Praia do Camilo e Dona Ana

West of Lagos, below the cliffs of the Ponta da Piedade, two beaches share the same ochre rock and the same blue water: Praia do Camilo, reached by a famous wooden staircase, and Praia Dona Ana, the great classic of the Algarve. Together they form one of the most beautiful stretches of coast of Portugal — small bays of golden sand between walls of stone, at the edge of the Atlantic.

The beaches

The two beaches lie side by side, separated by the cliffs that run from the town of Lagos to the Ponta da Piedade. Dona Ana opens in a wide bay of sand, sheltered by rock walls, with the stacks and arches of the cliffs around it; Praia do Camilo, smaller and hidden, is reached by a staircase of around two hundred steps that descends between the rock — the reward at the bottom being one of the most photographed beaches of the country.

What to see

• The staircase and the cliffs of Praia do Camilo.
• The bay and the rock stacks of Praia Dona Ana.
• The clifftop walk towards the Ponta da Piedade.
• The sunsets over the ocean, seen from the cliffs.

Visiting

The beaches are reached from Lagos by road and on foot along the clifftop paths, with car parks above the bays; the descent to Camilo is made by stairs and demands care, and the cliffs should never be climbed. The beaches are supervised in the bathing season, and the conditions and services follow the official information of the municipality.

Nearby

The town of Lagos und der Ponta da Piedade complete the coast of golden rock.

Information: cm-lagos.pt.

Image credit: Praia Dona Ana, by Vitor Oliveira, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.