Four Days in Lagos, Portugal

I fall in love with almost every city I go to, but my time in Lagos was the highlight of my Semana Santa break! Upon arrival, I had planned my Algarve itinerary to include not only Lagos, but Albufeira and Faro, but after passing through the city of Faro by bus I decided I would just stay in Lagos the entire four days. Albufeira required too much effort, and I was not trying to spend half of my day dealing with the slow public transportation.

 

How I Got There

I flew with Iberia to Faro, so the only way to get to Lagos was by train or bus. From the airport, you must catch the bus to Faro’s main bus station and pray that a bus or train is arriving sometime soon. It was a four hour wait for the train and a two hour wait for the next bus, so my  journey from Faro to Lagos was a scenic, yet exhausting five hours. The bus ticket was only seven euros, so it was definitely a better option than a taxi.

 

Where I Stayed

I intentionally booked my hostel at the Rising Cock hostel because I wanted a social hostel to get wasted in for the beginning of my Semana Santa. The hostel is conveniently located in the city center near all of the cool bars, and an easy twenty minute walk to the beach. I enjoyed the atmosphere at this hostel. For a party hostel, cleanliness was up to par as far as hostel cleanliness standards go, and there was a spacious common room and terrace to chill and interact with others. One perk of the hostel, the sweet old Portuguese woman called “Mama” who makes breakfast every morning for the guests.

Weather

Weather was a huge factor when deciding where I would spend my Semana Santa, and unlike Sevilla and Malaga who betrayed me with their shitty weather, Lagos surprisingly had near perfect weather the entire four days I was there. On Thursday it was cloudy and a bit too cold to get in the water, but it was not raining, so all that was needed was a small jacket. The remaining three days were sunny and almost cloudless during the morning and afternoon.

What I Did

 

The Booze Cruise

Rising Cock hostel is famous for it’s Booze Cruise, a three hour cruise ride in the ocean accompanied by unlimited sangria and beer. April is still somewhat slow season for Lagos, so the cruise was more intimate. I shouldn’t say intimate, but rather most people were from the hostel or study abroaders from Spain on Spring Break. Saturday morning I was torn between taking a boat ride to the Benagil caves and binge drinking on a boat, and surprisingly, the Booze Cruise won this time. However we were able to take a miniature boat to go through some of the sea’s cave. This was my favorite part of the trip and I would definitely reccomend doing the Booze Cruise if you happen to be in Lagos.

Exploring the Beaches

The beaches were not packed and that’s why I really enjoyed my time in Lagos… never did I have to worry about being robbed while in the water taking pictures of myself. The nearest beach from the city center is Praia da Batata and Praia dos Estudantes, and the rest of the beaches can be accessed by a brief walk. The caves and the water were absolutely beautiful and there are a few hiking trails you can take to see the ocean from above.

Bar-Hopping

The nightlife was not super popping, so I mainly bar hopped with the people from my hostel. It was cold, but it was still more lively than I expected considering Albufeira is the main party spot in Algarve. The evenings were chilly, but it was kind of nice going out without putting in any effort into my appearence whatsoever. I don’t remember anything from this entire trip, but I had fun and all of the nearby bars and lounges stayed open pretty late and were filled with both locals and tourists.

Binge Eat

My first night I ate at an all you can eat buffet for only 14 euros at some place I don’t remember in the city center. The food was super good and plentiful, I ate my way into a food coma and it was probably the best 14 euros I’ve spent in a long time. Near the hostel is a super adorable restaurant called The Garden, and while I only went for the aesthetic, I was finally able to try Moroccan food. Later that night I ate at a Portuguese restaurant (sorry, I also don’t remember the name) also in the city center. I wanted to try southern Portuguese food so bad, but I unfortunately couldn’t order cataplana de marisco, a seafood-type stew, as a single person, so I ended up getting fish and potatoes, the usual Portuguese cuisine.

 

Overall

Lagos was such a chill little beach town filled with hippies with dogs and lots of tourists. Despite it being small, I really loved the sense of community and lack of rush to do sightseeing. I knew April in terms of weather would be a hit or miss, but I was lucky enough to visit sans rain! The Algarve region is beautiful and my next Portugal trip I will definitely come back to visit Albufeira. 

Check out my Lagos vlog!