Porto de Mós is a long golden sandy beach between cliffs and the ocean located on the north side of Lagos a couple of minutes drive from the Lagos marina. One of the largest beaches in Lagos with plenty of parking and good facilities this is a fantastic beach for watersports, long walks or sunbathing. The parking and access to the beach is on the same level as the beach, so there are no steep stairs down to this beach surrounded by cliffs.
Porto de Mos is probably the best beach around Lagos for surfing and body surfing. In summer south swell does not often hit Mos and the water is very flat. At these times this is also a nice beach for freediving, spearfishing and paddling in perfect flat conditions. Meia Praia is another long sandy beach excellent for long walks, swimming and sunbathing located close to the Lagos Marina.
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Porto de Mos Beach
A long golden sandy beach backed by tall limestone cliffs this is another beautiful beach in the Algarve. Coming here for a day is a not-to-miss thing in Lagos. This spectacular beach is a nice combination of the famous beaches inside Lagos surrounded by beautiful, tall limestone cliffs such as Praia Dona Ana and the massive stretch of sand at Meia Praia. The best views of Porto de Mos Beach you get from a lookout point at Ponta da Piedade. The sandy beach is more than a kilometer long backed by high yellow cliffs, perfect for scenic walks and loads of space even in peak season. In summer with little swell the water is flat and great for swimming most of the time. When the south swell does come through this is a fantastic beach for surfing, body surfing or playing in the waves.
Porto de Mos is connected to the beautiful Praia do Canavial to the east at low tide and can be reached walking if you navigate some rocks. Praia do Canavial is sort of a hidden beach and is popular with nudists. The sand on the beach is nice and soft, great for playing and sunbathing. There are some rocks scattered along the beach and to the west end of the beach (away from the cafes) there is a rocky reef underwater frequented by surfers. For swimming the area closer to the parking area is nicer with less rocks. The beach does have lifeguards on duty in high season. Because Porto de Mos is not located in the center of town it is usually a bit less busy than the beaches closer to the old town of Lagos. Check out all our favorite beaches in Lagos in this detailed review.
Porto de Mos Beach Facilities
- Parking – yes, big parking space 50 m from the beach
- Caravan overnight parking – not allowed
- Facilities – restaurants, public toilets
- Accessibility – wheelchair accessible
- Dogs – not allowed
Porto de Mos has excellent facilities. There is a lot of parking right next to the beach on a gravel parking area. There are two restaurants almost on the sand with great views over the beach, Antonio and Campimar. You can sit either inside or outside, this is a good spot to view the sunset.
There are public toilet facilities as well as facilities that belong to the restaurants available.
When there are waves at Porte de Mos there are always many camper vans that belong to traveling surfers on the parking area, but staying overnight is not allowed.
Dogs are not allowed on Porto de Mos, but like most other beaches around Lagos rules are less strict out of season and we often see people with dogs on Porto de Mos, particularly in the mornings and afternoons. Make sure you take a bag and clean up after your dog if you take your furry friend to the beach.
Things to do on Porto de Mos Beach
Swimming at Porto de Mos Beach
This scenic beach is fantastic for swimming with few rocks, note that there is a rocky reef on the western end, particularly a bit deeper in so it is revealed at low tide, the rocks are flattish, some cracks, fissures and boulders, not really sharp rocks. During the summer the water is mostly flat and calm, very nice for easy swimming. The water temperature is in the range between 15C and 20C, nice and refreshing for a dip, but cold to spend extended periods in the water without a wetsuit. Younger children do not seem to mind! Lifeguards are on duty in season.
Surfing
The most popular and consistent surf break in the town of Lagos, but is still does not really work very often. Check out our detailed review on surfing in Lagos, with more details for surfing at Poro de Mos. Most Lagos beaches sit inside Ponta da Piedade and is protected from swell coming from the open ocean, Porto de Mós is on the west side of the point and gets more swell from the Atlantic ocean than other beaches around Lagos. The spot only gets enough swell to work with South swell or large North West Swell, best surfed around mid tide. A beach break and a reef break. The waves usually break fairly close to the shore, making for easy paddling out. The best waves are on the reef on the far end of the beach, you will see more surfers cluster here. New surfer stick to the beach break closer to the parking area. The reef is rocky and not too sharp, but can still result in damaged boards and some bumps and bruises so be careful.
Porte de Mos is a very popular place for new surfers with a beach break and small waves, if Mos is working there are always loads of surf schools.
Want to learn? Check out these Algarve Surf Camps
- 4 Day Thrilling Surf Camp in Lagos
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- 5-day escape surf camp in Algarve, Portugal
- 7-day hiking, surfing, and yoga holiday in Algarve, Portugal
Going for a walk
Porto de Mos is a great beach for walking stretching more than a kilometer to the west from the parking area between the ocean and the overhanging cliffs. It is a nice beach to view the sunset from. Early morning you will have this massive slab of sand almost all to yourself! You can also walk to the east from Porte de Mos to Praia do Carnavial at low tide, there are some rocks to navigate over. You can go for a longer walk from Porto de Mos Beach to Praia da Luz following the Fishermen’s Trail.
Sunbathing at Porto de Mos Beach
It is an excellent beach for sunbathing, relaxing and playing games on the beach. The sand is soft and because it is such a long beach there is plenty of space even when the beach gets busy. In season you can rent a deck chair and an umbrella for shelter from the hot sun.
Kayak and Standup Paddle Boarding
Since Porto de Mos often has flat, almost swimming pool like conditions it is a popular beach for stand-up paddle boarding and kayaking. Guided kayak tours depart from Porte de Mos to the spectacular Ponte de Piadade in season.
Spearfishing
When the water is flat and clean Porto de Mos is a nice beach for spearfishing with some mullets and sea bass around. The water drops town to about 15m deep if you are experienced in free dive spearfishing and can do a long swim out. There is a lot less boat traffic at Porte de Mos than diving at beaches close to Lagos such as Praia da Batata, still dive a surface marker buoy and diver down flag. Always dive with a buddy, permits are available to purchase on the local ATM’s.
Getting to Porte de Mos
Porte de Mos is located about 4 km from old town Lagos and getting there by car is the easiest way, about a 5 to 10 minute drive. You can just get an Uber, there are plenty of Ubers around Lagos, with the short distances it is very affordable and convenient, install the Uber app before coming to Lagos if you are not using it at the moment. The beach is easy to reach with the line 2 public bus, which departs from Forte de Meia Praia every hour making al the beach stops; Meia Praia, Lagos Railway Station, Lagos Bus Station and town, Dona Ana and Porto do Mos.
To reach Lagos from other countries the easiest way is to fly to Faro and take a bus, train, taxi or rent a car. See how to get to Lagos from Faro. There are also several option to reach Lagos from Lisbon.
Accommodation Close to Porto de Mos
Our top pick – Belmar Spa & Beach Resort, awesome luxury apartments 2 minutes walk from Porto de Mos!
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