Lagoa is a small, quiet, and relatively non-touristy town that’s situated 10 minutes inland from more popular beach resort towns like Carvoeiro and Ferragudo. Although there are charming parts to the town, including the main square, its main selling point is its location rather than anything in the town itself.
It is just 10-15 minutes drive from some of the best beaches on the Algarve including Praia da Marina, Praia de Benagil, and Praia de Albandeira. It’s also just a 5-minute drive from Slide & Splash, one of the Algarve’s most popular water parks.
Lagoa is a quiet town with a few cafés and restaurants – enough to keep most people entertained for a week or so. It also has plenty of big supermarkets, which is ideal for those that are self-catering.
Although Lagoa does pick up a few tourists during the summer months, it’s definitely much less touristy than most of the towns nearby. If you’re looking for somewhere that has a high concentration of Portuguese residents as opposed to tourists, Lagoa is a good option to consider.
Featured accommodation in Lagoa
- Lagoa Hotel – Popular hotel with outdoor swimming pool and onsite restaurant.
- Casa Azul Oasis – Guesthouse near Lagoa with outdoor swimming pool.
Should I rent a car?
Renting a car will definitely make it easier to get around but, because Lagoa has both a bus and a train station (although the train station is almost 4 km outside), it is possible to get from Lagoa to other parts of the Algarve by public transport. You can even get to nearby beaches, Praia da Marinha, by bus, as well as towns with beaches like Carvoeiro and Armação de Pêra.
Buses also go to a number of local Algarve towns and cities like Faro and Lagos, as well as to destinations further afield like Lisbon, Huelva (Spain), and Sevilla (Spain).
Getting to Lagoa
From Faro Airport
- Airport transfer: If you decide not to rent a car, the easiest and fastest way to get from Faro Airport to Lagoa is to book an airport transfer. Several companies, like Welcome Pickups, operate at Faro Airport and the journey time is usually around 40 minutes.
- Rental car: Lagoa is roughly 40 minutes from Faro Airport by car on the A22 toll road or an hour on the N125 (See: Hiring a car at Faro Airport).
- Shuttle bus: Shuttle buses to Lagoa can be booked on hoppa.com, and the journey usually takes around 2 hour hours.
- Taxi (or Uber): Taxis are available from outside Faro Airport. They’re normally more expensive than a pre-booked airport transfer, but a convenient option if you haven’t managed to book anything in advance.
- Public transport: There isn’t a direct bus or train between Faro Airport and Lagoa. To get to Lagoa, you’ll first need to take a taxi or the airport bus (bus #16) into Faro and then connecting transport onto Lagoa (see below).
From Faro
- Bus: There are direct buses between Faro and Lagoa, and the journey usually takes around 1.5 hours. Tickets can be purchased on eva-bus.com.
- Train: There is a train from Faro to Estômbar-Lagoa, which is located in Parchal, roughly 3.7 km from Lagoa. You’ll then need to take a taxi from Parchal to Lagoa. Train tickets can be purchased on cp.pt, and discounts are available if you book in advance.
From Lisbon & the rest of Portugal
- Bus: Long distance coaches are available to Lagoa from Lisbon, Porto, and other destinations in Portugal. Tickets can be purchased from rede-expressos.pt
- Train: Trains to Estômbar-Lagoa (3.7 km from Lagoa) are available from Lisbon and other cities in Portugal. Tickets can be purchased on cp.pt, and discounts are available if you book in advance.
What’s on in Logoa on Saturday?
Hi Phil,
I'll need to update this page. Was there something specifically that you were looking for e.g. markets or something?
I am seriously interested in a long term lease -three years
one to two bedroom affordable living accommodations for single senior man.
Should you have any thoughts on how I might gain access to
needed information would be most helpful
The plan is t arrive early January 2010
Thank you
Hi John,
You could contact some of the real estate agents here in advance, but you're probably not going to be able to do a lot until you get here and come and see some of the properties. You don't want to rent anything without seeing it first.
From personal experience, it's also quite hard to rent so far in advance as rental properties often don't come on the market until they're ready for rent.
I would recommend renting an Airbnb for a few weeks in January while you look around. Give yourself time to find somewhere you like as this is a big commitment that you're making.
Hi, we are thinking about moving to the Algarve within the next year, around the Lagos,Alvor, Chinicato area, long term rental at first then possibly purchase down the line.
Any advice or help you would be very appreciated