Starting in Lagos. The ancient city is approx 2000 years old, with many famous inhabitants and passants like Gil Eanes, Columbus, Dom Infante Enrique , and Vasco da Gama. The original name was Lagobriga. The inhabitants were Romans, Phoeniciers, Carthageners etc. In 1755 there was a huge earthquake which destroyed a great part of the city. From that time the influence of Lagos was minimized and later on Faro became the capital of the Algarve. But there are still a lot of history buildings and musea left which makes the city an attractive starting point for our walk. Short information of the track:
Lagos (Forte da Ponta da Bandeira), Porto de Mos, Luz, Burgau, Boca do Rio, Praia da Salema, Praia das Furnas, Ponta da Torre, Praia do Barranco, Ponta dos Caminhos, Praia do Martinhal, Sagres, Cabo Sao Vicente. It is a route in total of approx. 60km, with an average of 15 km a day you can cross the coastline in more or less 4 days but maybe 5 days would be more comfortable. Places to spend the night could be Burgau, Salema, Figueira (a little inland) and Sagres. After Salema it will be difficult to find a sleeping place at the coast, so you have to find a small village inland. From Cabo Sao Vicente there are buses back to Sagres and from there you can travel to Lagos again.
You start at the crosspoint of the old and new city, at the Bombeiros station. You cross the street and follow the sign of "Praia de Ana", a beautifull city beach. From their you follow the signs
" Ponte de Piedade". It is about a 2 km long peninsula with on your left hand a really magnificent coloured rock formation . You can cross the edge on the left side of the paved road and you follow the trail until the lighthouse.
From the lighthouse you can see on a clearly day the peninsula of Sagres where on that peninsula there is also a rememberance of Dom Infante Enrique.
Walking to Luz you cross the paved road and now you walk on the left side of the peninsula. As long as you keep the path which is easy to follow, you can see the small beach ahead of you. At a certain point you enter a couple of villa's. It is possible because of a fench of one of the villa's you are forced to make a little turn through Porto de Mos ending at the beach. Cross the beach and just follow the sandy road uphill, leaving all the new villa's on your right hand. From that point there is access to the sandy roads towards Praia da Luz. The rock formation is very steep, so don't come to close to the edge, especially in wet wintertime!!! Arriving in Luz you leave the beach on your lefthand, go after the square a little to the right following the paved road. After the village you have access again to follow the sandy road again along the ocean side. When you reach Burgau, at the front you have a restaurant, just follow the road down the hill and you enter the small square just before the beach. Here is the possibility to stay for the night, you have choice enough for hotels, pensions, rooms etc.
Also in Burgau you have to follow the road for a little while heading for Salema. Just after the villa's you can turn left heading for the coastline path. From here it is more or less 6,3 km to Salema and from now on the world will be emptier for you, because you are entering the Costa Vicentina. A natural park starting at Burgau and stops in Sines 120 km above the cape Sao Vicente. From here signs are rare but if you just follow the pathes along the coastline you cannot mis the diverse beaches you cross. Sometimes it is a wise decission to make a u-turn because down hill to the beaches is to steep. I would recommend to stay in Figueira, it is and inland village but there are hardly any possibilities to stay for the night. From here you can start the start for your trip to Sagres. Praia da Figueira is your starting point and from there again follow the coastline. It is a rough area, sometimes you have to make a large u-turn to enter the coastline again because of steep mountains or rivers. In distance to Sagres is not that fare but in time you are underway 6 or 7 hours. Eventually you end at "Praia do Martinhal", a huge new developement project, but the beach and the sight at Sagres are very beautifull. I would suggest you end your day at Sagres and find a good sleeping place. That means you have time enough for your walk the next day to the cape. To finish your trip and end at the most SW part of Europe, just follow the main road to the end of the village. Because of military equipment you have to walk along the main road to the cape for approx 2 km and then you can cross the land to the coastline. Watch the little church on your way to the cape. Because of the "fjords" sometimes you have to walk to the main road and back to the ocean front and than as a reward..... The "Cabo Sao Vicente". Steep rocks, fisherman who are fishing from very dangerous points and let us say, from eleven am, the tourist bushes are waiting for 20minutes to let people take the pictures.
Ignore them and celebrate your own achievement. I am sure you will enjoy this walk because there are so different landscapes you enter on a relative small scale distance. Beautifull sights to the inland and especially silence. Let me you know if you did like it!!
Lagos (Forte da Ponta da Bandeira), Porto de Mos, Luz, Burgau, Boca do Rio, Praia da Salema, Praia das Furnas, Ponta da Torre, Praia do Barranco, Ponta dos Caminhos, Praia do Martinhal, Sagres, Cabo Sao Vicente. It is a route in total of approx. 60km, with an average of 15 km a day you can cross the coastline in more or less 4 days but maybe 5 days would be more comfortable. Places to spend the night could be Burgau, Salema, Figueira (a little inland) and Sagres. After Salema it will be difficult to find a sleeping place at the coast, so you have to find a small village inland. From Cabo Sao Vicente there are buses back to Sagres and from there you can travel to Lagos again.
You start at the crosspoint of the old and new city, at the Bombeiros station. You cross the street and follow the sign of "Praia de Ana", a beautifull city beach. From their you follow the signs
" Ponte de Piedade". It is about a 2 km long peninsula with on your left hand a really magnificent coloured rock formation . You can cross the edge on the left side of the paved road and you follow the trail until the lighthouse.
From the lighthouse you can see on a clearly day the peninsula of Sagres where on that peninsula there is also a rememberance of Dom Infante Enrique.
Walking to Luz you cross the paved road and now you walk on the left side of the peninsula. As long as you keep the path which is easy to follow, you can see the small beach ahead of you. At a certain point you enter a couple of villa's. It is possible because of a fench of one of the villa's you are forced to make a little turn through Porto de Mos ending at the beach. Cross the beach and just follow the sandy road uphill, leaving all the new villa's on your right hand. From that point there is access to the sandy roads towards Praia da Luz. The rock formation is very steep, so don't come to close to the edge, especially in wet wintertime!!! Arriving in Luz you leave the beach on your lefthand, go after the square a little to the right following the paved road. After the village you have access again to follow the sandy road again along the ocean side. When you reach Burgau, at the front you have a restaurant, just follow the road down the hill and you enter the small square just before the beach. Here is the possibility to stay for the night, you have choice enough for hotels, pensions, rooms etc.
Also in Burgau you have to follow the road for a little while heading for Salema. Just after the villa's you can turn left heading for the coastline path. From here it is more or less 6,3 km to Salema and from now on the world will be emptier for you, because you are entering the Costa Vicentina. A natural park starting at Burgau and stops in Sines 120 km above the cape Sao Vicente. From here signs are rare but if you just follow the pathes along the coastline you cannot mis the diverse beaches you cross. Sometimes it is a wise decission to make a u-turn because down hill to the beaches is to steep. I would recommend to stay in Figueira, it is and inland village but there are hardly any possibilities to stay for the night. From here you can start the start for your trip to Sagres. Praia da Figueira is your starting point and from there again follow the coastline. It is a rough area, sometimes you have to make a large u-turn to enter the coastline again because of steep mountains or rivers. In distance to Sagres is not that fare but in time you are underway 6 or 7 hours. Eventually you end at "Praia do Martinhal", a huge new developement project, but the beach and the sight at Sagres are very beautifull. I would suggest you end your day at Sagres and find a good sleeping place. That means you have time enough for your walk the next day to the cape. To finish your trip and end at the most SW part of Europe, just follow the main road to the end of the village. Because of military equipment you have to walk along the main road to the cape for approx 2 km and then you can cross the land to the coastline. Watch the little church on your way to the cape. Because of the "fjords" sometimes you have to walk to the main road and back to the ocean front and than as a reward..... The "Cabo Sao Vicente". Steep rocks, fisherman who are fishing from very dangerous points and let us say, from eleven am, the tourist bushes are waiting for 20minutes to let people take the pictures.
Ignore them and celebrate your own achievement. I am sure you will enjoy this walk because there are so different landscapes you enter on a relative small scale distance. Beautifull sights to the inland and especially silence. Let me you know if you did like it!!
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