The Best Guide to Benagil Caves and Benagil Beach
How do you get from Lagos to Benagil Caves? If you are having trouble finding the answer to this question you are not alone! I struggled in planning our trip due to limited information on the trek from Lagos to Benagil Caves and wanted to share what I learned!
We opted to stay at Lagos over Lagoa even though Lagoa is closer to the Benagil Caves, and I am SO glad we did. Lagos in my opinion has the superior beaches and a charming town that Lagoa lacks.
There are several options to get to Benagil Caves from Lagos depending on your budget and preferences.
How to get to Benagil Beach and Benagil Caves?
Uber or Cab
We opted to take a cab/uber to Benagil Beach. We chose to do this because we had very limited time in Lagos (only 1 Day). Another reason to take the uber or cab is this allows you to take as much time as you want at the beach. This will cost about 60-80 euros round trip. We compared uber and asked a cab driver for his cost and took the cheaper option, prices will vary on time of day as well. If you are sharing a uber or taxi this is not a bad choice but can be pricey. Keep in mind that there are not tons of taxis lined up to get you back to Lagos so you may need to call one to get you.
Train
A train is the cheaper option. This trip will take a little longer-you will take the train from Lagos to Lagoa and then take a taxi from Lagoa train station to Benagil Beach.
Boat Tour
Another option is booking a boat tour that picks you up from Lagos and takes you to Benagil Beach. These tours can range anywhere from 40 euros- 70 euros or more. The downside to taking a boat tour is that you do not get to get out of the boat and see the beach or see the cave from the coast. The actual tour of Benagil Caves will be brief-around 5 minutes, it is pretty much in and out due to other boats going into the cave as well. This is a convenient option but not one I would recommend.
How to get from Benagil Beach to Benagil Caves?
Something I did not realize- you can’t just walk up to the coast and see the Benagil Caves. If you walk up the cliffs near the beach, you can see the inside of the cave from above, which was cool in its own right. The interior of the caves are not accessible by walking. You can only get inside the cave by water. You can get there a couple of ways. The Benagil Beach is pretty close to the Benagil Caves.
Should you kayak or swim to the Benagil Caves?
I would be hesitant to swim due to the currents and the rocky coastline but we saw many people take the swim. Kayaking is a great option, you can easily rent a kayak on Benagil Beach and then kayak through the cave and take your kayak on the shoreline inside the cave. This is an incredible view!
Benagil Caves Tour
There is one tour operating at the Benagil Beach. No need to book ahead, just go up and book a tour at the stand. There are 30 minute or 1 hour tours, we booked a 30 minute tour and thought it was perfect! You may have to wait 30 minutes or less for your tour. The tour will take you into the Benagil Cave and the grottos around Benagil Beach. I loved taking the tour because we saw everything along the beach, it was gorgeous.
*I would recommend taking the kayak if you have to chose between the boat or kayak but the best option is to do both the kayak and boat tour to see all the attractions!
Getting to Benagil Caves may seem like a lot of different steps but the trek is 100% worth it, this is a must see when in Portugal!
We hope you enjoy your adventure to the Benagil Beach and Caves and find it just as breathtaking as we did! Happy Travels!
Traveling around Portugal? Check out our Portugal Travel Guide and our Porto Travel Guide. If you are continuing on to Spain we have a great Travel Guide to Spain.
