Cascais is a city of ancient history, and since 1255 the capital of Portugal, Cascais is filled with a special symbolic meaning for its inhabitants. The cradle of the city is St. George's Castle, located on a high hill. At its foot lies the medieval quarter of Alfama, whose streets and staircases are reminiscent of the Arabs who lived here before their expulsion in 1147 by the first king of Portugal. Silent witnesses to the century of the Great Maritime Discoveries of Portugal are the Tower of Bethlehem and the Monastery of the Order of the Jeronimites , recognized as heritage of world culture. Between the seaside west and the renovated east lies that unique Cascais, which is easily recognizable by its tiled facades, wrought-iron grilles on balconies, observation decks and museum treasures.
At nightfall, when the old quarters of the city are filled with the sounds of guitars and singing fado, the life of Lisbon residents moves to the bars, cafes and discos along the Tagus promenade. The surrounding area of Cascais is famous for its magnificent beaches, golf courses and casinos.
From Lisbon to Cascais 20 kilometers.
View prices for air tickets to Cascais (Portugal) from London - direct flights
Cascais is located 25 km from Lisbon , so the best way to reach your goal is to fly to the capital and then get to your destination by train or bus. On the other hand, Cascais is located on the route of the daily Lisbon-Porto and Porto-Lisbon trains, so if you end up in Porto first , you can get to Cascais from there without any problems. In addition, if you have a license, you can rent a car in any of the cities and enjoy freedom of movement.
Cascais, like the entire coast of central Portugal, has a temperate maritime climate, allowing swimming in the ocean from May to October. However, the greatest influx of tourists is observed in the high season - July-August, when the air temperature remains stable at 27-28 degrees. At the same time, the water temperature is about 20 degrees Celsius, the rest of the year the ocean is quite cold here, so for a beach holiday, say, in the spring, you should choose some resort in the south of the country.
The city is quite small, so you can easily explore it on your own. If tourists are going to go there in a rented car, they need to know that the parking situation in its center is tense. It is better to park on the outskirts, and then take the BusCas minibus, which follows a circular route around the city center (it costs about 1 EUR ).
The city has a dedicated bicycle path that stretches for 8 km from Cascais to the Guincho promenade in Estoril - and you can ride along it on a two-wheeled friend at no cost: in different places of the city (including near the railway station) bicycles are provided Free rental, just show your passport. All local residents mainly travel on these bicycles, so the free option is not always available and is not always in satisfactory condition.
But at Transrent you can rent a good bicycle for 10-12 EUR per day, and scooters, motorcycles and cars are also waiting for their temporary owners. There are also car rental offices near the bus station.
Most tourists choose Cascais for its magnificent beaches. They stretch along the coast for several kilometers and are almost uninterrupted. The most popular and largest beach in Cascais is Guinho. Here are the highest waves in the area, so extreme lovers flock to Guinho - surfers, windsurfers, kitesurfers, etc. If you just want to calmly swim and lie on the beach, you can choose popular smaller beaches - for example Torre or Riberia. All of them are well equipped, have on their territory showers, toilets, changing cabins, a team of water rescuers, rental points and cafes.
The advantage of Cascais is that almost all the attractions of this part of the district are either directly in it or within walking distance from it, while from Estoril you need to go to them - at least by bicycle.
One of the most remarkable places in Cascais is the spectacular Palacio de Conde de Castro Guimaraes, a famous library museum that is open to visitors. There you can see a collection of 25,000 books, including many rarities. It also houses most of the prehistoric finds from the Grutas de Alapraia, a group of underground caves discovered only in the 19th century. Another natural wonder, the Grutus do Poço Velho grottoes, are located directly in the city center and date back to the Neolithic era. The local Maritime Museum attracts visitors with an exhibition dedicated to fishing and the history of the city, in addition, it houses a rich collection of ocean animals: shellfish, fish, mammals and birds. The founder of the museum is considered to be the Portuguese King Carlos I, who was only interested in the then nascent science of oceanology. An important part of the exhibition is his personal collection.
On the ocean shore, just west of the city, there is a natural wonder that attracts crowds of tourists year after year. Boca do Inferno, which translates as “The Mouth of Hell,” fully lives up to its name - it is a cave of eerie outlines carved out of solid rock over centuries by water and wind. During a storm, the waves beat from the rock around the Mouth of Hell, raising a sea of spray and terrible noise, a dark cave hole gapes - in general, a bewitching sight. Of course, it’s better to look at it from the ocean.
Among other attractions of the city, it is worth noting the Citadel - it was built on a high rock to protect the city from attacks from the sea and coped with its task brilliantly. Now there is an elite five-star hotel there. An important religious monument of Caiscais is the Church of the Assumption. It is located in the city center, at the intersection of many small streets, and is notable not only for its architectural features, but also for its permanent exhibition of paintings by the Portuguese artist Joseph de Obidos.
Parque Palmela, located between Cascais and Estoril, often hosts open-air concerts. In general, when you are in Cascais, it would be a shame not to visit Estoril - there are also magnificent beaches, many discos and bars, as well as various casinos - but gambling fans know about this even without prompting.
Just north of Cascais is the city of Sintra, known to a wide range of readers from the enthusiastic descriptions of Lord Byron in his works. Like any coastal Portuguese city, Cascais has many restaurants of all levels. Most of the dishes on offer are from fish and seafood, and it is no coincidence that Portugal has the highest per capita consumption of fish in all of Europe.
09:00 Hotel in Lisbon | 500 € |
08:00 Hotel in Lisbon | 550 € |
08:00 Hotel in Porto | 550 € |
09:00 Hotel in Lisbon | 500 € |