Lagos, Algarve, Portugal

Day 1

• Old town and walls

  Inside the 16th-century walls: cobbled lanes, small squares with jacarandas, the statue of Henry the Navigator and the 17th-century Ponta da Bandeira fort guarding the river mouth. Compact, alive year-round and still inhabited by locals.

• Ponta da Piedade

  The Algarve's masterpiece: sea stacks, arches and caves of golden rock around the lighthouse, 3 km from the centre. Explore it from above on the (free) panoramic boardwalks and the staircase descending among the pinnacles, or from the sea on fishermen's boats and kayaks. Best light early morning or at sunset.

• Praia Dona Ana

  Lagos's postcard beach, framed by honey-coloured layered cliffs and sea stacks in turquoise water. Enlarged by sand replenishment, it still gets packed in summer: arrive before 10 or after 17.

Day 2

• Praia do Camilo

  About 200 wooden steps descend to an intimate cove split in two by a tunnel carved through the rock. Small and with minimal services: the jewel for those happy to trade space for beauty.

• Meia Praia

  The opposite of the coves: 4 km of open sand beyond the marina, with room even in mid-August, surf/kite schools and restaurants on the sand. Ideal for families and endless low-tide walks.

• Boat trip to the caves

  Traditional small boats leave from the marina and the riverfront to slip between the arches of Ponta da Piedade: 30-90 minutes among caves and stacks. Book at the operators' official kiosks in the marina and compare prices — the 'last minute' touts on the promenade inflate fares.

Day 1

• Praia do Porto de Mós and the clifftop path to Luz✦ hidden gem

  A long, quieter beach west of the famous coves; from its far end the clifftop trail climbs to the obelisk above Praia da Luz, with huge Atlantic views. Sunset from up here is Lagos's best-kept secret.

• Igreja de Santo António✦ hidden gem

  Behind a sober façade, one of Portugal's most surprising Baroque churches: an interior entirely clad in talha dourada (gilded woodwork) and azulejos, a survivor of the 1755 earthquake. Visited together with the adjacent municipal museum.

• Mercado de Escravos✦ hidden gem

  In the small building under the arcades of Praça Infante D. Henrique, the museum tells the story of Europe's first slave market (1444) and Lagos's role in the Atlantic trade. Small, necessary: it gives historical depth to a town that is much more than its coastline.

Day 2

• Percebes and Alvor oysters✦ hidden gem

  Goose barnacles hand-harvested from the Atlantic rocks (percebes) are western Algarve's iodine-rich delicacy, together with oysters from the Alvor lagoon farms. Seasonal and not cheap: if you see them chalked on the board, trust them.

• Almond and fig sweets + medronho✦ hidden gem

  Dom Rodrigo and almond morgado tell of the Algarve's Arab heritage; medronho is the strawberry-tree brandy distilled in the Monchique hills — ask for 'caseiro' in village bars. Finish with a bica and a pastel de nata, which rarely disappoints here.

Day 1

• Cataplana de marisco and grilled fish

  The clam-shaped copper pot is the Algarve's flagship dish: shellfish, fish and coriander steamed in their own juices. Seek it out in the tascas off the main drags or at Meia Praia; the grilled catch of the day with 'salada montanheira' is the fail-safe alternative.

• Percebes and Alvor oysters✦ hidden gem

  Goose barnacles hand-harvested from the Atlantic rocks (percebes) are western Algarve's iodine-rich delicacy, together with oysters from the Alvor lagoon farms. Seasonal and not cheap: if you see them chalked on the board, trust them.

• Almond and fig sweets + medronho✦ hidden gem

  Dom Rodrigo and almond morgado tell of the Algarve's Arab heritage; medronho is the strawberry-tree brandy distilled in the Monchique hills — ask for 'caseiro' in village bars. Finish with a bica and a pastel de nata, which rarely disappoints here.