Lagos is a city that just as the rest of the Algarve has seen different civilizations roam there lands. From the iberians to the phoenicians, to the romans and arabs these lands have survived the conquerings, but without a doubt the most noted characteristic is it´s port, the door to Europe during the XVI century.

In 1292 the Algarve was the last area that Portugal conquered from the arabs. There presence is still there in the architecture, the decoration in the streets as well as the fortresses you´ll find throughout the coastline...

Lagos was almost an obligatory stop in the first expeditions that crossed the Atlantic Ocean with intentions of discovering the new world. It was the location where they started off from not knowing exactly where they were going or knowing what to expect. It was only a small number that repeated these trips. In 1522 a spanish ship made a stop there. It carried the Aztec emperor Montezuma that was captured by Hernán Cortes in the americas.

The city of Lagos has always had strong ties with the sea throughout history. For this reason the close relationship is very evident. First with it´s port and then it´s beaches for which thousands of tourists come to enjoy. With that said there are aso monuments that are worth mentioning, first and foremost for their beauty and architecture. During the XVI and XVII centuries there were serveral palaces that were built around it´s port, as well as churches, hermitages, and religious temples that proliferated with a barroque style.

The golden ages in Lagos were a time of discovery, a time in which this city was a naval center for the world, in a tourists´point of view. Today it´s beaches are what Lagos is known for, unlike 500 hundred years ago when it was it´s famous port.