Things To Do in Praia da Luz

At this annual summer-long sand sculpture festival, international artists use more than 35,000 tonnes of sand to create huge sculptures. There’s a different theme each year, and past exhibits have included Marilyn Monroe, Frankenstein, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon and a sand-based version of The Last Supper. It’s over in Pera, 40 minutes’ drive away, but for a few euros you can catch the liveried bus from Lagos.

Praia da Luz prides itself on its great line-up of watersports – all available from the beach hut closest to the bars. Pedalos, ringos and banana boats are here, and you can also sign up for kayaking, wakeboarding and parasailing. And when the offshore wind known as the Nortada blows in, the windsurfing really comes into its own.

The small, L-shaped bar is just 100 metres from the town square. Owner Clive is a friendly host – there’s no TV, just a sociable atmosphere among his many regulars. Wine racks line the walls, but the fame really goes to the cocktails – the tongue-twister Pangalactic Gargle Blaster is a popular one. The place stays open ’til 2am.

Praia da Luz is dotted with jewellery places and gift and craft shops selling cards, ceramics and wood carvings, as well as a couple of boutiques – there’s a great bakery with freshly-cooked croissants, too. And along the promenade, the summer months see crafts stalls set up along the waterfront. If you’re in nearby Lagos and want to potter for local crafts, a flea market is held on the second Sunday of the month in the old town.

This restaurant, down a side street, looks pretty unassuming from the outside. But inside this small, quaintly old-fashioned place, you’ll be greeted by welcoming staff and fantastic homemade food. The chorizo pie and sticky ribs are 2 standouts from the daily changing menu, and the roasted strawberry and white chocolate tart has impressed many a customer. You can’t book, so do arrive early to avoid the queues.

Freshly-caught fish and seafood regularly arrives on diners’ plates at the restaurants in town and along the promenade. If you want it Portuguese style, order the cataplana – clams and prawns cooked up in a copper pot with wine and peppers. Or you could try the arroz de marisco, a seafood risotto. Alternatively, you could go with the region’s spicier number, piri piri chicken.

Love grotto, cathedral, elephant and ghost – these are just some of the names that have been given to the fascinating limestone rock formations surrounding Lagos’ Ponta da Piedade lighthouse. The best way to see these amazing grottos and arches is from the sea, and Prai da Luz’s watersports centre runs 1-hour glass-bottom boat trips here for 20 euros.