Cascais
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Overview
Cascais (kush-kaish) has rocketed from sleepy fishing village to much-loved summertime playground of wave-frolicking lisboêtas since King Luís I went for a dip in 1870. Its trio of golden bays attracts sun-worshipping holidaymakers, who come to splash in the ice-cold Atlantic. Don’t expect to get much sand to yourself at the weekend, though.
Attractions
Must-see attractions
Cascais
The long, wild Praia do Guincho is a surfer's and windsurfer's paradise (the site of previous World Surfing Championships) with massive crashing rollers…
Museu Condes de Castro Guimarães
Cascais
This whimsical early-19th-century mansion, complete with castle turrets and Arabic cloister, sits in the grounds of the Parque Marechal Carmona.
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Palácio da Cidadela de Cascais
Cascais
Commissioned as a summer palace in 1870 by King Dom Luís I, this captivating museum remains the official residence of visiting heads of state in Portugal…
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Cascais
Built in 2013, this nature interpretation centre was built to educate (and protect) the fragile flora and fauna of the coastal dune system around Guincho…
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Cascais
This wild park provides a shady retreat from the seaside crowds, with a duck pond, birch and pine trees, palms and eucalyptus, rose gardens and flowering…
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Igreja de Nossa Senhora da Assunção
Cascais
Weave through the back alleys west of the câmara municipal to the palm-fringed square that is home to the whitewashed Igreja de Nossa Senhora da Assunção,…
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Cascais
The citadel is where the royal family used to spend the summer. Today it houses a luxury hotel – the Pestana Cidadela Cascais – a courtyard restaurant,…
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Cascais
This museum showcases the disturbing, highly evocative paintings of Portugal’s finest postwar artists. Biannually changing exhibits span Rego’s career,…
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