Cascais, Portugal: How to Spend a Weekend Away Here
The charming coastal town of Portugal You’ve never heard of. Cascais.
Portugal is such a beautiful country, with magic in every town you stop in. It is steeped in history, from its hand hewn cobblestone walkways to its rooftops and wrought iron terraces. Most people know the major hotspots such as Lisbon, Porto and the Algarve region but there are so many more places that are must see destinations when you finally go.
Top of that list, at least for us, is the town of Cascais.
Cascais is located west of Lisbon and easily accessible by the local metro or a Bolt ride for about 30 min. We recommend the metro because it is much more fun, the views are better and you get dropped in the heart of town. Bolts are great, but only really necessary when you need to go further out of town or are on a timeline that local rail systems can’t meet.
Cascais is a picturesque seaside town that has charming homes, sights and attractions for almost anyone, a marina for those who are maritime inclined and a village square that just evokes European movie romance.
If you play the right song and catch it just right, you could almost swear that Humphrey Bogart would call this place home.
IYKYK 😆
Right in the center of town, overlooking the harbor is a beautiful church that provides services multiple times a day and a morning service for the fishermen that still go out for the daily catch. Right next to it is a Ferris wheel 🎡 for all ages, giving you access to birds eye views of town and the lush landscape that surrounds it.
Walking in from the harbor, you traverse beautiful mosaic style cobblestone walkways that lead you into the heart of town for dining, shopping and more.
If you are feeling adventurous, we recommend walking a short distance uphill to the slightly older part of town and experience some of the tucked away small restaurants that serve up daily specials, fresh fish and traditional Portuguese cuisine.
During the daytime, a walk through the lush valleys and small hills that Cascais is built upon is a must do. Just this one simple walk alone will reveal how much history is there at your fingertips.
If you let your mind and imagination wander, you can picture people settling the hillsides, planting crops and harvesting grapes on terraced hillsides with little to no effort. It will feel like you have stepped back in time.
When we came here, we fell immediately in love with Cascais. The people were so friendly, the food is amazing, and there is no lack of things to do especially if you like being on foot like we do. We stayed in a beautiful hotel that was built into an old fort that was part of Portugals coastal defense systems from the 1500’s. This is part of an ongoing history reclamation project put on by the government and we have to say it was definitely one of the highlights for us during our stay in Cascais.
Read more about Porugal’s Revive Program here!
It goes without saying that I could continue to go on and on about things to do here and the things you should eat and drink. I’ll just say that if Cascais isn’t on your short list of places to go in Portugal, I hope it is now. The people, the sights, the climate, and the overall vibe really make this place one of those small towns that you will never forget and always want to come back to.
Be sure to follow along on @mountains2seas for more pictures and tales of Portugal. This country truly captured our hearts and we can’t wait to get back there and see more. Thank you so much for being here and reading, we appreciate you. Stay tuned for next week’s blog, because we will be jumping back across the Atlantic but to somewhere we haven’t shared yet, so be sure to read it here first!
See you out there!
Cheers!
