Cascais travel guide
Royal-era beaches, the Cidadela and Guincho's Atlantic surf
Cascais is a former royal resort at the end of the coastal train line from Lisbon, with town beaches, a marina and a wild surf coast to the west. May to October is beach season, with June and September the sweet spots. A day trip works, but a night or two lets you cycle to Guincho and see Sintra. Costs are moderate.
Cascais is the last stop on the coastal railway west of Lisbon, a former fishing town around a sandy bay guarded by the Cidadela fort. It is the easiest seaside escape from the capital, with small town beaches, a marina, a few good museums and, just beyond town, a wild Atlantic shore of cliffs and surf.
Royal patronage made the town. From the 1870s King Luís I and his court spent every September here, and aristocrats built villas along the shore. Exiled royalty followed in the 20th century, among them Umberto II of Italy and the future Juan Carlos of Spain, and the casino in neighbouring Estoril gave Ian Fleming the idea for Casino Royale.
Most sights are a short walk from the station. The Museu do Mar tells the story of the local fishing fleet, the Casa das Histórias shows the work of painter Paula Rego in a building with two red pyramid towers, and the Condes de Castro Guimarães museum, a turreted seaside mansion, holds a library of more than 25,000 books. Parque Marechal Carmona around it is a shady break from the beach.
West of the marina a cycle lane and footpath follow the shore all the way to Guincho. The first stop is Boca do Inferno, where swells boom into a collapsed cave and throw up spray on rough days (Aleister Crowley staged his own death here in 1930). Guincho itself is a long, exposed beach whose rollers draw windsurfers from across Europe. Expect a headwind on the last stretch in summer and an easy ride home.
Good, fairly priced food takes some hunting in the centre, where tourist menus dominate. Skip the international restaurants on the main streets and walk up into the residential lanes, or along the coast to a grill with fresh fish and a sea view. Bacalhau, sea bass and squid are the local staples.
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Town beaches, seafront walks, museums and a wild surf coast.
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Best time to visit Cascais
Month by month, so you can pick the weather and the crowds you want.
Warm, sunny days with room to spare on the beaches.
Hot and busy; the town coves fill up, especially at weekends.
Mild and quiet, good for coastal walks and big surf at Guincho.
Summer weekends bring half of Lisbon to the town beaches; come on a weekday, or cycle out to Guincho, where there is more room.
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Getting there
Coast train from Cais do Sodré
Take the CP train from Lisbon's Cais do Sodré; it runs along the Tagus and the Atlantic shore through Carcavelos and Estoril, reaching Cascais in about 40 minutes with several departures an hour. From Lisbon airport, 35 km away, ride the metro to Cais do Sodré first, or take a taxi on the A5 in roughly half an hour.
- Train
- Cais do Sodré to Cascais in about 40 minutes, several departures an hour
- From Lisbon airport
- Metro to Cais do Sodré, then the train; or a taxi in roughly half an hour
- By car
- A5 motorway, or the slower Marginal (N6) beside the sea
- Tires aerodrome
- Cascais's small municipal airfield, with occasional regional flights within Portugal; check current routes
- On hot summer weekends the trains from Lisbon are packed by mid-morning; travel early or come midweek.
- Buses cross the hills between Sintra and Cascais by way of Cabo da Roca, so the two towns fit into one loop.
- The station is a short walk from the bay.
- Drivers with time can follow the Marginal (N6) along the sea.
Where to stay
Old town by the bay, Estoril's seafront or the Guincho dunes
Stay in the old centre if you arrive by train without a car; the station, beach, marina and restaurants are all on foot. Estoril, one stop towards Lisbon, is calmer, and Guincho has a handful of hotels among the dunes. Rooms facing the coast road hear traffic until late in summer.
- Old centre
- Station, fishermen's beach, marina and restaurants all on foot, the best first-timer base; crowded on summer weekends and short of parking
- Monte Estoril
- Hillside villas and guesthouses between the two towns, with sea views and the promenade below; a steep walk back up after dinner
- Estoril
- Longer beaches, the casino and quieter evenings, good for families and older travellers; fewer places to eat late
- Guincho
- Isolated hotels by the dunes and the surf beach, suited to surfers and anyone who wants wild coast; you need a car, a bike or the local bus to reach town
Getting around
On foot, by bike and along the shore
Walk the old centre, where the station, the Cidadela and the marina are within ten minutes. For longer trips, cycle west on the coast lane to Guincho, walk the flat seafront promenade east to Estoril in about 40 minutes, or hop between beach villages on the coast train. Local buses reach Guincho, Cabo da Roca and Sintra.
- Cycle lane
- From beyond the marina along the sea to Guincho
- Seafront promenade
- Cascais to Estoril, flat and car-free, about 40 minutes on foot
- Coast train
- Short hops to Estoril, São João do Estoril and Carcavelos
- Local buses
- Out to Guincho, Cabo da Roca and over the hills to Sintra
- Bring a windproof layer for Guincho and Boca do Inferno even on a sunny day.
- Parking in the centre is scarce in summer; leave the car at your hotel and walk.
Know before you go
What makes Cascais worth the trip, and what catches visitors out.
Why travelers love it
- Boca do Inferno on a rough day, when the sea booms through the rocks.
- Cycling to Guincho along the shore, with a tailwind all the way home.
- Casa das Histórias Paula Rego, for the paintings and the red pyramid towers.
- The promenade to Estoril at sunset, past the small sandy coves.
- Open-air concerts in Parque Palmela, when one is on.
Good to know
- The Atlantic is cold even in August.
- Guincho's wind and currents make it a surfing beach; swimming there is risky.
- Prices are high by Portuguese standards, so eat away from the main streets.
Trip fit
BookingMentor editorial ratings out of 5, based on a first-time visitor's experience.
Weather in Cascais, month by month
These averages come from Monte Estoril, between Cascais and Estoril. July is close to rainless, about 2 mm, with highs near 26°C; January is the wettest month at roughly 97 mm.
Climate figures are approximate long-term averages for Monte Estoril (Instituto Português do Mar e da Atmosfera, via Wikipedia).
Fishermen's beach to the Estoril promenade in a single outing
Take the train from Cais do Sodré and sit on the left-hand side for the sea. From Cascais station, walk down through the old centre to the fishermen's beach and the marina, then on to the Cidadela. Spend the late morning at the Casa das Histórias Paula Rego or the Castro Guimarães museum in its seaside park.
Eat lunch in the residential streets uphill, where prices drop and the cooking is more local, then follow the coast road west to Boca do Inferno. Back in town, swim at one of the small coves if the sea is calm, and walk the promenade east to Estoril as the sun goes down.
Stay for dinner if you can. The last trains back to Cais do Sodré run into the night, so there is no need to rush a fish supper in the residential streets above the bay.
Riding the seaside lane past Boca do Inferno to Guincho
Cycle to Guincho for the best half-day from Cascais. A shared cycle and walking lane starts on Avenida Rei Humberto II de Itália beyond the marina and follows the sea past Boca do Inferno to the broad dune beach. In summer the north-westerly wind makes the last 3 km hard work, with a tailwind back.
The best half-day out from Cascais is the ride to Guincho. A cycle lane, shared with walkers, starts on Avenida Rei Humberto II de Itália beyond the marina and follows the sea the whole way, passing Boca do Inferno, where waves boom into a collapsed cave on rough days, and a long stretch of rocky shore. Guincho is a broad beach backed by dunes and the Sintra hills, and windsurfers travel a long way for its rollers.
In summer the north-westerly wind blows hard, so the last 3 km out can be a slog, but you get a tailwind all the way back. Swimming is a poor idea here, as the currents are strong; watch the surfers instead and eat at one of the seafood restaurants along the coast road. Keen cyclists on their own bikes carry on to Cabo da Roca and over the hills to Sintra, which is not a ride for a rented town bike.
Robalo, Santini sorbets and the uphill tascas
Good value is scarce along the main pedestrian streets, where Indian, Italian and pub menus aim at passing visitors. Walk a few blocks uphill into the residential grid instead, where small Portuguese restaurants post the day's dishes on the door and fill with local office workers at lunch.
Fish is the reason to eat here. Robalo (sea bass), lulas grelhadas (grilled squid) and whatever came off the boats at the fishermen's beach that morning are cooked simply over charcoal. Salt cod has its own repertoire, with bacalhau à brás and bacalhau com natas on most menus. For a long lunch with a view, the restaurants strung along the coast road to Guincho serve seafood platters by the Atlantic, at a price.
Leave room for ice cream. Santini, which opened in Cascais in 1949 and served the exiled European royals who settled along this coast, still draws a queue for its fruit sorbets on summer evenings. Afterwards, walk the promenade towards Estoril as the light goes.
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How we research our Cascais travel guide
Coast-train times, the Guincho cycle lane and beach details were checked with Cascais council and Visit Portugal.
Last updated . Spotted something out of date? Tell us.
Checked against trusted sources:
Official website of CascaisVisit PortugalIPMA, Portuguese weather service
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Quick answers to the questions travelers ask most before visiting Cascais.
Getting there
The left-hand side heading out of Lisbon, which looks over the Tagus estuary and then the Atlantic for most of the 40-minute ride through Estoril.
Red then green metro to Cais do Sodré, then the coast train to the end of the line. A taxi on the A5 takes about half an hour outside rush hour.
Yes. Buses cross the hills by way of Cabo da Roca, which lets you combine the coast, the cape and the palaces in one day before returning to Lisbon by train.
Families & accessibility
The small town coves and the beaches towards Estoril are sheltered on calm days, though the water is cold all year. Guincho has strong wind and currents, so leave it to the surfers.
Parque Palmela has lawns and summer open-air concerts, Parque Marechal Carmona has shady paths around the turreted mansion, and the Museu do Mar shows the boats and nets of the old fishing fleet.
General
One day covers the old town, the museums and the seafront. A night or two gives you time to cycle to Guincho and add Cabo da Roca or Sintra.
June and September, when the sea is warm enough and the sand has room. July and August weekends draw crowds from Lisbon on every train.
A collapsed sea cave just west of town, where waves crash into the rock with a loud boom on rough days. The occultist Aleister Crowley staged his own death there in 1930.
Cascais has the old centre, the station at the end of the line and more restaurants. Estoril is quieter, with longer beaches and the casino, and the seafront promenade links the two in about 40 minutes.
The pedestrian streets near the bay are lined with foreign menus aimed at visitors. A few blocks up, small Portuguese places post daily fish and salt-cod dishes for local workers.
Walk the old centre, where the station, the Cidadela and the marina are within ten minutes. For longer trips, cycle west on the coast lane to Guincho, walk the flat seafront promenade east to Estoril in about 40 minutes, or hop between beach villages on the coast train. Local buses reach Guincho, Cabo da Roca and Sintra.
Timing & weather
The best time to visit Cascais is May to Oct. Warm enough for the beaches and the seafront, with June and September less crowded.
- Best overall: May - June, September - October (Warm, sunny days with room to spare on the beaches)
- Summer: July - August (Hot and busy; the town coves fill up, especially at weekends)
- Winter: November - April (Mild and quiet, good for coastal walks and big surf at Guincho)
July is the warmest month in Cascais, with average highs of 26°C, and January the coolest, with lows of 9°C. January is the wettest month, at about 97 mm of rain; July is the driest. These averages come from Monte Estoril, between Cascais and Estoril.
Visa & documents
Portugal's entry rules are the Schengen area's. Citizens of the EU and of many other countries, including the US, UK, Canada and Australia, can visit visa-free for up to 90 days in any 180-day period; other nationalities need a Schengen visa. The EU's Entry/Exit System (EES) records non-EU travelers' fingerprints and a photo at the border.
Health & safety
Portugal is one of Europe's safest countries, and pickpocketing on Lisbon's tram 28 and in crowded tourist areas such as Baixa is the main risk. Strong Atlantic waves and currents make lifeguarded beaches the safe choice, and wildfires are a summer risk inland. Call 112 for police, fire or ambulance.
