The county of Lagos has an area of 217,6 square kilometres, divided among the parishes of Barão de S. João, Bensafrim, Luz, Odiáxere, and Santa Maria and S. Sebastião, which constitute the city itself.

Lagos is 78 km away from the region’s capital, Faro, and 37 km away from Cape St. Vincent, laying on the coastline of the wide and beautiful bay named after it, along the mouth of the Bensafrim brook. It holds a number of spectacular rock surrounded beaches, shaped by the continual strength of the sea.

The coastline is named the Golden Coast due to the rocks’ yellow colour.

The town of Lagos lays between four hills, dominated by the S. Sebastião church, on the North, and another one presently urbanized, on the South. West and East are bounded by intermediary hills. Of the old military fortress’s walls, nearly the whole land front still survives. Outside the walls, several inhabitants’ gatherings exist, such as S. João Bridge, Porta do Postigo Village (next to St. Amaro cemetery, highest point in town, where the population sought refuge during the 800 earthquake), Porta dos Quartos and the Ribeira, next to the Forte da Bandeira fortress and the tide-gauge, over the pier.