Cascais walking tour & city guide

The old town and beaches

The historic center is a maze of pedestrian streets paved with traditional black and white mosaic, lined with shops, cafés and restaurants. Small beaches like Praia da Rainha, once reserved for the queen, and Praia da Ribeira sit right in town, next to the fishing harbor.

The Citadel, a 16th-century fortress, has been transformed into a cultural space with a hotel, galleries and artists' studios. The Casa das Histórias Paula Rego, with its distinctive red pyramid towers, is a museum dedicated to the famous Portuguese painter.

Along the coast

A seaside path leads west to Boca do Inferno, the 'Mouth of Hell', a dramatic chasm in the cliffs where waves crash and spray on stormy days. Further on, Guincho Beach is a wild, windswept stretch of sand loved by surfers and kitesurfers, backed by dunes and the Sintra hills.

To the east, a promenade connects Cascais with Estoril, famous for its casino and its role as a refuge for exiled royalty during the Second World War.

Visiting tips

Trains run along the coast from Lisbon's Cais do Sodré station, a scenic ride with sea views. Renting a bike to ride the coastal cycle path to Guincho is a local favorite. Summer weekends are busy with Lisbon residents heading to the beach.