Things to do in Lagos, Portugal20 ideas for a week, with kids or between work days

The short version: take a boat or a kayak into the Ponta da Piedade grottoes, walk the cliff path from Ponta da Piedade to the coves, spend a morning in the old town and its museum, and give a whole day to Meia Praia. Everything else on this list — surf lessons, dolphins, markets, the zoo — is what makes a week or a month here work.

We’ve grouped the list by kind of day, with a section for children and one for rainy or working days. Prices and hours are the operators’ own, read in October 2026; check before you go.

The coast: grottoes, cliffs and coves

1. The Ponta da Piedade grottoes by boat. The headland Ponta da Piedade, about 3 km south of town, is the reason most people come to Lagos: sea stacks, arches and grottoes the local boatmen have named “the kitchen”, “the giant”, “the shoe”. Short boat trips leave from the Marina de Lagos and from a landing at the foot of the stairs below the lighthouse. Bom Dia, sailing from the marina since 1980, runs a 2.5-hour “Sail, Grottos and Tapas” trip at €35 (children €20).

2. …or by kayak. Kayaks get into the smaller grottoes the boats can’t. Kayak Tours runs a guided 2.5-hour tour from Praia da Batata to Ponta da Piedade from €36.99, from age 3. Trips depend on sea conditions — ask what happens if the sea is rough.

3. Walk the cliff boardwalk. From the Ponta da Piedade lighthouse, boardwalks and paths run east towards Camilo and Dona Ana and west for about 2.5 km to Praia do Canavial (VagaMundos, 2026). It is free, and it faces west for the sunset. With a pushchair, stick to the boardwalk sections; the descent to Canavial is the steepest part.

4. Go down the stairs to Camilo or Dona Ana. The two postcard coves are reached only by long stairways — the municipality’s own regulation calls them “particularly long and markedly winding”. Both have lifeguards from June to September. More in Lagos beaches.

5. Walk the Fishermen’s Trail west. Lagos is the end of the Rota Vicentina’s coastal Fishermen’s Trail. Rota Vicentina’s own programme puts the Lagos → Burgau stage at 14.5 km, past Porto de Mós and Praia da Luz. You can do the first part to Luz and take the town bus back.

The old town

6. Museu de Lagos and the Igreja de Santo António. The town museum and the gilded baroque church next to it are one visit: Tuesday to Sunday 10:00–13:00 and 14:00–18:00, €3, or €5 combined with the slavery-route museum. Free for under-12s with an adult, and for residents of the municipality.

7. The Mercado de Escravos (slavery route museum). On Praça do Infante, the Núcleo Rota da Escravatura deals with Lagos’s role in the Portuguese slave trade from the 15th century; the exhibition grew out of 2009 excavations where the remains of more than 150 Africans were found. Better for older children, with an adult to talk it through. Same hours and price as the museum. Its page carried a notice of “temporary closure: 8 September” without a year when we checked — confirm before you go.

8. The town walls and the fort. The walls have been a national monument since 1924. The Forte da Ponta da Bandeira, the 17th-century fort at the river mouth next to Praia da Batata, is listed by the museum as temporarily closed, and the municipality has announced works on its east façade; you can still see it from outside.

9. The Saturday market and the market hall. The Saturday market (Mercado do Levante) runs 07:00–14:00 with local vegetables, fruit, poultry, flowers and honey. On Wednesday evenings the same place hosts Viv’O Mercado, with organic produce, crafts and children’s activities (16:00–20:00 in winter, 17:00–21:00 in summer). The Mercado da Avenida on the riverfront is the fish-and-produce hall, Monday to Saturday 07:00–14:00.

10. The marina at dusk. The Marina de Lagos has a Blue Flag for 2026, restaurants along the quay and a playground — an easy evening with children.

On the water

11. Dolphin watching. Seafaris runs dolphin trips from the marina on a rigid inflatable with a marine biologist on board, €38.38; grottoes plus dolphins is €47.97. Days of Adventure and others run dolphin and grotto trips from the same marina. Sightings are never guaranteed.

12. Benagil caves by boat. Benagil is 43 km east, but boats leave from Lagos marina. Since August 2024, swimming into the cave and landing on its beach are banned, and the July 2025 amendment added a ban on unguided kayak and SUP tours and rentals; boats go in for two minutes and guided kayak groups for up to eight. Seafaris’ Benagil boat trip from Lagos is not for children under six (its Marriott Tours listing). Our Benagil entry has the rules in full, and the Benagil cave guide covers parking, kayak vs boat and kids.

13. A surf lesson at Meia Praia. When there’s swell on the south coast, the schools teach beginners at Meia Praia; when there isn’t, they drive to the west coast. Group lessons cost €60–70 a day with board, wetsuit and transport (Jah Shaka, Algarve Watersport, Lagos Surf Center, 2026 prices). Children usually from 6–7. Full comparison in surf in Lagos.

14. A day at Meia Praia. Four kilometres of sand, lifeguards June–September, the only Lagos beach with its own railway halt. If you have one lazy day, spend it here.

With children

15. Zoo de Lagos. 170+ species in Barão de São João, 13.5 km inland. Online tickets €17 for adults and €12 for children 3–11, €2 less than at the gate. The zoo names town bus line 6 (from Portas de Portugal) to the “Medronhal – Zoo” stop. See the zoo entry.

16. Centro Ciência Viva. A hands-on science centre in town, open 10:00–18:00, daily from April to September and Tuesday to Sunday from October to March: under-6 free, 6–17 €3, adults €6, family ticket €15. The best rainy-day option.

17. Parque Aventura. Tree-top rope courses near Meia Praia from 1.00 m height, €13–20 (2026). Full days only in July to mid-September; check the calendar.

18. Slide & Splash. The nearest water park, in Lagoa, about 30 minutes by car. Open 1 April – 31 October 2026; adults €32 (€35 in July–August), juniors €24 (€27), under 1 m free, 10% less online. See Slide & Splash.

More, including pools, playgrounds and doctors: Lagos with kids.

When it rains, or between work days

19. The municipal pool. Lagos em Forma’s indoor pool: €5 for over-12s, €3 for children 6–11 (2025/26 prices), weekdays 07:00–21:00 and Saturdays 09:00–19:00. A Facebook post from the operator says it closes in summer and reopens in September.

20. Coffee and a working morning. Lagos works best as a base when mornings are for work and afternoons for the coast. Our coffee guide lists the four laptop-friendly cafés; working remotely from Lagos covers coworking from €10 a day.

Events worth timing a trip around

• Festival dos Descobrimentos — a biennial historical festival with a costumed parade of 2,000+ people and a Renaissance market; the 12th edition ran 30 April – 4 May 2025. We could not find dates for the next one.
• Banho 29 — the traditional night bathing festival at Praia da Batata on 29 August.

A three-day plan

Day 1: Old town and museum in the morning; Praia da Batata after lunch; sunset on the Ponta da Piedade boardwalk. Day 2: Grottoes by kayak or boat in the morning; Meia Praia in the afternoon. Day 3: A day trip — Sagres and Cabo de São Vicente, Benagil by boat, or Monchique. See day trips from Lagos.

Staying longer? Where you sleep decides how much of this you can walk to — compare areas in where to stay in Lagos.

Beyond Lagos, the rest of the coast, east to the Ria Formosa, is in things to do in the Algarve.

Back to the Lagos destination guide.