Our Guide to Cascais, Star of the Portuguese Riviera
Cascais is bustling, sun-kissed resort town a 40-minute train ride from the Portuguese capital of Lisbon, but feels like another world. Rich in royal history, luxurious hotels, phenomenal seafood restaurants and natural delights, this is our guide to three fabulous days of the Portuguese Riviera - an extract from our Lisbon Guide.
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Photographs by Liz Schaffer & Words by Sarah Kelleher
The Hotel
All Atlantic getaways need an exceptional hotel base, and when it comes to style, warmth and gorgeous decor Artsy Cascais - which overlooks the fortress-turned-royal-residence Cidadela de Cascais - doesn’t disappoint. A portmanteau of ‘art’ and ‘history’, the hotel’s name references its creative flair and previous life as the residence of a friend of Dom Carlos I (Portugal’s king from 1863 to 1908). The former is very much in evidence throughout, with warmly minimalist interiors combined with an external Vhils-designed, roof-to-ground mural that casts dappled shadows through latticed concrete. Enjoy an appetising start to the day over breakfast in Artsy’s mirrored dining room before venturing out to sample Cascais’ equally delightful attractions.
Art & Food
Start your wandering at Cidadela de Cascais where the trappings of latter-day royalty have been replaced by boutiques selling Portuguese ceramics and two excellent bookshops. A few blocks away you’ll spy the rust-red, pyramid-shaped towers of Casa das Histórias Paula Rego, home to a permanent collection of artist Paula Rego’s works. An amble through Parque Marechal Carmona will bring you to Museu Condes de Castro Guimarães, a stately summer residence dating back to the early 1900s that stands beside Praia de Santa Marta, one of the city’s prettiest swimming spots.
If you’ve worked up an appetite try the deliciously fresh cured amberjack with pickled kohlrabi or red prawn with citrus rice in Bougain Restaurant and Garden Bar’s shaded terrace. Or you could head to trendy Senhor Manuel on pedestrianised Rua Amarela, where I recommend the tangy tuna pica pau. Cantinho do Avillez also brings the best of the sea to their menu, which starred an Asian-inspired tuna tartare and the silkiest of avocado ceviches.
To the Sea
The coastline north of Cascais is just as delicious. A network of coastal paths run above beaches like Praia da Adraga and Praia das Maçãs, which is named for the apples that once fell from nearby orchards and washed up on the beach’s white sand. Accomplished guides from Walk Hike Portugal can take you to the best spots, including a rock face rising from the teal-blue Atlantic that’s lined with dinosaur footprints. For a more leisurely, old world experience, set off in a classic car with Superb Tours. Stunning destinations such as Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point of continental Europe, and Azenhas do Mar, a tiered clifftop village crowned with a glorious ocean pool, look even better when viewed through the window of a vintage Rolls-Royce that originally belonged to England’s Queen Mother.
Lingering Longer
Inland, you’ll find gems like regal Sintra (a mountaintop oasis studded with UNESCO World Heritage Sites), walker-and-family-friendly Pisão Farm (picking your own veggies here is particularly fun) and Cascais FoodLabs, where local chefs will teach you how to make delicacies like peixinhos da horta (tempura-fried green beans) and spicy flambéed prawns.
Before bidding farewell to Cascais, check out the neighbouring town Estoril too, even if it’s just to spend a few nights at the sumptuous Estoril Vintage Hotel. A former family home, this history-packed hideaway seems like a time machine, transporting you back to the Portuguese Riviera at its most glamorous. With an entrance dripping in blue and white tiles, Atlantic views, lashing of gilt and marble and a decadent dinner menu, it’s a hotel that will make you want to extend your Cascais getaway indefinitely.
For more from Portugal, check out our Lisbon Guide, which is also part of our City Guide Bundle.
