Lagos is about 4 hours driving from Sanlúcar de Barrameda and 3 hours from Sevilla. It’s home to some of the most beautiful beaches I’ve ever seen (they’re definitely a fair rival to the Greek Isles) and it’s a great spot to party! You can take a bus from Seville to Lagos—it costs about €20 each way and the drive lasts 3 – 4 hours. Keep in mind you can also take a bus to/from Lisbon; our group was too big to all fit in one car so my brother and his friends took the bus from Lagos to Lisbon (they just purchased their tickets the day before at the station). Their bus ended up arriving to Lisbon before we did!
HEY!: Check out my 2017 Lagos guide for extra tips!
Where to stay in Lagos
The closer you can get to the center the better. Although Lagos isn’t very big, it has lots of little streets so it’s easy to get lost…especially after drinking a “fish bowl” at Inside Out. 😉 Try to get a place between Old Town and the Historic Center. Basically anywhere near Avenida dos Descobrimentos is good—if you’re close to this street then you’ll be close to everything in the center.
Rentals
I’ve been to Lagos several times and always stay in either a hotel or Airbnb rental. Most recently we stayed at LC’s Guesthouse; this rental is set-up like a hostel where people can rent individual rooms in the house. It was comfortable, clean and our group enjoyed our stay here. We were a group of eight people so four of us stayed in the bedroom on the first floor (with living area, one bedroom, pullout, and bathroom), two stayed on the middle level in a room with their own bathroom, and two stayed on the top level with shared bathroom and the house’s kitchen. The rental is within walking distance to the center and is located on a quiet street.
Pssst! Get $30 credit for your first Airbnb stay with my link.
Hotels
Another place I’ve stayed is Hotel Carvi. The hotel is nice and it looks like it might have recently been updated (based on the pictures on the website). The bad thing about this hotel is it’s a 15 – 20 minute walk to the center, the good thing is that it’s located next to one of the most beautiful beaches in Lagos!
Praia Dona Ana just below Hotel Carvi
Where to eat in Lagos
For food and a bit of nightlife check out a street named Rua 25 de Abril in the center. As Lagos is a touristy town it’s not too easy to find authentic local spots. On the plus side you can get the best hamburger in Portugal in here. As far as American-style food I recommend Nah Nah Bah (Toucan Burger!) and Rockafellas. In the center you’ll find tons restaurants with seating in the street (which is nice for people-watching); if you’re going to eat at a touristy spot in Lagos make sure to check the wine prices before ordering!
Nightlife
Lagos is known for its party scene—it’s a popular spot for bachelor/bachelorette parties, birthday, etc. In spring and summer it won’t be hard for you to find crowds of drunk tourists and many of the bars will be packed! Stay close to Rua 25 for the most popular bars and make sure to check out Three Monkeys, Inside Out and Joe’s Garage!
That’s a fish bowl! You’ve got to stand on a chair to drink it with those straws 😉
Kayak tours in Lagos
I wanted to book something fun for my family to do so we decided to go cave kayaking. All the companies cost about the same (25€ a person), and we booked our excursion through Kayak Adventures. It was a great way to get inside the caves, I’ve done tours on the little motor boats before but I personally enjoyed the kayaking excursion more. And just in case you’re hungover (or out of shape) they have a boat that follows the group in case anyone is too tired to paddle back.
Javi and I inside one of the caves — the water looked beautiful!
Nearby town – Sagres
Since we had a car we decided to go explore some of the surrounding towns…they are a bit less touristy and some of the beaches are amazing. Check out my post “Weekend Getaway to Sagres, Portugal” for more details on this beautiful little town! You’ll find Cape St. Vincent in Sagres which offers AMAZING views of the Atlantic.
View from Cabo de São Vicente — amazing right?
Thanks for taking the time and giving more info. Although I LOVE getting the pictures I always want more info like when/where/what…. so thanks again, and yes, you getting to be awesome with the pictures taking 🙂
Thanks! I can’t take the photo credit, my mom used her nice new camera and Javi used his iPhone! 🙂
Hey! Just wanted to drop in a say we recently visited Lagos and used a lot of the information from this blog to help guide us during our stay – from staying at Hotel Carvi to renting kayaks for the day (which was absolutely amazing!) We were lucky enough to stumble upon a Ruta Tour which went on during the month of May, that allowed us to restaurant hop and try small dishes and a beverage (usually wine, beer, or coffee) at each for €3.
It was a fantastic trip and really appreciate the extra effort that Kate makes whenever we have questions or need recommendations. All the recommendations that Kate has given us (which I constantly am asking for haha) have been spot on and I believe she really knows how to tailor her recommendations to what type of travel you are looking for.
Thanks for all of your help!!
Thanks so much Jessica! Glad you guys enjoyed the trip 🙂
The nightlight is awesome there 🙂 Next time you should try a paddleboard excursion! We did it really early when no one was around (i.e. before the kayaks arrived haha). It was sooo cool, plus we got amazing pictures! http://pourquoipasmary.com/travel/algarve-coast-portugal
That looks awesome! I will definitely check out paddle boarding next time we go! Thanks for the tip 🙂