The Luz beach (Praia da Luz) is an intermediate size Blue Flag beach with two distinct zones: the white sand characteristic of Algarve beaches and the 'rock zone'. The water is clean and transparent but the temperature is somewhat variable.
The church of Nossa Senhora da Luz (Our Lady of the Light), from which the village takes its name, was badly damaged in the 1755 Lisbon earthquake and its restoration was funded by local contributions. Allthough, called the 1755 Lisbon earthquake, Lisbon was not the only Portuguese city affected by the catastrophe. Throughout the south of the country, in particular the Algarve, destruction was rampant.
As a result of the earthquake, a tsunami destroyed some coastal fortresses in the Algarve and, in the lower levels, razed several houses. Almost all the coastal towns and villages of the Algarve were heavily damaged, except Faro, which was protected by the sandy banks of Ria Formosa. In Lagos, the tsunami resulted in such big waves, that it reached as high as the top of the city walls.
Amongst the archaeological treasures of Luz, there is also a Roman archaeological site.
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