Praia de Dona Ana is one of the most famous beaches in the Algarve. Not only is this a picture perfect beach, it’s also walking distance from Lagos’ old town – one of the most popular towns in the Algarve. This golden sandy beach is directly connected to several other beaches along the coastline – Praia do Camilo and Praia do Pinhão.
Praia de Dona Ana is a stunning beach, surrounded by cliffs, and several hidden passages to explore the other parts of the coastline. It also boasts excellent facilities, and even a restaurant, yet never feels too busy or overwhelming. It’s one of our favourite beaches in the Lagos region!
This beach really has it all. Incredible views and scenery, excellent protected swimming, and even some unique rock formations to explore for swimmers and snorkelers. Visiting Praia de Dona Ana is not just for beach lovers, it’s probably one of the top things to do for anyone visiting Lagos.
Praia de Dona Ana Beach – Everything You Need to Know
Praia de Dona Ana is the biggest beach on this part of the Lagos coastline – to find a bigger beach you need to cross the river to Praia de São Roque, or to the opposite side of the Ponta da Piedade headland to Praia de Porto Mós. Both beaches being somewhat further outside of Lagos itself.
Dona Ana’s 300m Golden sand beach is surrounded by those classic cliffs of the west Algarve, this gives plenty of protection from the usual winds. The beach is also eastern facing which means that during the later part of the day much of the beach is shaded – it’s also not a spot to try and catch a sunset!
However, the eastern facing beach and sheltered bay mean that the waters here are calm on most days, suitable for multiple water activities, like snorkelling, kayaking and stand-up paddle boarding (SUP).
A quick note on the sand, it’s popular among locals to disregard Praia de Dona Ana due to the quality of the sand. In 2016 the beach was enlarged by dredging deep water sand and dumping it on the beach. A mixture of locals and environmentalists tried to block the action, but the municipality continued anyway, today it’s created one of the biggest and most popular beaches. However, you’ll still find people criticizing the sand due to its roughness, and its courser mixture!
Bars and Restaurants on Praia Dona Ana
Praia de Dona Ana has one restaurant on the beach itself – Marisol. It’s an averagely reviewed snack bar /restaurant that happens to be in a prime location. A great spot for a beer and snacks, but if you’re looking for a high-quality meal, you’re better off heading up the cliffs towards Lagos! Additionally, the main car park is served by a quiosque – another great place to grab a coffee or refreshment before taking in the miradouro and views!
Praia Dona Ana’s Beach Facilities
- Parking – Around 60 car spaces
- Dogs – Not allowed during the bathing season
- Restaurant and bars: Yes
- Toilet: Yes
- Shower: Yes
- Changing rooms: Yes
- Sunbed and Parasol Rental: Yes
- Lifeguards: During the bathing season
As it’s reasonably close to the rest of the town, you get the full benefits of Lagos like being able to buy anything you might have forgotten to bring, and refreshments from the local supermarkets.
The Best Things to do on Praia de Dona Ana
Sunbathing and a day at the Beach
Obviously, the stunning Praia de Dona Ana is one of the best beaches to simply relax and enjoy the beach. The expansive 300m of sand have ample space to place down a towel and your own umbrella or you can rent a sunbed and large parasol. The same bar mentioned earlier also operate the concession on the beach with sunbeds and shades for rental and access to their bathroom facilities. As of summer 2024, it costs €10 for a pair of sunbeds and parasol per half day. Sunbeds are limited though so if you plan on rental you should aim to get to the beach early!
Swimming in the waters of Praia de Dona Ana
Like pretty much every advert and guide to Algarve, the waters of Praia de Dona Ana are indeed bright blue and crystal clear! Due to the cliffs and shape of the bay they are also very calm on most days making this an excellent beach for swimming. Additionally, the beach is life guarded during the summer bathing season, making this a safe beach for paddling and swimming for all the family!
The one thing to remember though, despite the Mediterranean climate, these waters are still firmly in the Atlantic and depending on what you are used to can be fairly chilly. Average summer water temperatures range between 19-22 °C, which can be quite a surprise!
Water Activities on Dona Ana Beach
The beautiful rock formations in the shallow water make excellent focal points for snorkelling. As well as this, the cliffs that close the beach at either end are great spots offering sheltered bays for underwater explorers. You’ll find a variety of typical Algarvean marine life including; anemones, octopus and lots of fish.
Kayaking From Dona Ana Beach
From above the water, you can kayak and stand-up paddle board, once again the rock formations around Ponta da Piedade make amazing focal points and they’re not too far away. You can even paddle to nearby beaches like Praia do Camilo, or find your own beach that the only way to access is from the water!
Explore the Coastal Paths and Ponta da Piedade
The main car park has an exceptional miradouro (viewpoint) which will introduce you to the incredible coastline and natural beauty of the cliffs and coastline in this area. It’s also the starting point of several footpaths that will take you to several other impressive viewpoints, and also to several other beaches. The first major beach being the Instagram hotspot of Praia do Camilo, further along is the more hidden Praia dos Pinheiros. Continue along the cliffs will lead you to Ponta da Piedade.
How to Get to Praia de Dona Ana
As we’ve mentioned, Dona Ana beach is around 2km from Lagos itself, that gives you multiple ways including simply walking to get to the beach!
Walking to Praia de Dona Ana From Lagos
Dona Ana Beach can easily be reached by walking from Lagos. It takes around 20 minutes and there are several routes either through the town, or along the main road which will take you alongside multiple other miradouros and beaches!
Driving to Praia de Dona Ana From Lagos
There is parking for around 70-80 cars at the main access point and miradouro. During the summer this car park fills up fast so it’s best to arrive early if you plan to use it. If it’s full you can park elsewhere in Lagos, there’s several other free and paid options around the town.
Bus to Praia de Dona Ana from Lagos
There’s a regular bus service from Lagos to Praia de Dona Ana. It operates from 7am to around 8pm so it’s a reliable way to get there if you don’t want to worry about parking, and you don’t fancy the walk from the town! It’s the Blue Line 2 (Linha 2, Onda Azul) operated by the municipal operator Onda, full timetables can be found online. The same bus line also stops at Lagos’s main train station, town centre, and Meia Praia – another of Lagos’ stunning beaches. A single ticket is €1.20 making this is a very cost-effective option!
The Lagos Tourist Train – A fun way to get to Dona Ana from Lagos
Like many towns in the Algarve, Lagos operates a small tourist train. Well not really a train, it’s a road vehicle in the shape of a train. It operates in the typical hop on hop off fashion around the town, it’s major attractions and the beaches. It costs €4 for a single ticket, or €5.50 for a full day ticket. The full schedule and stops can be found on the official website.
Will you be Visiting Praia de Dona Ana?
Anything we’ve missed in the guide to Praia de Dona Ana? As always, let us know in the comments!
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