Lagos Introduction Walking Tour (Self Guided), Lagos

Lagos is one of the oldest towns in the Algarve, with a history shaped by its coastal position, maritime activity, and strategic value. Its name is commonly traced to the Latin Lacobriga, itself likely derived from earlier Celtic roots: lac, meaning “lake” or “lagoon,” and briga, meaning “fortified place” or “hill settlement.”

The settlement’s story stretches back over two millennia. Before Roman expansion, the region was inhabited by Celtic peoples and later influenced by Phoenician and Carthaginian traders. During the Second Punic War, the inhabitants sided with Hannibal and Carthage, a decision that ultimately brought Roman intervention. Under Roman rule, Lacobriga developed into a modest but active port connected to regional trade networks. Archaeological evidence points to fish-salting industries, ceramics production, and maritime commerce typical of Roman coastal towns in southern Iberia.

Following the collapse of Roman authority, Lagos passed through Visigothic control and brief Byzantine influence before becoming part of al-Andalus after the Islamic conquest of the early 8th century. Known during this period as Zawaia, the town functioned as a fortified coastal settlement with defensive walls, a harbour, and commercial links to North Africa. Its urban layout, water systems, and fortifications were significantly shaped during centuries of Moorish rule.

Lagos entered Portuguese hands in the mid-13th century during the Christian Reconquest, traditionally associated with King Afonso III. Its greatest prominence came in the 15th century, when it emerged as a key base for Portugal’s early maritime expansion. In 1415, King John I assembled his fleet here before launching the conquest of Ceuta. Under Prince Henry the Navigator, ships departed from Lagos toward the African coast, and the town briefly became a centre of navigation and shipbuilding. It was also, notably, the site of one of Europe’s earliest slave markets.

In the 16th century, Lagos prospered as an administrative and commercial hub of the Algarve. That success was later undone by pirate attacks, shifting trade routes, and the catastrophic earthquake and tsunami of 1755, which devastated much of the town and shifted regional importance eastward to Faro.

Walking through Lagos’ historic centre today brings you along preserved city walls, narrow streets shaped by medieval planning, and small squares such as Gil Eanes Square, framed by churches and civic buildings. The route passes the Old Slave Market, the Church of Santa Maria, and remnants of Moorish and early modern fortifications like the Flag’s Mast Fort. Cafés, tiled façades, and everyday shops sit alongside museums, with frequent glimpses toward the Lagos Marina and the Atlantic coast.

As you follow this walk, you are moving through the same streets and shoreline that once supported Prince Henry the Navigator’s ambitions. The town’s walls, harbour, and open horizon reflect a moment when Lagos stood at the edge of the known world, looking outward toward routes that would reshape maritime history.