Travel Tips for Praia Da Luz and the Western Algarve, Portugal
The seaside village of Praia da Luz (pronounced loozh) lies in the western Algarve, Portugal only 6km west of the city of Lagos. Traditionally it has been a fishing village that specialised in octopus potting and Luz once had a Tuna canning factory by the beach. There was an early settlement hear and the Romans left their mark in the form of a bath house and aqueduct.
Today Luz is a small yet thriving beach resort with numerous waterside apartments & villas. The main attraction is Luz’s beach with its arced bay and stunning black igneous rock headland, left behind by the volcanoes at Monchique. It is a small place with several local bars and restaurants and 3 resort complexes with outdoor swimming pools and tennis courts. Two water sports centers at the eastern end of Luz beach rent out sailing boats, canoes and Luz also has a deep-sea diving centre and camping site.
Luz is an ideal place to head out for walks in the hills and countryside in the morning or late afternoon. It is also a great place to relax and listen to the birds and watch people go by sipping coffee by the beach. Time slips by slowly with the calm waves licking the golden sands and towards sunset the beach is virtually deserted making it one of the best times to swim in the clean Atlantic waters.
Outside of Luz you can make day trips to Lagos, Sagres and Monchique. There is a Market by the bus station in Lagos on Saturday mornings where one can buy locally produced organic fruit and vegetables. Also stock up on fresh fish for the barbecue at the daily fish market in Lagos. An ideal spot to eat out, have coffee or ice cream in the evenings Lagos has a pedestrianised centre and a lively night life. The last bus into Lagos is at around 7PM from the bus stop by the church and Taxis back are affordable costing around 7 Euros.
Monchique is a mountain range about an hours drive from Praia da Luz and makes an ideal place to visit in the afternoon and evening. The Caldes de Monchique are therapeutic thermal baths and the mountains cooler climate and woods are a beautiful place to take long walks. Roadside restaurants offer great value meals and the local brandy, cakes and wild boar are local specialties.
Praia da Luz is ideally located in close proximity to several stunning stretches of sand. Praia de Porto de M
Martin Thompson is a regular visitor to Praia da Luz where he has spent many sunny days since his childhood in his families villa in Portugal. A professional travel writer who loves the western Algarve he has developed an online guide to Praia da Luz complete with discussion forums, stunning photographs, and local classified ad listings. Visit the helpful traveluzion guide now and sign up for your free travel ezine and ebooks.
