Cascais Tourist Guide

Cascais is the premier resort town of the Lisbon coastline which has responsibly developed around a beautiful traditional town centre. Cascais is the perfect holiday destination for those tourists who want more than just a beach and good weather - Cascais provides immaculate parks, free museums, restored stately homes and Lisbon is only a short train ride away.

The coastline surrounding Cascis has a variety of beachesable to cater for all styles of visitors. These beaches range from family orientated beaches with calm, clean bathing waters and soft golden sands, through to wild and rugged surfing beaches. All of these beaches are within a short distance of Cascais and are connected via the inexpensive public transport network.

Unlike many other Mediterranean beach resorts, which suddenly sprung up with the advent of mass tourism, Cascais has been an established holiday destination since the early 19th century when King of Portugal discovered Cascais as a summer retreat. With the king of Portugal spending his summers in Cascais the high society of Portugal flocked to follow him and built equally grand residences, fine parks and lavish entertainment venues. This gave rise to Cascais’ popular nickname “the town of kings and fishes” and this trend of high society has continued through to the present day with many of Lisbon’s rich and famous living close to the town.

Cascais’ local government has smartly channelled this tourist revenue into enhancing the resort; all museums and stately homes are free and the parks are wonderfully maintained. Cascais is a resort that combines class, history with wonderful beaches and is a fantastic destination for a holiday and this great reputation was confirmed by the Lonely Planet travel guides.

Cascais is close to Lisbon, connected by an inexpensive and regular train service that takes only 20 minutes to reach the centre of the Portuguese capital. While to the north is the stunning town of Sintra, with the three palaces hidden among the Serra de Sintra pine covered hills. The region is famed for the championship grade golf course all of which are only a short drive from Cascais. Cascais has numerous small museums and stately homes which can easily fill a day for those visors who tire of the glorious beaches.

 In the town there are traditional authentic Portuguese restaurants with a smattering of more exotic cuisines but the whole area retains the atmosphere of class and maturity. Cascais is not a resort for groups looking for cheep drink; it is firmly aimed at couples (of all ages) and young families. Let us here at Cascais-Portugal.com help you plan your holiday to the fantastic resort town of Cascais.