Following the Navigators’ Route

In the Algarve, there are signs of the Age of Discovery which time has not erased.

Forever linked to Henry, the Navigator and his legendary naval school, Sagres is a testament to Portuguese history and maritime expansion.   As a world Heritage centre, it has an invaluable heritage of historical monuments.   Inside the Sagres Fort, there is the enigmatic mariner’s compass built on the ground and the windmill wall with false battlements allowing views of the promontory, Ponta de Sagres, jutting out to sea.

The Cabo de São Vicente (Cape of St Vincent) was a reference point for naval maps.  In 1515, to improve safety for navigators, the Bishop of Algarve commissioned the building of a lighthouse which was rebuilt in 1924.

Nearby is the town of Lagos, sheltered by the Bay of Meia Praia, where many a caravel weighed anchor and from which expeditions departed.   A mediaeval city, rocked by the earthquake of 1755, Lagos has town walls as well as arcades next to the town gardens which attest to it being an important commercial hub.  The Pau da Bandeira Fort is an example of the sea walls which characterised the old Guerra de Lagos plaza.