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This 18th-century church is a dazzling jewel in the Algarve crown. Inside, the profusion of gilded and painted woodwork positively overflows with ebullience. Everything the Baroque age is famous for is here: double-chinned cherubs, mythical beasts and ripened fruit.

Accessible via drawbridge, this squat, tidy 17th-century fortress was built to defend the harbour. Nowadays, its sturdy ramparts protect a small museum dedicated to the Age of Discoveries.

This wonderful and totally absorbing museum houses an extraordinary collection of artifacts and oddities, plus one or two national treasures. See Highlights of Lagos Museu Municipal. Of particular note are the Roman mosaics, the 1504 town charter, vestments embroidered in gold and a bizarre acquisition of animal freaks, pickled and sealed in rows of glass jars.

The foundations of the walls date from Roman times, strengthened during Arab and Christian occupation. Restored in the 16th century, the best preserved section encases a Manueline window from which Dom Sebastião is said to have addressed townsfolk before going to Alcácer-Quibir. See Highlights of Lagos Museu Municipal.

Parts of the dramatic headland, 3 km (2 miles) northwest of town, resemble a huge wedge of crumbling ginger cake. Standing beneath gnarled sandstone cliffs are towering outcrops of umber-hued rock, hiding a warren of caves and grottoes. A lighthouse crowns the promontory, a suitably romantic location for a sunset finale.

The photographer’s favourite, postcards bearing the image of this beach have been mailed around the world. Wedged between cliffs in a small sheltered bay, Dona Ana is often said to resemble an ancient amphitheatre. The stalagmite-shaped cylindrical towers of sandstone rising out of the shallows could pass for Roman columns.

The town’s parish church dates back to the 16th century, although much of what you see today was rebuilt in the 19th century. The church, however, still retains its Renaissance doorway complete with Doric columns and busts of São Pedro (St Peter) and São Paulo (St Paul) on either side of the archivolt.

The northeast corner of Praça Infante Dom Henrique is site of Europe’s first slave market in the 15th century.

Meia Praia translates as “Half Beach”, which is curious given that, at 4 km (2.5 miles) long, its huge expanse of sand is one of the longest beaches in the Algarve. But that’s good news for those seeking privacy, and for windsurfers and paragliders who take regular advantage of the fresh south-westerlies.

Located 10 km (6 miles) north of Lagos, the immense man-made reservoir tapped by a somewhat incongruous dam is a veritable oasis of peace and tranquillity. A picturesque lake stretches out beneath a broad, rustic backdrop of rolling hills peppered with eucalyptus trees. It is a great place for a picnic.