Cascais, the good times for 365 days a year
The beautiful beaches of Cascais and surroundings
It is the seaside station aspect that attracts the most visitors today.
Indeed, Cascais has beautiful beaches that are often very different from each other, which allows you to vary your pleasures and adapt your leisure time.
On that of Guincho more in north and facing the ocean, beaten by the winds it is the paradise of the surfers and the amateurs of kites. The wild coast is of great beauty and makes one look towards another wonder, Sintra.
In the centre, in front of the town hall of Cascais, the beach looks like an exotic Trouville.
The beach of the duchess (praia da Duquesa) is not far from the elegant Hotel Albatroz, which was owned by the Count of Almeida, whose family made the pretty beach famous.
Further east, a series of small beaches along the paredão, a cemented seaside promenade. There is the Moita beach, and its famous Azimut, a concession restaurant. Then towards Estoril, going up again, we find Tamariz also very famous.
Finally, on the way to Lisbon, the beaches are getting bigger. Up to the immense sand strip of Carcavelos. www.lisbonne-affinités.com recommends you the article dedicated to it.
Architecture and sea: Cascais a paradise
In Cascais itself, the architecture blends well with the beach and the ocean. This is the case with Santa Marta. It is protected by a cove and was once the private beach of the Palacio del Conte de Castro Guimarães, now a museum.
On the other side- by a pretty stone bridge over the cove-is the Casa de Santa Maria, which is next to the Cascais lighthouse, also a museum.
The mansion of Santa Maria was built in 1902 by one of the most famous architects in Portugal, Raul Lino. The building was bought by the billionaire Espirito Santo family. Many royal heads have been received there: Duchess Charlotte of Luxembourg, King Humberto of Italy, the Tales of Barcelona, the Dukes of Windsor.
First bought by the city of Cascais in 2004, Casa Santa Maria became a museum. It is also a wedding venue.
Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)
A lighthouse, sentinel of the Tagus on the land side.
The Santa Marta lighthouse has a modest appearance. However, its role is important, that of watchman at the entrance to the Tagus.
A very contemporary building was added to it thanks to the talents of the architects Francisco and Manuel Aires de Mateus. Due to this intervention, all in all, the lighthouse has become a museum that allows us to better know the history of Cascais.
Climbing to the tower offers a magnificent view of the ocean, the Tagus, the city and the marina.
Resort town with many pleasures
Cascais doesn’t wear out in a day. Marina, bicycle paths, old town, fortress, museums… Going to Cascais means coming back.
Suggestions for a better appreciation:
Where to sleep
Hotel Albatroz:
A delicious hotel set in a palace that served as a summer residence for crowned heads: the Palais Duque de Loulé. Transformed into an inn in 1963, it has since been expanded and consists of three buildings. It has a pretty swimming pool of small dimensions but overlooking the sea .
It also has direct access to a small beach below.
The 45 rooms and the 6 suites have been refurbished in 2019, in a revisited classical style. Elegant, but not too fancy, they have terraces overlooking the sea.
Albatroz, the name of the restaurant too, also overlooks the beach. The chef is Frédéric Breitenbucher, a Michelin-starred chef from Strasbourg. He favours fish and shellfish and offers a refined gastronomy.
The Albatroz is a 5 *.
Where to eat.
La Contessa
Cascais has updated the “Rua Amarela”, the Yellow Street. In reality, 3 streets that have become pedestrian to allow the restaurant owners to invest the passage. Customers can thus enjoy the good air of Cascais.
www.lisbonne-affinités.com recommends La Contessa. It is more of an “on-the-go”, in fact a small restaurant based on salads and carpaccio. Friendly, simple, but neat La Contessa is a nice compromise between the traditional or original restaurant – the yellow street is made for it – and the snack bar.
La Contessa , the countess, in homage to a countess who used to frequent Cascais of course.
Where to have a drink
- Lusophonica:
The Lusophonica is a bar that offers Dj sets in the evening, and is also a radio.
This bar is located in the courtyard of access to the lighthouse, just after the bridge over the cove of Santa Marta.
An interesting concept and a quiet and discreet place during the day. Salads, snacks, copious tostas mistas. A few tables at the foot of the lighthouse. A relaxing moment reserved for consumers. A partnership between the Cascais lighthouse, the town hall and radio Lusophonica.
https://www.facebook.com/lusophonica/
- Azimut
The Azimut is the bar-restaurant of the Moitas and Rata beaches. And here you can enjoy seafood and typical Portuguese dishes. But it is also a snack bar since L’Azimut is a beach bar.
It is associated with the glacier Santini link.
One of the great advantages, in addition to the rental of umbrellas and deckchairs in the square (concession), access can be done on foot from the Monte Estoril station. It is closer than Cascais, terminal station of the railway line from Cais do Sodré to Lisbon.
For more information
The tourism site
https://www.visitcascais.com/pt
The site of the town hall
The link to visit the lighthouse
https://www.cascais.pt/evento/visitas-ao-farol-museu-de-santa-marta
