Lagos

Historic Algarve town with Age-of-Discovery heritage and the iconic Ponta da Piedade sea cliffs.

A jewel of the western Algarve, Lagos marries a well-preserved historic centre enclosed by 16th-century walls with some of Portugal's most spectacular coastal scenery. The town played a pivotal role in Portugal's Age of Discovery — Prince Henry the Navigator used it as a base for Atlantic expeditions, and Europe's first slave market operated here in 1444, a sobering chapter preserved in the Mercado de Escravos museum. Beyond history, the golden sandstone cliffs of Ponta da Piedade, sculpted into sea arches, grottoes, and pillars by millennia of Atlantic erosion, rank among the continent's most breathtaking natural attractions.