Praia da Luz guide
What used to be a simple and small coastal fishing village in the Lagos district has become quite the popular tourist destination, so here we are with a quick Praia da Luz guide, to give you a bit of an idea of what to expect.
The outskirts of the still-mostly old core of the village, are indeed dotted with modern villas, a few low-rise apartment buildings now do form part of the backdrop, however the centre core that is just by the sea still exudes its old charm with many older whitewashed houses being in the centre of town.
The actual village is very compact and you can easily walk around it – it’s a village after all – featuring only four main streets and the beach is just 200 metres away from the central village street. While the local church is small, it does boast a rather impressive gilded wooden altar; the church is located pretty much on the seaside and this by itself is quite possibly the most impressive church location in the entire Algarve, and that’s saying something.
Close to the church you’ll find the old fort, or Fortaleza, which has been converted into a wonderful restaurant with a sea-facing patio. The place is quite popular on Sundays for its barbecues and live jazz music.
Still nearby, below the church, there’s a small shaded waterfront square with seating, this is a great place to rest as well as view both sides of the village.
There’s a promenade that connects this square to the lower beach are, a promenade paved with traditional black and white patterned cobble stones, a great sight. Along this promenade you’ll be able to see the ruins of a Roman bathhouse dating back to about the 4th century.
The Praia da Luz beach is sheltered by a bay, which makes it a very quiet one, and when the tide goes out to sea, shallow rock pools show up.
