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March in Lagos, Portugal: Things to Do

March in Lagos, Portugal, may have colder water temperatures, but it makes for a peaceful escape from the city. There are plenty of things to do this time of year and plenty of sunshine to soak in without the crowds of beachgoers that the summer months see.

The town’s towering cliffs lining up the coast is an image that will never escape my mind. And for that, I am eternally grateful. The scenery found in Lagos is something you want to stick with you. I am so fortunate to have been to this unforgettable place. My only regret about staying in Lagos was that my trip was too short! I was so sad when the time came to pack up and leave. We only stayed a few days, but with the number of things to do in Lagos in March alone, I will definitely stay at least a week if I get the chance to return.

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Getting to Lagos From Lisbon

After spending three days in Lisbon, we wanted a change of scenery. So, we rented a car and drove to a seaside hotel in Lagos. The drive was only about three hours long, and it was full of gorgeous scenery with trees and landscapes resembling Africa. We had a great experience driving the car in a foreign country. However, exiting Lisbon was, at first, a bit of a circus. We had to enter a five-lane roundabout and take an exit. We didn’t realize the exit was coming up, so we had to merge five lanes, holding up traffic and getting beeped at. We made it to our exit with no scratches, though! The rest of the ride was smooth sailing from there. You can view car rental options below!

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Since Lagos is more of a beach town, and some items on my itinerary had a bit of a drive involved, renting a car was the best option for us. There are other ways to get to Lagos, but this made the most sense for us. If you would like to follow a similar itinerary, check out my must-do list for things to do in Lagos in March below.

Things to Do in Lagos in March

Eat at O Camilo

If you are rolling into town hungry like we were, check out O Camilo, a cliffside restaurant overlooking the ocean. They had an incredible menu full of a variety of options. Such a great place to kick off our time in Lagos.

Kayaking Tour to See Benagil Cave

One thing I could not leave Lagos without doing was seeing the Benagil Cave. Technically, I did have to leave Lagos to see it, but it is still located in the Algarve. About a 40-minute drive from our hotel, hence why we opted to rent a car, lies the beautiful Benagil Cave. I did not just want to see this cave from the outside; I wanted to explore the interior. It can be quite hard to swim here, however, and the boat tours do not allow you to get off to explore inside the cave. Therefore, we knew a kayaking tour was the way to go, especially as the water in Lagos in March is too chilly to swim in.

Who Should I Book My Kayaking Tour to Benagil Cave With?: I did my research on the best kayaking tours in Lagos and found great reviews on Secret Algarve. They offer a 2-hour guided kayaking tour along the coast of the Algarve, which takes you into the Benagil Cave and allows you to explore by foot once inside. Tour sizes are kept between 8-10 people, which makes your experience rather private, and it only costs 35 Euros per person.

Book your tour with Secret Algarve today!

Not to be biased, but I believe we had the two best tour guides we could have had! They were very charismatic, informative, and helpful. Kayaking in the ocean was a new thing for me. I have only ever kayaked on very still waters, but the ocean water is a lot rougher. My arms got a bit tired at times, but we did really well overall. It also helped that we used two-person kayaks, so not all the pressure was on me. You also stop periodically to hear from the tour guides about the rock formations you are passing and what the locals have chosen to name them. 

The last stop on the tour is the Benagil Cave. Kayaking into the cave was a little nerve-wracking. The waves were rough, but the tour guides had prepared you well by this point. They kayak inside first to help you ride the waves smoothly. Once inside, you have a specified amount of time to take as many photos as you want. Their only request is that you all take a group photo!

After exploring, the tour guides help push you back out into the ocean. You wait for them to then guide you back to the beach you first disembarked at. This is sadly the end of the tour, but there are some walking paths up a hill to the right if you choose to explore some more. One of these paths allows you to look down into the Benagil Cave, which was a surreal experience. 

View more tours in the Algarve here.

Beach

One of the biggest allures of Lagos is its beaches. We stayed at the Carvi Beach Hotel, situated next to the ocean. We scored a great deal on this hotel since we visited Lagos in March. During peak season, rooms can be over $300 a night! We lucked out with a spacious room for $80 a night, which seems insane to say out loud when people ask me about my trip here.

Check out current prices and deals for Carvi Beach Hotel.

I loved being able to walk right out to the beach. We had the perfect little private oasis, surrounded by towering cliffs and beautiful rock formations in the water. The water was a bit too cold this time of year to do much swimming, but we enjoyed basking in the sun. It was in the 70s, a lot warmer than it was in Northeast America, which makes yet another reason why Lagos in March is a great time to visit!

Ponta de Piedade 

One of Lagos’ biggest draws is Ponta de Piedade. Both locals and tourists alike enjoy walking around these beautiful cliffs overlooking the ocean. This may be the most beautiful place I have ever been, especially during golden hour. Watching the sun light up these weathered cliffs in golden hues is a dreamlike experience. I even had the pleasure of sighting a black cat. Others may think this brought me bad luck, but I’m an avid cat lover, so I viewed it as the luckiest thing that could have happened to me on this trip.

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And just like that, our time in Lagos came to an end. If you haven’t finished booking your trip yet, you should consider spending more than a few days here to really soak in all that Lagos has to offer in March.

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