Starting from Lisbon, Cascais is a wonderful destination for a day trip outside the city. Once a fishing village, it has now become a seaside holiday town.
I’ve been in Lisbon for a couple of days, and one thing I understood right away: if you want to move around easily and perhaps visit some important attractions, you need to start your day early in the morning. Around 11:00 AM, hordes of tourists start arriving, creating long queues at monument ticket offices, and you can be sure that despite your efforts to avoid them, some Japanese tourist will end up in your photos.
I leave home at 8:15 AM and head to Cais de Sodré station, where I’ll catch the train to Cascais. The city is slowly waking up, there’s little traffic around.
In Cascais, there are several attractions and museums, apparently with free admission. Note that most are closed on Mondays and holidays. I’ll skip them as I want to walk and enjoy the outdoors.
Leaving Cascais station, I walk through the town center until I reach the main beach in front of the town hall, Praia da Ribeira. It was once Queen Dona Amelia’s private beach.
For those interested, you can take the free BICAS bikes and ride to Guincho beach, one of Portugal’s most spectacular beaches. Thanks to its magnificent waves, it’s also very popular among surfers. You can reach it by cycling about 8 km along the beautiful bike path next to the Atlantic coastal road.
I don’t take a bike, but I follow the path next to the imposing Cascais fortress (Fortaleza da Cidadela) until I reach the marina. From there, I continue to the Santa Marta lighthouse, then take the Atlantic coastal road that leads me to Boca do Inferno, a collapsed cave where the huge Atlantic Ocean waves have eroded the rock.
It’s noon, after seeing the cave I walk towards the town center and end up eating at MyAtlanticRestaurant, above Praia da Rainha.
A Brazilian street musician entertains during lunch, singing songs in English, Italian, French, and Russian… impressive repertoire and great entertainer!
After lunch, I move to the beach next door, Praia da Conceição, where I treat myself to a couple of hours of relaxation in the sun. The temperature is around 20°C and people are swimming, not bad for February 20th.
Check out the other articles on Lisbon.
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