Cascais lies on the coast west of Lisbon, between neighbouring Estoril and the hills of Sintra, and is one of the most beautiful and famous seaside towns in Portugal. The municipality has about 215,000 inhabitants, but the heart of the town has kept the feel of the old fishing village: cafés, bars and restaurants overlook the seafront, the golden beaches and the little harbour, while the rocky coast offers spectacular views of the Atlantic.
From fishing village to royal riviera
The bay of Cascais has been inhabited since ancient times. The present town began in the twelfth century as a fishing village under Sintra, from which it gained independence in 1364 thanks to its trade. Its position at the mouth of the Tagus gave it a strategic role in the defence of Lisbon: a fortress was built in the fifteenth century and enlarged in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries into a true citadel, flanked by other forts along the coast.
In the nineteenth century Cascais became a fashionable resort. In 1870 King Luís I turned part of the citadel into a summer residence and the court followed: in 1878 Cascais was among the first places in the country to have electric lighting, the railway arrived in 1889, and villas, roads, a casino and a bullring were built. In the twentieth century the Cascais and Estoril coast welcomed several royal families in exile, including the last king of Italy, Umberto II, who lived in Cascais for almost forty years. Today the town draws the international jet set, but also families and surfers attracted by the beauty of the coast.
What to see
The old town, with its streets paved in black and white patterns (calçada portuguesa), the town hall square and the Church of Nossa Senhora da Assunção, decorated with azulejos and paintings by Josefa de Óbidos, is easy to explore on foot. The restored Cidadela now houses a hotel, art galleries and an official residence of the President of the Republic.
Among the museums, the Museu Condes de Castro Guimarães, in a romantic villa above a small cove in Marechal Carmona park, holds Indo-Portuguese furniture, paintings, azulejos, porcelain and rare books, including a precious Chronicle of Afonso Henriques by Duarte Galvão, illuminated in the sixteenth century with a view of Lisbon; the Casa das Histórias Paula Rego, devoted to the great Portuguese painter, in the building with distinctive red towers designed by Eduardo Souto de Moura; and the Museu do Mar, about the coast's seafaring life. The Santa Marta lighthouse, with its blue and white stripes, has also become a small museum.
Boca do Inferno and the beaches
About two kilometres from the centre, along the coast road, is the Boca do Inferno (Hell's Mouth), a chasm in the cliffs where the waves crash thunderously on rough days. Further north-west lies Guincho beach, wide and wild, at the foot of the Sintra hills inside the Sintra-Cascais Natural Park: wind and waves make it a paradise for surfing, windsurfing and kitesurfing. In town there are small, convenient beaches such as Praia da Rainha and Praia da Conceição, while towards Lisbon, in neighbouring Oeiras, the long Carcavelos beach is a surfers' favourite.
A cycle and walking path links Cascais with Guincho, and a seaside promenade leads to Estoril: one of the nicest ways to discover the coast.
Getting there
From Lisbon the easiest option is the Cascais line train, which leaves from Cais do Sodré station and follows the coast in about 40 minutes. By car, take the A5 motorway or, more slowly but with sea views, the coastal Marginal road. From Lisbon airport you can book a transfer or take the metro to Cais do Sodré and continue by train.