"Delightful Fishing Village On The... " a Cascais Travel Page by Mikebb

Our visit to Portugal was to join a coach tour of Portugal, Morocco and Spain commencing from Lisbon mid September, 2008. This would be half way through our 7 week holiday and I thought it would be a good idea to rest up for the week prior to the tour.

By luck I was able to arrange a time share exchange into a resort in the small seaside town of Cascais located 30 km from Lisbon. Not only did we obtain excellent accommodation but the old fishing village of Cascais was full of old world charm, a beautiful fishing harbour with many of the fisherman still using the age old boats and nets. The town was a favourite holiday place for wealthy Europeans during the 19th and 20th century and some of the mansions have been retained in original condition, being open as museums for the general public.

The rugged Atlantic coastline provided a beautiful backdrop for coastal walks and photographic opportunities. The weather was magnificent with the maximum temperature being around 24C, warm enough to allow you to walk or enjoy a round of golf without getting overly warm. The evenings were warm and ideal for alfresco dining at the multitude of restaurants and cafes.

My original plan was to hire a car during the middle of the week and drive north to Porto or other towns for an overnight stay. However we were enjoying ourselves so much we decided to remain in Cascais and visit the surrounding attractions of Sintra, Estoril and Lisbon using the efficient public transport.

One day we visited Lisbon, only 40 minutes by train, another day to Sintra by local bus. Estoril and its Casino and beautiful beach was only 2 stops on the train. For those interested in Religion there were half day tours to Fatima.

A most popular activity was a round of golf and each morning you would see the transit vans at the hotel entrance collecting the golfers. An expensive day if you select the wrong course.