Cascais
Former Royal Seaside Resort And Fishing Town On The Estoril Coast, With The Boca Do Inferno Cliffs And Guincho Beach · Cascais, Lisbon
Cascais is a seaside town at the end of the train line west of Lisbon, where the Tagus meets the Atlantic. It began as a fishing village, became the summer resort of the Portuguese royal family in the 1870s, and in the Second World War filled with exiled kings, refugees and, it is said, spies. Today it is one of the most comfortable places on the Lisbon coast: a bay of small beaches, fishing boats still pulled up at the Praia da Ribeira, a pedestrian old town, a marina, a citadel turned into an arts quarter and several good museums, led by the Paula Rego museum. A seafront promenade runs to Estoril and its casino, and west of town the coast road passes the Boca do Inferno chasm to the wild, windy Guincho beach. People come as a day trip from Lisbon by the train along the sea, or stay as a calmer base. The honest caveat: it is polished and pricey, the town beaches are small and packed on summer weekends, the water is cold, and Guincho's currents are dangerous.
Cascais old town, bay and marina at the end of the Linha de Cascais railway, about 30 km west of Lisbon, Cascais, Lisbon, Portugal
The town, the bay, the promenade and the beaches are open all year and free. Museums keep daytime hours and many close on Mondays - confirm each. CP urban trains run from Cais do Sodre in Lisbon to Cascais roughly every 15-30 minutes from early morning to late at night, taking about 35-40 minutes along the sea; pay with the rechargeable Navegante / Viva Viagem card (confirm fares). Nothing needs booking, but hotels fill on summer weekends and a municipal tourist tax is charged per night - confirm the amount.