Discover the best free things to do in Cascais and enjoy a cheap and perfect day in town.
Failing that, there are at least two paid bike rental services in the old town.To see the coastline and beaches from a different perspective, you could The curious blowhole in the rocky coastline between Cascais and Guincho is about 2 km from the town centre and therefore walkable, depending on the weather.Be warned, this is a popular stop for tour buses so souvenir stalls and cafés make the most of the passing trade.To see the magnificent force of nature as the waves rush through the cave to swirl and pound against the rocks, follow the walkway along the rocks to the viewing platform.For anyone who enjoys golf, Cascais offers some excellent courses in gorgeous locations. Please check you have entered your email address correctly before continuing. We started our exploration of the Palace and surrounding park at the Casa do Regalo, or the Chalet of the Countess of Edla, is located in the surrounding park of Pena PalaceThis route is not for anyone with mobility issues – it is best to be wearing good footwear as to get to some of the most beautiful lookout points there is some scrambling over rocks and through crevices required!
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There’s a small chapel on the grounds, and the palace backs onto Parque Marechal Carmona.It isn’t easy picking a favourite beach in Cascais, because they all have their strong points.But if your vision of a perfect beach is a sandy cove lapped by crystalline seas then Praia da Rainha is the one for you.It’s also a few strides from Rua Frederico Arouca and so effortlessly close to bars and cafes.The beach is oriented to the east, which explains why there are hardly any currents, and it’s all the more picturesque for the low cliffs and two big limestone outcrops deposited on the sand.Cascais is small and pedestrian-friendly so you could see it all in an hour or so.There’s a posh ambience on these streets, in its boutiques, restaurants and cafes.The squares and sidewalks are paved with calçada portuguesa, mosaics in various patterns.If you don’t mind the tourist trail your evenings out will be centred on Praça 5 de Outubro, which is hemmed by bars and restaurants.But there are other, maybe more authentic bars and restaurants in the quieter more residential corners of the town.Idle along the promenade under palm fronds to the Fortaleza da Nossa Senhora da Luz, one of a line of sea forts built in the 16th century when Portugal was under Spanish control.In summer it’s an official summer residence for the President of Portugal.On the side of Cascais that faces the open ocean the coastline gets rocky, as you head into the Sintra-Cascais Natural Park.Only a short of walk from the marina is the Boca do Inferno (Hell’s Mouth), a chasm in the limestone cliffs.Try to be here where the surf is choppier to see the ocean surging through the hole in the bluffs and hear it echoing up the chamber.Late in the day in summer it’s not unusual to find couples sitting on the promontory beside it and watching the sunset.For some trivia, this cave was the first ever to be recorded on film, as the subject of Henry Short’s 1896 moving picture, A Sea Cave Near Lisbon.All of seven kilometres from Cascais is a wild Atlantic beach in the untouched nature of the Sintra-Cascais Natural Park.Praia do Guicho has an enormous arc of fine white sand, fringed by dunes and with views up to the mountain range to the north.In summer the steady northerly winds and small swells are the ideal ingredients for kite-surfing and windsurfing.In winter the winds blow from the east, for hollow left and right beach breaks that surfers hunt for.If you don’t mind the wind Praia do Guincho is fine for sunbathing in summer, and a dramatic place to walk and watch the surfers in the cooler months.If this park has a stately feel it’s because it is in the grounds of two aristocratic properties: Palácio Condes de Castro Guimarães and land belonging to the Viscount of Gandarinha.Close to the resort’s museums and monuments are lush lawns, flowerbeds, mature trees and lots of water features, from fountains to ponds and the Mochos River.Kids can spot the turtles in the water and feed the roosters, peacocks and ducks that strut around the mini farm.Deckchairs and benches are provided, and there’s a coffee shop with a terrace by the main pond.Passengers catching the train from Lisbon to Cascais can get off a couple of stops early at Estoril and find themselves on this fabulous beach.Like all the beaches on the bay side, Tamariz has only light waves and is further protected by a pier on its eastern fringe.Beside the pier there’s a lido fed by the Atlantic if you feel like taking a dip but don’t want to deal with the currents.Praia do Tamariz was once favoured by aristocrats and industrialists and then the jet set as it’s just a stone’s throw from the casino.Unmistakeable for its red pyramid-like towers, this art museum is dedicated to the Portuguese-British artist Dame Paula Rego.The building is from 2009 and was the work of Pritzker Prize-winner Eduardo Souto de Moura.It hosts temporary exhibitions of Rego’s paintings and graphic art, presented in a refreshingly frank and unpretentious way.Context and clear explanations of each piece are given in Portuguese and English, describing the different phases of her career.The most recent exhibition in 2017 was curated by her son and deals with her early years in London, marriage, motherhood.There’s also a shop, cafe and a garden where you can appreciate this remarkable building.If you want to pootle around and get some sea air you don’t need to stray far from the centre of Cascais.The marina was refurbished at the start of the 2000s to become a venue for major sailing events like a stage of the ISAF Sailing World Championship and the European 49ers.At any other time you can size up the plush yachts, and at the far end of quay you can gaze back at the Cascais waterfront and pick out monuments like the tower of the Palácio Condes de Castro Guimarães.The marina also hosts charter companies and a smattering of bars and restaurants.Rising from the Fort of Santa Marta, the blue and white lighthouse has been guiding ships in and out of the Tagus Estuary since 1868. Try a delicious burger from Ground Burger or gelato from Santini (which is actually from Cascais!) and walked up past the town hall (Câmara Municipal de Cascais) and Praça 5 de Outubro and explored from there.