Lagos is most likely one of the top 3 most visited places in the Algarve. It has to be as it seems so much more laid back than the more tourist packed resort of Albufeira (see below).

Like a lot of places in the Algarve, Lagos old town was largely destroyed in the 1755 earthquake (the one that destroyed Lisbon - see Lisbon post) and only the church of Santo Antonio remains . The fancy gilt carvings inside were not enough to encourage me into paying the entrance fee to go inside, as you couldn't take photos, although there is a museum included in the price. 

Whilst we were there, around the square and out along the waterfront were what seemed like, hundreds of young children, taking part in some sort of expedition in memory of Henry the Navigator, who resided here at some point. They had made 'wearable' boats/ships in which to navigate their way around, and it really did look like a very educational and fun way to learn about the history of the discoveries.

We decided to reaffirm the history we had already accumulated during our tour of Portugal, with a visit to the Forte Ponta da Bandeira. The site is part of the remaining fortifications along the harbour here, and houses a highly informal exhibition with a few original as well as reproduced artefacts.

Lagos offers a number of other sights, including Europe's first slave market and an old Customs House. However, the most popular thing to do here is take a boat trip out to the caves/grottos or a dolphin safari. Unfortunately we had to skip the latter as the weather here remains cold and windy. 

After spending most of the day here we skipped through a few other coastal towns and headed back to Porches for dinner.

Alvor - apparently has a different dialect of its own. Ask locals about "Pragas de Alvor"?

Portamao - has beautiful lookouts.