Old Town Lagos: what to see, and a route that links it

The old town is about a kilometre across, walled on three sides, and takes roughly two hours to walk properly with stops. Here is the order that makes sense, what to eat along the way, and where to pick up a boat afterwards.

Lagos was the departure point for much of Portugal's fifteenth century voyaging, and the money that came back built the churches and the walls that are still standing. The 1755 earthquake took most of the rest, so what you are walking through is a medieval street plan filled with eighteenth century buildings.

Go early. From about eleven in high season the main street fills up, and the light for photographs is better before nine anyway.

The two hour route

Stop 01
Praça Gil Eanes
Start here. The square is named after the navigator who rounded Cape Bojador, and the modern statue in the middle is of King Sebastião. Most of the old town runs uphill from this point.
Stop 02
Rua 25 de Abril
The main pedestrian street. Tiled façades, cafés with tables outside, and the busiest stretch of the town from late morning. Walk it early and it belongs to the people who live here.
Stop 03
Igreja de Santo António
Plain outside, and then gilded carved wood from floor to ceiling inside. Entry is through the municipal museum next door and there is a small charge.
Stop 04
Mercado de Escravos
The arcaded building on Praça Infante Dom Henrique was the site of the first slave market in Europe. It is now a small museum. Sobering and worth the twenty minutes.
Stop 05
The town walls and Governor's Castle
Follow the walls south from the square. Sections date from the sixteenth century and were built over Moorish foundations.
Stop 06
Forte da Ponta da Bandeira
The small seventeenth century fort at the end of the waterfront, reached over a short bridge. Good views back along the walls.
Stop 07
The waterfront to the marina
Cross the footbridge over the river and you are at the marina, where most of the boat tours leave. This is where the walk ends and the water starts.

Where to eat and drink along it

Pastelarias on Rua 25 de Abril: Coffee and a pastel de nata for under three euros, standing at the counter like everyone else. Cheaper than sitting outside.
The covered market: Fish downstairs, fruit and cheese upstairs, and a couple of counters that will grill what you have just bought. Mornings only.
Grilled fish in the back streets: Away from Rua 25 de Abril the family run places serve sardines, dourada and sea bass by weight. Look for a handwritten board rather than a laminated menu with photographs.
Cataplana: The Algarve stew, served in the copper pan it cooks in. Usually for two people and usually needs ordering ahead.
Wine from the interior: Ask for something from the Algarve rather than the Douro. The reds from Lagoa and Portimão are good and rarely leave the region.

Starting a boat tour from the old town

There are three places boats leave from, and they are not interchangeable. The marina, over the footbridge from the waterfront, takes the larger catamarans and the longer cave trips. The riverside quay by Forte da Ponta da Bandeira is where most small grotto boats wait, and you can often walk up and go within the hour. Ponta da Piedade itself, down the steps, is for the little open boats that only work the arches.

If you have walked the route above, the quay by the fort is a two minute detour and the marina is five. Compare the boat tours by price before you agree anything at the kiosk, because the walk up rate is rarely the cheapest.