47 rooms with a balcony or terrace, a rooftop pool and Avenida on the ground floor; it does not accept pets and has a free electric charger for guests. If you are in a motorhome or with a dog, Turiscampo, 5 km from the centre beside the N125, is open all year, with pitches, bungalows and a heated indoor pool; it can only be booked on its website.
| Where | Who it suits | |
|---|---|---|
| Casa Mãe | Inside the walls | Couple without a car, charming hotel |
| Lagos Avenida Hotel | Opposite the marina | Car and rooftop pool, no dog |
| Turiscampo | 5 km away, in Espiche | Motorhome, family, dog |
Kayak or boat?
Kayaking at Ponta da Piedade is the way to enter the caves at your own pace, with a guide and in a small group. No experience is needed, and you will get wet. If someone in the group does not want to paddle, the Benagil cave, 35 km away, can be seen from larger boats from Portimão, from €35 per adult, about 25 minutes from Lagos. It is another place and another morning: do not squeeze it into the same day as the kayak.
With children
Kayaking admits children from age 4 with an adult, at €30. Meia Praia has lifeguards and a blue flag in season and flat sand. The boardwalks are safe, but the cliff edge crumbles: do not step off the wood. With a pushchair, the boardwalks have steps; use a baby carrier.
If you have a day to spare: the Costa Vicentina
West of Lagos begins the Atlantic coast of the Algarve: Cabo de São Vicente, the south-western tip of Europe, with its lighthouse above the cliffs, the Sagres fortress and surf beaches such as Amado and Arrifana. See the Costa Vicentina: from Huelva it is two hours twenty, and from Lagos, half an hour to Sagres. A Sunday with sunset at the cape makes the return much longer: better to add a night.
Map
The stops, in order
What to do
Eat
88 €Stay
Services
Plan the trip
Lagos, step by step
Each choice narrows the next: the season shapes how best to travel, and how you travel decides where you stay and where you eat.
When to go
When to go to Lagos
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How you travel
The same break, your way
The plan stays the same. What changes is where you sleep, how you get there and how much you spend.
Lagos by car, with the west coast close at hand
From Huelva it is about two hours along the A22, which has been toll-free since 2025. In Lagos you do not need the car for the old town, but it opens up Ponta da Piedade first thing in the morning, Praia da Luz and, half an hour further, Sagres and the Costa Vicentina.
70–140 €per person per day, approximate
- Where to stayLagos Avenida Hotel, facing the…
- Getting aroundA22 to Lagos and N125…
- Where to eatD. Sebastião, in the old…
- ServicesFaro airport, with car hire…
Where to stay
- Lagos Avenida Hotel, facing the marina, with a free electric charger
- Turiscampo, next to the N125, with plenty of room for the car or motorhome
Getting around
- A22 to Lagos and N125 towards Luz and Sagres
- Leave the car outside the walled old town: there is hardly any room inside
- To Ponta da Piedade, go early; the car park fills up in summer
Where to eat
- D. Sebastião, in the old town, for fish and shellfish
- Casinha do Petisco, dinner only, closed on Sunday
Services
- Faro airport, with car hire in the terminal
- Tourist office in Praça Gil Eanes
Lagos without a car, by train and on foot
Lagos is one of the few places in the Algarve that works well without a car: the regional train ends here, the old town is explored on foot, and the boats and kayaks to the caves of Ponta da Piedade leave from the harbour. Sleep in the centre and walk.
60–130 €per person per day, approximate
- Where to stayCasa Mãe, inside the wall
- Getting aroundCP regional train from Faro…
- Where to eatCasinha do Petisco and D…
- ServicesLagos station, next to the…
Where to stay
- Casa Mãe, inside the wall
- Lagos Avenida Hotel, facing the marina, a short walk from the station
Getting around
- CP regional train from Faro, Tavira or Vila Real de Santo António
- A Onda municipal buses throughout the municipality
- On foot to Meia Praia and, along the boardwalks, to Ponta da Piedade
Where to eat
- Casinha do Petisco and D. Sebastião, in the old town
- Orta, the restaurant at Casa Mãe, with produce from its own garden
Services
- Lagos station, next to the marina
- Tourist office in Praça Gil Eanes
Lagos for a slower, better-fed trip
For a trip with a bigger budget, Lagos has two very different houses: a restored estate inside the wall and a four-star hotel with a rooftop pool over the marina. The special dinner is at the hotel's restaurant, selected by the Michelin Guide.
From €220per person per day, approximate
- Where to stayCasa Mãe, with suites in…
- Getting aroundOn foot around the old…
- Where to eatAvenida Restaurant, six-course tasting menu
- ServicesFaro airport, under an hour…
Where to stay
- Casa Mãe, with suites in a 19th-century house, cabins with patios and a villa with a pool
- Lagos Avenida Hotel, with rooms with a balcony over the marina
Getting around
- On foot around the old town and the marina
- Guided boat or kayak trips to the caves of Ponta da Piedade
Where to eat
- Avenida Restaurant, six-course tasting menu
- Orta, at Casa Mãe, from garden to table
Services
- Faro airport, under an hour away
Flying to Faro, then train or car to Lagos
The Algarve's airport is Faro; direct routes from Spain change with the season, so check them before deciding between Faro and Lisbon. From there, Lagos is about 90 km along the A22, a little under an hour in a hire car. Without a car, take the bus to central Faro and catch the regional train there, which ends in Lagos.
- Getting thereFaro (FAO), the nearest airport
- Getting aroundHire car at the Faro…
- Where to stayLagos Avenida Hotel, a short…
- ServicesFaro airport, with car hire
Getting there
- Faro (FAO), the nearest airport
- Lisbon (LIS), if you cannot find a flight to Faro: about three hours by car
- Bus from the airport to central Faro and CP regional train to Lagos
Getting around
- Hire car at the Faro terminal, for Sagres and the Costa Vicentina
- On foot and by A Onda municipal bus within Lagos
Where to stay
- Lagos Avenida Hotel, a short walk from the station if you arrive by train
- Casa Mãe, inside the wall
Services
- Faro airport, with car hire
- Lagos station, the end of the Algarve line
How much does it cost?
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Nights2
Where to stay
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Lagos Avenida Hotel
Why we like it: Four-star hotel facing the Lagos marina, with 47 rooms with balcony or terrace, a rooftop infinity pool and a Michelin Guide restaurant.
Turiscampo Algarve
Why we like it: Year-round campsite 5 km from Lagos and 2.5 km from Praia da Luz, with motorhome pitches, bungalows, a heated pool and a spa.
Services for this trip
Where to eat
Where to eat in Lagos
D. Sebastião Restaurant
What to order: the pork chop with figs or the grilled fish of the day, and a Dom Rodrigo for dessert.
Casinha do Petisco
What to order: arrive when it opens, at 17:30, or book by phone; after 19:30 you put your name on the waiting list.
Avenida Restaurant
What to order: the Friday and Saturday lunchtime menu, which is better value than dinner; in the evening, the tasting menu.
Tips
Worth knowing first
Local tip
Book the kayak for the first morning and leave Sunday's free in case the sea forces you to change the day.
We'd skip it
Going in August looking for quiet coves. The beaches of Ponta da Piedade fill up and parking near them is difficult. If you go in summer, do the boardwalks first thing.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take from Huelva to Lagos?
About two hours ten minutes by car. From Seville, about three hours. In Portugal it is an hour earlier.
Do you need experience for the kayak?
No. The tour is guided and in a group. Children can go from age 4, with an adult.
How much does the kayak cost?
€40 for adults and €30 for children aged 4 to 11, in a group. Private, from €480.
What if the sea is rough?
Lagos Adventure does not go out in a swell: it changes the date or refunds the money. The boardwalks and the Slave Market do not depend on the sea.
Are there tolls?
Not on the A22: Portugal removed the toll on this motorway on 1 January 2025.