Burgau and Praia de Luz

Although the local buses here are something that I often joke about, they do have a great system - a large fleet of buses transport both locals and intrepid travellers to towns and villages that aren’t always easy to reach. There’s also another group of mini-buses that drive a circular route around various parts of the town, plus villages that are close by. Less than 14km from Lagos, the tiny village of Burgau is included in one of these circular routes. The fare is nominal, priced according to the distance being travelled, and paid to the driver when boarding the bus....but on the day we went it was free (we never found out why - the driver, with his hand over the cash box, just waved us all onto the bus) another bus mystery never solved!
After a tour all around the western suburbs of Lagos (it is a circular), we arrived in Burgau - a tiny village that has become popular with a variety of tourists. It’s small, friendly, has a great beach plus cliff top paths for the more active visitor. With lots of restaurants, this tiny place does apparently get somewhat problematic in high season when dinner reservations are hard to come by! On this mid-September day the atmosphere was calm and laid-back, with plenty of space on the beach ***note - when the tide in Burgau comes in, the beach disappears ***
Along with a boisterous group of back-packing German lads we walked down one of the 2 or 3 small, narrow streets that lead to the beach. The tide was going out, the beach was emerging - and it’s lovely. With a small boat ramp, a couple of beach bar/restaurants and a kayak rental place, the sandy cove is backed by rocky cliffs ....and the Atlantic sparkles. Once known as a place for smugglers, it’s easy to imagine....the small fishing boats are there - pulled up onto the slipways and steeply sloped streets, and there’s quite a few little alleyways and “hidden lanes” throughout the village. We enjoyed strolling around these areas of tightly crammed, whitewashed houses - all leaning up against each other....many of them covered in brightly coloured bougainvillea. Recently discovered - in comparison with other parts of the Algarve - Burgau retains the feeling of a small, sleepy village....new developments can be seen on the outskirts, but no high-rises - yet!
Apart from seeing Burgau we wanted to walk across the cliff top path that leads to the neighbouring town of Luz - nowadays more commonly referred to as Praia de Luz. This 4-5km hike is a well-trodden path, with a reputation for beautiful scenery along the way - but like many other similar ones, should be taken with care - there are no fences or barriers. Actually we did see some fences, but they only appeared when we got closer to Luz.....many of the expensive-looking villas we passed have paths that lead directly out onto the cliff tops....and they all have fences at the bottom of their extensive properties.....one even has a couple of old chairs out there. Facing the ocean and chained to the rocks, these seats provide a great place for a little rest and/or a “photo-op” for anyone that passes by! The walk over, around and along these cliffs does provide some spectacular views.
After climbing up a street on the far eastern side of Burgau, we walked along a straight path that maintained a comfortable distance away from the edge of the cliff. We stopped frequently, looking back at the village of Burgau, now behind us - from up high we could see the full curve if its sandy cove, plus a tantalizing glimpse of others beyond. To be fair - the basic walk was pretty easy for anyone with average mobility - but we did deviate a little from the basic path - sometimes going closer to the edge for a better view of the rocks and ocean far below. We also went over some cliffs, instead of around them - which was at times a bit challenging - but we made it! Along the way we saw only 2 other couples - one young pair who were (unbelievably) hoisting their bikes along. The other couple we only saw from a distance. Perched at the edge of a flattened outcrop of rocks they (and their sun-umbrella) certainly had a lot of privacy!
After about 90 minutes we made our way into Praia de Luz in search of a sandwich and a cold beer - which we found at a promenade café, facing the beach. Later, we had to run to catch the bus home - unbelievably it was early.....but it was still free!
We decided to return to Luz a few days later......after our hike from Burgau we’d run out of energy to do any sightseeing there. Although the main bus stop is by the church, we got off a few streets away from the centre, and walked downwards towards the beach, which is the main area and focal point of this small town.
Luz was originally a fishing village that enjoyed plenty of shelter provided by the Rocha Negra headland. Like many other small places in the Algarve, tourism has now replaced fishing - due in part to this town being situated in a medium-sized sandy bay, which is suitable for all. Extremely popular, it’s now known as Praia de Luz in honour of this lovely beach. Spreading up the hills behind the town, there’s an area of large hotels and developments, but the core of the town is small and charming, with more traditional-looking buildings also providing holiday accommodations. There’s a largish supermarket here and plenty of cafés and restaurants - most of them either facing the beach, on the beach - or very close to the beach!
With families filling Praia de Luz in the summer - it’s reputation is relaxed and laid-back - definitely not a place to party. A town that’s well know and inhabited by expats and retirees - the winters are quiet, and a lot of places close. Although we can’t speak from experience of these seasons - late September is perfect for a stay or a visit here.... beaches, streets and cafés are pleasantly populated, but uncrowded - with plenty of space available everywhere.
After reaching the bottom of town we first headed out onto the large expanse of rocks on its western side. Unlike a few days ago, it was windy, so this proved to be a great spot to see the ocean splashing up. The area of smooth, flattened rocks is popular with those hardy enough to be able to spread a towel to sit or lay on them - we just walked........finding a small cove, with a tiny piece of beach, just around the corner - on the edge of town. We followed up with a stroll along (yet another lovely) seafront promenade - this one is lined with palm trees and restaurants....there’s also plenty of benches to sit on while gazing out at the scenery!
According to our research, the entrance to a museum of Roman ruins could be accessed through the old stone wall that runs along a part of the promenade - we found the entrance gate, but it was locked. After making a couple of enquiries from wait-staff at the cafés in its area, we finally got an answer from a lovely young Danish artist working at one of them - sort of....she told us that the museum had been closed for over a year, ever since she’d been in town. Many had asked about it, but no-one seemed to know the reason for its closure....so we sat down for a drink at one of the tables where she was working - it seemed the right thing to do! In addition to tables outside on the promenade, this restaurant, “The Galley,” has a large second floor dining-room that’s partly open-air and partly glass-enclosed. The third floor has a beautiful small terrace....all areas of the restaurant have fabulous views, facing the ocean.
We made a couple of more stops - one was to see the church of Luz, which has been rebuilt many times - the latest being after a violent storm and an earthquake in 1969. The other was for a look at the Fortaleza (the Fort). Now a private residence, it also has a restaurant that overlooks the water. Listed as a Historic Monument, it dates back to the 16th century when it was built to hold back attacks from pirates. A surrounding wall was later added by the Spanish. With its long history, it’s one of the best preserved examples of coastal military architecture in the Algarve.
It was then time for us to catch the bus, which stops at the church both on its way in and out of Praia de Luz. This time we were prepared and were there a few minutes ahead of the scheduled time.....there must be something about this route - it was, once again, early....but service was back to normal - customers were required to pay!
This week in Lagos, we’ve walked around the Jardim de Constituiçäo, which is located in the historical area. A lovely park with lawns and flowerbeds, it’s directly across from the Fort and the river. An attractive area of shady trees and stone paths, it has one of the two remaining “gates” into the old town. There’s also a statue of Gil Eannes (a 15th century navigator) and a stone tablet featuring the Lagos coat of arms. We walked through the gate, which was the main access to the quay during the 15-16th century, making our way upwards along the narrow, cobbled streets to the top of one of the city’s oldest areas. These ancient city walls - a large part of which are still intact - run quite a long way around the old city. We followed these huge walls, passed through a large park and finally ended up in a construction area where the walls continued, - but we didn’t......there’s a project of refurbishment and repair underway on a large section of them. We went back into the old town’s streets through the second remaining gate.
On another day we visited Forte da Ponta Bandeira (the Fort), which sits impressively at the mouth of the river Bensafrim, overlooking the harbour. Built in the 17th century the Fort protected the town against pirates and the Spanish - both attacked it regularly. Until the end of 20th century it was used as a military service depot and housed supplies for lifeboats.
Entrance to the Fort is across a small drawbridge, that connects it to the land (water does, sometimes flow all around), and after paying a small fee, we entered the ground floor, which has a small museum and exhibition of its maritime history. Although there’s not much to see, there are some interesting photos, taken in the 1950s and 60s, that show the riverfront and the promenade - a great way to compare with how it looks today. Within the downstairs courtyard there’s a small chapel, decorated with azulejo tiles, that’s dedicated to Santa Barbara.
An unusual art exhibition of moveable, metal pieces is also on display (by artist José Maria S. Pereira) - more of these structures can be seen on the flat roof-top of the Fort.....which is actually the best part!
A cobbled ramp leads upwards to where the views down the length of the river gives a good comparison to the photos from the museum. It’s easy to see how the river was dredged, and the promenade built. We took a look at the metal artwork, now seeing the many moving parts - but it’s the 360 degree views that are spectacular....the whole of the town, the beaches, the cliffs and the water can be seen from here. We watched the town below - from pedestrians, to the boats entering and leaving the harbour. We saw kayak-renters paddling in the calm, sandy bays and the almost daily occurrence of a group of youths, who spend their time jumping into the ocean from the harbour walls - “showing their stuff” as they perfect their jumps and diving techniques!
After booking our train to Lisbon, along with a hotel for our last night in Europe, we’ve realized that our time here is running out....so we’ve cruised our favourite spots and spent some time relaxing on the beach - getting rested and ready for the our last week - we plan on having a “full one!”