Cascais

2 breweries · 6 venues

Cascais sits on the western edge of the Tagus estuary, between the Sintra hills and the Atlantic, on the stretch of shore known as the Estoril Coast. Once a quiet fishing village, it became a royal seaside resort in the 19th century and is now one of Portugal's best-loved coastal towns, with beaches, fish and seafood, and a whole quarter of museums, parks and gardens to explore year-round.

The town grew up in the 12th century under the authority of Sintra, and by the 13th century its fish was supplying Lisbon. On 7 June 1364 King Peter I raised Cascais to the status of a town, freeing it from Sintra. Because it guarded the mouth of the Tagus, it was a strategic post in the defence of Lisbon: around 1488 King John II built a small fortress by the sea, and the Citadel grew between the 15th and 17th centuries. Manuel I granted a charter in 1514. In 1870 King Luís I made Cascais his summer residence, and until 1908 the royal family spent part of every summer here, turning the fishing village into a cosmopolitan address; in 1878 the Citadel received the first electric lights in Portugal. Noble families followed with eclectic summer mansions. During and after the Second World War, Portugal's neutrality and the town's royal past drew many of Europe's exiled royal families, including those of Spain and Italy.

Start in the historic centre, with its cobbled streets and town beaches such as Praia da Rainha, then walk to the Citadel, whose royal palace was the summer home of the kings and later an official residence of Portuguese presidents. Next door is the Museum Quarter, the Bairro dos Museus, which brings together the Casa das Histórias Paula Rego, devoted to the painter and her husband Victor Willing, the King Carlos Sea Museum, which recalls the town's fishing origins, the Santa Marta Lighthouse Museum, the Condes de Castro Guimarães Museum, the Fortress of Our Lady of Light, the Cascais Cultural Centre, the tide gauge and the Marechal Carmona Park. A short walk west along the cliffs brings you to the Boca do Inferno, a sea cave that was the first ever shown in moving pictures, in the 1896 British film A Sea Cave Near Lisbon.

Spend the morning in the old town and the Museum Quarter, the afternoon on the coast, and the evening watching the sun go down over the bay. Further west, Guincho beach is one of the best-known surf spots, alongside Carcavelos, and nearby lies the Cresmina Dune, a shifting dune system shaped by strong winds. The marina, opened in 1999, has hosted many sailing events.

Cascais is easily reached from Lisbon by frequent commuter trains, by the A5 motorway, or along the scenic coastal road known as the Marginal. Around town, the municipal MobiCascais network includes buses and the biCas shared bikes.

After a day of beaches and museums, Cascais rewards beer lovers too: the town is home to 2 breweries and 2 craft beer bars. Swap the sea breeze for a freshly poured glass and toast the sunset over the Atlantic.