Cascais

There are several good reasons for choosing Cascais as your holiday destination and not all of them are in the town its self, as this is the ideal location from which to explore this part of Portugal.
Although the commercial town centre is a little inland, Cascais activities and attractions are centred on its coast. The bay offers perfect waters for sailing and a host of other water sports. The many fine sandy beaches offer excellent sunbathing, or if you’re feeling a bit more energetic and need to cool down, swimming. Not far from the plush marina is a charming house cum castle, surrounded by a tidal creek. And not far from there is a citadel, rebuilt by the Spanish under Philip 1st. Also worth a visit are the Museum of the Sea (Museu do Mar) and the Conde Castro Guimarães Museum where one can appreciate marvellous classical concerts. Close to the Museu do Mar is the Casa das Histórias Paula Rego, a house for the artists’ paintings, drawings and etchings throughout many of her different phases.

The square outside the Town Hall is of particular note, its black and white paving waves in a most intoxicating fashion so it is recommended that you do not visit the bars before you see this! Take the quaint cobbles side streets back from here into the town, past old palaces, tidy houses, striking architecture and cool tree-lined gardens. Don’t miss out on the delicious fresh fish dishes you may eat down in the marina restaurants. Cascais used to be a fisherman’s village, so there is a strong relationship with the sea and its numerous delicacies. Should you want to refresh from the warm sunny afternoons at the beach-front, try out the Santini ice-creams, with a shop in the centre open only during the sunny months. You are bound to find a queue at the door, but the ice-creams are worth the wait!

Should you tire of the locality, there are always the cool hills and fantastical castles of Sintra to the north, endless beaches and stunning coastlines to the west, and last but not least, just a local train-ride away, the fascinating cosmopolitan city of Lisbon.