Cascais-Portugal.com

The best independent guide to Cascais

Cascais-Portugal.com

The best independent guide to Cascais

Lisbon to Cascais, and Lisbon airport to Cascais

Cascais is a charming and traditional fishing town, which is situated on a coastline of beautiful sandy beaches. Cascais is the most popular holiday destination of the Lisbon region, and is also an enjoyable day trip from Lisbon, offering grand 19th-century villas, fascinating museums and an abundance of Portuguese charm.

Cascais is 30km to the west of Lisbon, and is connected to the capital by the “Linha de Cascais” urban railway. This railway provides a direct and regular train service, making it very convenient to visit Cascais or Lisbon as a day trip.

This article will detail how to travel from Lisbon to Cascais, and includes station information, 2024 fares and links to relevant timetables. The second part of the guide will explain how to travel from Lisbon airport to Cascais.
Related articles: Introduction to Cascais - Day trip to Cascais

 

 

Why not drive or catch the bus to Cascais?

The recommended means of travelling from Lisbon to Cascais is by train. There are bus services, but they tend to take longer than the train, and the main bus station is not as conveniently located as Cais do Sodre train station. It is not advisable to drive to Cascais as there is very limited car parking, and during the summer it can be very difficult to find a parking space.

Linha de Cascais; the Lisbon to Cascais train

The Linha de Cascais is an urban railway that extends along the northern side of the Tejo Estuary. In Lisbon, the train departs from the Cais do Sodre train station and at the western end, terminates at Cascais station , which is centrally located in the town. The railway is operated by Comboios de Portugal (CP), the national train company of Portugal.

Cais do Sodre train station is to the west of central Lisbon, and is the final station on the green metro line. Cais do Sodre station is within walking distance of the main tourist districts of Baixa and Alfama, and this pleasant route follows the Avenida Ribeira das Naus along the waterfront.
Insight: Some of the region’s finest beaches are found between Lisbon and Cascais, and the Linha de Cascais is the recommended means of travel to them.
Related articles: Cascais beach guide

 

 

Fares for the Linha de Cascais

A single ticket from Lisbon to Cascais requires a four-zone fare and costs €2.40/€1.20 (adult/child). There are no return tickets, so the price of a return is €4.80/€2.40 (adult/child); the price of two single tickets. The train fare is charged to the “Navegante” card, which is the reusable public transport ticket for all of Lisbon. The initial purchase of the Navegante card is €0.50.

There is a range of other train tickets, but few make any appreciable savings, these tickets include:
• 24-hour unlimited use of all urban train service for €6.50
• 72-hour unlimited use of all urban train service for €14.00
• 24-hour unlimited use of all urban trains, Lisbon metro and buses for €10.60
The third ticket is useful if you are on holiday in Cascais and are planning a day trip to Lisbon. All of the fares are summarised on the CP website:
www.cp.pt/StaticFiles/Passageiros/1_horarios/precos/lx/lisbon-urban-trains-price-zones.pdf

(Note: the link opens a new window and is a PDF file, so may download on certain browsers)

In Cais do Sodre, tickets can be purchased from the ticket office, which frequently has long queues, or from ticket machines. These ticket machines have instructions in English (and most major European languages) and are relatively straightforward to use. Cais do Sodre is a busy train station so always use sensible precautions so as not to attract pickpockets and other opportunistic thieves.
Warning: Cais do Sodre is a busy train station so always use sensible precautions so as not to attract pickpockets and other opportunistic thieves.

The Linha de Cascais timetable and travel information

The train journey from Lisbon to Cascais either takes 33 or 40 minutes depending on the service, and at peak times there is a departure every 20 minutes. At the weekends the train services are slower, as they stop at every station along the line. The last trains of the night depart from both Cascais and Cais do Sodre (Lisbon) at 0:30am, 1:00am and 1:30am. For the full timetable can be seen on the CP website:
www.cp.pt/StaticFiles/timetables/lisbon-cascais-urban-trains.pdf
(Note: the above link opens and is a PDF so may download on mobile phones)

The Linha de Cascais is an urban train service, therefore train tickets cannot pre-booked. There is no need to pre-book as there are always seats available and there is sufficient space for luggage. Tickets must be purchased before boarding the train and there are barriers between the station concourse and the platforms.

Info: The train route follows the Lisbon coastline and provides some great views over the sea, for the best views sit on the left side of the carriage when departing from Lisbon or right side when leaving Cascais.
Warning: There have been reports of petty crime occurring late at night on this train line, if travelling late always sit in the busiest carriage and away from dodgy looking people. The train route is perfectly safe during the day.

Lisbon airport to Cascais

Lisbon airport is 36km from Cascais. This fare will be around €80 for a taxi hired from the arrival’s building, €60 for a pre-booked transfer and slightly less for Uber. The route by public transport can cost as little as €4.25 per person and, with good connections, takes 85 minutes.

Lisbon airport to Cascais by public transport

There are three stages to travel from Lisbon airport to your accommodation in Cascais, they are:
• Lisbon airport to Cais do Sodre train station (metro, taxi or bus)
• Cais do Sodre train station to Cascais station (train)
• Cascais station to your accommodation (walk or taxi)
Travelling between Lisbon and Cascais was discussed in the first section of this article, and the following section details the options for travel from the airport to Cais do Sodre train station.

Lisbon airport to Cais do Sodre train station

Lisbon airport is to the north of the city and only 7.5km from the Cais do Sodre train station. There are three options to travel from the airport to Cais do Sodre train station; a taxi, the metro or Uber.

A taxi is the fastest method to travel to the train station, and is the best option if you are a group of three or more, or are travelling with children. The fare will be between €10-15 depending on traffic. The basic Lisbon taxi fare is €0.47 per km and €0.25 per minute waiting (stuck in traffic!), this increases by 20% at night (9pm-6am). There is an additional charge of €1.60 for luggage, and larger taxis (seven-seaters) are 20% more expensive for all fares. All of the fares are clearly displayed on the taxi window.
Related articles: Lisbon taxi guide

Lisbon metro is clean, safe and the option chosen by most visitors, when heading from Lisbon airport. The airport is connected to the red metro line, while Cais do Sodre station is the final stop on the green line. A connection is required at Alameda , and it is only a short walk (200m) between platforms, and it is well signed. A single metro ticket costs €1.80 and is charged to the “Navegante” card (€0.50 for the initial purchase). The Navegante card is the same card used to store to the Linha de Cascais train ticket.

In Cais do Sodre station, the metro platforms are on the lowest level and the train station is on the ground floor, three floors up. There are ample lifts and escalators connecting all levels, and there is clear signage.
Related articles: Lisbon metro guide

At Cascais train station, there is a taxi rank for further onward travel, if your hotel is not within walking distance.

Our most popular guide for Cascais and Lisbon

A complete list of all of our Portugal guides in 2024

Cascais-Portugal.com, Sintra-Portugal.com and Lisbon-Portugal-Guide.com with over 800 pages,
if its not here it's probably not in Cascais, Estoril or the Lisbon coastline!