Lagos

Lagos is the most historically interesting coastal town in the Algarve. Its fame derives from its connection with the Portuguese Discoveries, between the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. It was in Lagos where Henry the Navigator ordered the legendary Caravel, lateen rigged ships to be constructed to explore the African coast.


One of the most formidable milestones in the discovery of the sea passage to the East was Cape Bojador, a headland on the bulge of Africa that struck terror in the hearts of seafarers. The first European Captain to go beyond this point was Gil Eanes in 1434, opening the way for the Portuguese conquest of parts of Africa.

In 1499 Vasco da Gama sailed from Lagos on his heroic ‘Voyage of Discovery’.
Before departing on his disastrous 1578 North African expedition, the young King Sebastião is said to have addressed his crew for the last time from a Manueline-style window that can still be seen today beside Henry’s statue in the walls of the city. 


Like the window, the first market in Europe to auction slaves brought from Africa by Henry’s explorers now also looks rather forlorn and unexciting nowadays. You can find the slave market, now a small art gallery, in the far corner of the Praça da República square.

Today, the town teems with tourists but has retained much of its charms. Wander the little back streets or perambulate the long promenade, relax in a sandy cove then find one of the numerous restaurants; you could easily spend all day here!