Ponta da Piedade is the southernmost point in Lagos, Portugal. It boasts epic rock formations, and even caves that you can visit! Let’s discover Ponta da Piedade together.

 

The complete guide to Ponta da Piedade - Portugal

 

Ponta da Piedade is not the typical dreamy sand beach that might come to mind when you think about the Algarve. But trust me, it’s not less amazing in any way. What can you expect to see? An epic view on the Algarve coast, high cliffs, epic rock formations, and caves. Sounds good? Let’s check out exactly what you can expect with some pictures!

 

Where is Ponta da Piedade?

Ponta da Piedade is located south of Lagos, at the very edge of the cliffs. It’s the southernmost point in Lagos, Portugal.

climbing ponta da piedade

 

I’ve pinpointed the exact location of Ponta da Piedade on the map below:

 

 

How to get to Ponta da Piedade

If you’re staying in Lagos, you can definitely walk to Ponta da Piedade. It takes around 30 minutes to reach the beach from Lagos, and you can stop at other beaches on the way, such as Praia do Camilo or Praia do Pinhao.

 

ponta da piedade from the sky

 

Discover the Ponta da Piedade Epic Rock Formations!

When we drove from Lagos to Ponta da Piedade, you’ll be on this long road, seemingly heading to the end of the world. The road goes all the way to the Farol da Ponta da Piedade (Ponta da Piedade lighthouse), and almost to the edge of the cliffs.

 

end of the road at ponta da piedade

As soon as we walked to the edge of the cliffs, we realized how incredible this place was. Big cliffs above the ocean, and epic rock formations scattered everywhere in the sea.

 

ponta da piedade from above

 

Right after the lighthouse, you’ll see a stone staircase: this goes all the way down to the beach. Before actually starting to hike down the steps, I went right past them, on an elevated cliff I saw in the distance. From up there, I had one of the best views of the Algarve coast.

 

 

The rock formation are just incredible, and it’s even more stunning to see in real life. I didn’t expect the cliffs to be that high in the Algarve. Can you spot the person high up on the cliff, on the right side of the image below? It puts things in perspective and shows just how massive the place really is!

 

ponta da piedade algarve portugal

 

What I love about Ponta da Piedade is that you can go down to the beach, and see the rock formations from another angle. We took the steps all the way down (legs were burning!), to end up on a small platform facing the sea and the cliffs.

 

 

At the time, it was low tide; the water was far away from the deck. At low tide, you can go down, and walk right up to the rock formation. It’s so impressive seeing these massive cliffs from below!

 

 

When it’s low tide, you can also explore all the caves in the area.

If you go down Ponta da Piedade during high tide, it’s a completely different sight! I wish we would have stayed longer to experience the place in both low tide and high tide; but that’s one reason to come back 🙂

You can see below how the place looks during high tide, thanks to this photo by Vladislav Karpyuk

 

powerful waves in ponta da piedade

 

During high tide, you can still explore the caves, but you’ll have to do so by boat. Boat tours are pretty popular in the area, and it’s one of the most common activity to do while in the Algarve. If you go on a boat tour, you’ll visit the numerous caves of the area, such as the Benagil Caves and others.

 

the cliffs of ponta da piedade from above

 

After watching the sun set in Ponta da Piedade, and the light fade, we climbed back on the stone deck, and started to climb the very steep stairs leading to the parking lot above.

We got in our car, and started to get ready for our drive to our Airbnb for the night. Right before driving off, I looked at the sea one last time: I was blow away by what I saw.

 

red moon in ponta da piedade

 

That night was a Pink Moon night: one of the very few nights a year when the full moon turns a pale red color. Not only was the moon pink, it was also huge!

It was incredible to witness such a cool event, over the Algarve sea.

 

red moon over the sea

 

 

What you need to know before visiting Ponta da Piedade

Are you going to check out Ponta da Piedade during your Portugal trip? Well if so, you’ll find below some tips to help you make the most of your visit:

    • go right before low tide: if you have some time to explore Ponta da Piedade, the best is to go right before low tide. Go down to the beach when the water is still high, to experience the place with water on the deck. Then, go and explore the rest of the area, or nearby beaches. Then, come back at low tide: you’ll be able to go down the beach, to explore the caves and see the rock formations from below
    • be careful: the stairs are pretty steep, so be careful when you walk down. Also, the water rises pretty high during high tide, so be careful when walking on the deck below, it gets pretty slippery
    • go on a boat tour: if you want to fully check out the place, go on a boat tour to visit the caves from the sea. You can also rent a kayak in Ponta da Piedade

 

the rock formation of ponta da piedade from below

 

  • avoid july & august: if you are flexible with dates, the best is to visit in May, June or September. You’ll still get great weather, and you’ll avoid the crowds of tourists
  • enjoy a coffee and snack: there is a restaurant right above Ponta da Piedade, near the lighthouse. The perfect place to chill, and eat/drink a bit

 

What to see after Ponta da Piedade?

Wondering what to do after exploring Ponta da Piedade?

Well, there are a lot of fun things to do in Lagos, and in all the Algarve region. Trust me, you won’t run out of beautiful places to check out in the Algarve anytime soon. 

 

the stairs of ponta da piedade

 

At walking distance from Ponta da Piedade, you’ll find:

Or check out these 36 amazing places in Algarve

 

cliffs of ponta da piedade

 

That was your guide to Ponta da Piedade, the incredible place full of crazy rock formations! Did you know this place before?

If you travel to Portugal and visit it, tag your Instagram photos with #kevmrc so that I can see them!

As always, feel free to ask me any question you have for your Portugal trip in the comments below, I always reply.

Enjoy your trip!