Lagos

As tourist towns go, Lagos (lah-goosh) has got the lot. The port town, which launched many naval excursions during Portugal’s extraordinary Age of Discovery, lies along the bank of the Rio Bensafrim. Its old town's pretty, cobbled lanes and picturesque squares and churches are enclosed by 16th-century walls. Beyond the walls is a modern but not overly unattractive sprawl and some truly fabulous beaches.