Cascais, one of the most popular places of Portugal, is a summer destination 30 kilometres away from the capital, Lisbon. The history of the city, which was a small fishing village centuries ago, dates back to the Andalusian period. The city, ruled under the auspices of the Portugueses in 1153 right after the Arab sovereignty, has also been the first place in the country in which the lighthouse was constructed in 1537. Whereas the city is a favourite haunt for the jet sets of the world at present, the city was known as the summer destination of the King of the Portugal along with the aristocratic families and noblemen in the past.
Cascais is also world-famous for its chalk-white sandy beaches. You can enjoy the beach on the Atlantic Ocean shores facing Africa. Moreover, it has a good reputation for the windsurfing and hosts many professional surfing champions. In front of the small castle in the city, there is “Cascais Marina”, with its facilities such as restaurants and bars, and also with the various luxurious mage yachts lying at anchor. The city welcomes many wealthy tourists from all around the world, in particular the Portugeses during summer.
“Rua Frederico Arouca”, the area from the Cascais train station to the fish market, is an ideal place to start discovering the city. The city has an aristocrat appearance with its restaurants, bars, famous brands’ shops, centuries-old buildings and wave-shaped streets. Cascais is also a source of inspiration to the famous movie, James Bond and comes to mind with the movie “Casino Royal” shot in Estoril, 3 kilometres away to Cascais.
With a whuthering sound, ‘Boca do Inferno’ is cave formed by the erosion of the rocks by the sea and is indeed a very interesting place to visit in Cascais. It is located 2.5 kilometers away from the city. Moreover, there are some other must-see activities such as Lisbon Marathon and Cool Jazz Festival in Cascais, which is also known as a festival city.
The main airport of the central Portugal is Lisbon Airport, located 35 km east of Cascais. It is possible to go to Cascais from Lisbon Airport by low-cost and safe public transportation network.