Environment
Lagos is located in the south of Portugal - in the region of Algarve. Here you will find 205 km of
coastline with the finest golden sandy beaches along the Atlantic Ocean.
Crystal clear waters, clear blue skies and vivid green grass - a paradise for all kinds of watersports.
Algarve is, above all, most famous for it's championship golf courses - some of the worlds best ranked golfcourses lies in Algarve.
Some distances of interest
The closest airport is Faro Internationale Airport, located 90 km away.
It is 30 km to the mountains and 30 km to the nearest river.
In Portugal the Atlantic Ocean is always "close by" - distances from estern inland border will
maximum be a two hour drive. The closest beach is less than 1 km away.
Climate : Ocean clima with nice hot humid summers and with a cool breeze from the sea in wintertime Town character : Historical town Primary Industry : Tourism
Population in Lagos: 18.000 inhabitants. Population in Lagos municipality: round 27.000 inhabitants.
Lagos is an ancient maritime town, with more than 2,000 years of history, located in the west Algarve in southern Portugal. Today the city is, most of all, a touristic city. It has beautiful beaches, good climate, the sea with it's scenic coastline as well as historical patrimony. Something for everyone to enjoy.
The majority of the population in Lagos municipality lives along the coastal line and works in tourism and services.
This historic town has played an important part in the story of discovery of many parts of the world. Vasco da Gama sailed from Lagos harbour in 1499 on his historic and epic voyage of discovery. Also Prince Henry the Navigator (son of King João I) - who lived most of the time in Lagos - used it's Port for his expeditions.
It's also written that the famous explorer Columbus (from Genoa) set his foot for the first time in the Iberian Peninsular, when the inhabitants of Lagos saved him from the shipwreck in which he was sailing.
From the darker side of the towns history: it was through Lagos that the first African slaves entered post-medieval Europe - the site where the first slave markets were held in the 15th century (the Mercado de Escravos, opened in 1444), is worth a visit.
The town and it's many monuments was destroyed by the the Great Earthquake and tsunami of 1755, but it still preserves some rebuilt walls from the 16th century and a governor's castle from the 17th century. The church of St. Anthony (of Lisbon) was one of the few building to survive the earthquake.
Lagos has many natural interest sites, including:
* Ponta da Piedade (Mercy Point) * Grutas da Costa d'Oiro (Golden Coast grottos) * Laguna de Alvor (Alvor Lagoon) * Mata Nacional de Barão de S.João (National forest of Saint John's Baron)
Lagos is located approximately 35 kilometers east of Sagres Point, the south-westernmost point of Europe, also called "The end of the world". This area is a must for every visitor to the Algarve - a very dramatic and impressive sight of towering sheer cliffs - being beaten by the weight of the vast Atlantic Ocean! It is from here that Prince Henry sat and planned his epic voyages of discovery.
Golf Closes golf course - Palmares - is only 5km away - and is best known for its breathtaking scenery. The setting is idyllic, with the majority of the holes on gentle slopes above the extensive beach - stretching from the new Lagos marina to the mouth of the Alvor River.
Wine from the region of Algarve
Portugal produces some of the world's finest, oldest, unique and highest value-added wines.
The country has a large variety of native breeds - about 285 - producing a very wide
variety of different wines with distinctive personality.
