Cascais

Cascais, Portugal is a town on the Atlantic Ocean about 30 kilometers west of Lisbon. It is a cosmopolitan suburb of the Portuguese capital, and one of the richest municipality in Portugal. The former fishing village gained fame as a resort for Portugal's royal family in the late 1800's and early 1900's. Given Portugal's neutrality in World War II and the town's elegance and royal past, Cascais became home to many of the exiled royal families of Europe, among which were the Spanish and Italian royal families.

Today there is a large yacht harbour and several small sand beaches in and around town. Cascais is easily reached from Lisbon by automobile or by frequent inexpensive commuter trains. Cascais has the ruins of a castle, an art and sea museum, which may be visited along with some parks and the charming cobbled streets of the historic centre. The town has many hotels and tourist apartments and also many good restaurants of varying cost. It is a fine base to use for those visiting Lisbon and its environs who prefer to stay outside of the city yet in an equally urban and sophisticated environment.

Cascais is surrounded by excellent beaches to the west, and the lush Sintra mountains to the north. It is also becoming a fantastic golf destination with over 10 golf courses nearby.