3 Best Sights in The Algarve, Portugal

The views from the Sagres Fortress, an enormous run of defensive walls high above the crashing waves, are spectacular. Its massive walls and battlements make it popular with kids. The importance of this area dates to as early as the 4th century BC, when Mediterranean seafarers found it to be the last sheltered port before the wild winds of the Atlantic. In the late 8th century, according to local religious tradition, the mortal remains of the 4th-century martyr of Zaragoza, St. Vincent, washed up here. This led to a Vincentine cult that attracted pilgrims until the destruction of the sanctuary in the mid-12th century. The fortress was rebuilt in the 17th century, and although some historians have claimed that it was the site for Prince Henry's famous navigation school, it's more likely that Henry built his school at Cabo São Vicente. But this doesn't detract from the powerful atmosphere. Certainly the Venta da Rosa ("Rose of the Winds," a sundial-like stone whose purpose is still unknown) dates to Prince Henry's period. The small chapel of Nossa Senhora da Graça is of the same age.

Prince Henry the Navigator brought the first enslaved Africans to Portugal for his own use in 1441, initiating what would become a centuries-long system of exploitation. To manage the growing trade, he established a slave market in West Africa, and by 1455, around 800 enslaved people were being shipped to Portugal each year. The first African slave market in Europe was held beneath the arches of the old Casa da Alfândega in Lagos—a chilling landmark in European history. Today, the building houses a museum that touches on this legacy, but its displays remain unfortunately sparse. Visitors are advised to read widely beforehand to truly understand the gravity of what occurred here.

This 17th-century fort defended the entrance to the harbor in bygone days. From inside you can look out at sweeping ocean views. For an interesting perspective on the rock formations and grottoes of the area's shoreline, take one of the short boat trips offered by the fishermen near the Ponta da Bandeira.