Cascais is a small resort town about 20 miles (30 kilometers) west of Lisbon on the Atlantic coast. It’s a vacation destination on its own, and a popular day trip option from Lisbon. We considered staying in Cascais overnight, but ultimately opted for a day trip because the town is nearby and quite small.
To reach Cascais from our Airbnb in Lisbon we had a 25 minute ride on the green line metro from Roma to Cais do Sodre, followed by a 45 minute ride on the commuter train to the Cascais station. The train to Cascais runs three times per hour for most of the day (:00, :20, and :40). The cost of the trip is included in our monthly metropolitan pass on Navegante.
That’s another reason for us not to spend the night in Cascais. We can go whenever we want at no additional cost.
We arrived in Cascais at about 1:45 PM. The train station in Cascais is essentially in the center of town, so you literally arrive right were you want to start your visit. Though the temperatures in Cascais are typically cooler than Lisbon (probably from the persistent ocean breeze), it was still a warm day for us, about 80° F (27° C).
Cascais is a really beautiful small town that has transformed its center into tourist central – hotels, shops, and restaurants. It is touristy in a way that you would expect a resort town to be. Nice, not tacky. Along the coast are a few small beaches, marinas, a fortress, lighthouse, and nature park.
We decided to walk along the coast, see the sights, and the return through the city. We had no idea how long we would be in Cascais, and had planned to stay until dark if necessary.
After about three hours we were ready to go. It is a really small town.
First, we stopped at a couple of overlooks at a small beach. The beach was pretty crowded. We did not bother walking on the sand.
We walked through town until arriving at the fortress. The interior courtyard of the fortress is now transformed into an art space with large sculptures, galleries, shops, restaurants, and a hotel. It was a short walk in and look around for us. Not shopping saves us a lot of time.
Our journey continued along the coast, walking past the lighthouse and a park until we reached Boca do Inferno (the Devil’s Mouth), a popular ocean viewpoint of a natural arch, surrounded by souvenir stores and cafés. There are nice views of the cliffs from the observation deck, but the best views of the arch are from a spot looking over a short wall behind a tourist store.
Since we were getting pretty hot by this time, as there is zero shade along the coastline, we walked back to Museu Condes de Castro Guimarães and headed inside. For €5 each we got to walk through a small palace built over 100 years ago and get out of the sun for half an hour.
Having cooled off sufficiently, it was back outside for a walk through town. There are numerous narrow streets and alleys with small houses that are a joy to walk among. After that it was back through the crowded tourist district to get back to the train station.
Because there was no compelling reason to stay for dinner, we hopped on the 4:40 PM train, were back in Lisbon by 5:30 PM, and at our Airbnb by 6:00 PM.
All in all an enjoyable way to spend an afternoon.
Garrett and Stephanie
For additional posts about Portugal, or elsewhere in the world, check out our Travel Blog. It contains collected links to all of our travel posts.
Want to subscribe (or unsubscribe) for email notification of new blog posts? It is only two to three emails a month. Send your name and email address to slowtravelchronicles@gmail.com, and note subscribe (or unsubscribe) in the subject line. All email addresses will be kept confidential and not sold to any third-party. You won’t get any marketing junk or sales pitches from us.