I never wanted to write articles like “What to do”, “Where to eat” and “Where to stay” about the places we visit, because we spend so little time in places that I never think we have enough knowledge to recommend the best. However, however, nevertheless, but…. if we are going to talk about Cascais, our home since 2019, I will venture to recommend about 10 cool places for you.
I've even written an article about our favorite restaurants in the city and you can take a look at it here: Our 10 favorite restaurants in Cascais.
Now I'm going to list 10 of our favorite places – not restaurants – in the most charming village in Portugal that we can happily call home. Let's go? 😉
Historic Center
It's not because I live in Cascais, but I honestly think this town is one of the most beautiful in Portugal. Its historic center with charming streets, restaurants with terraces, a square with a carousel, a beach without waves and colorful flowerbeds with flowers and palm trees is truly charming. There are some pedestrian-only streets that make the place even more special for strolling, especially for families with small, curious and fast children. I hope that one day the center will have more pedestrian-only streets, but at the same time I take advantage of the fact that you can still drive past the Hotel Baía to feast your eyes on its beauty.
Our favorite places in the center are Viscount of Luz Garden – where there is a carousel -, the Dom Carlos I Avenue in front of the Baía do Peixe restaurant and the Yellow Street with its many trendy and delicious restaurants. I love the little houses in the center full of flowers and also how there are few tall buildings there.
Village Market
Still in the center, but a little further away, is the famous Cascais Town Market. This place captivated me in 2016, when I first visited Cascais – read more about our trip in this article – , and that’s when I decided I wanted to live in the village. We went to a beer festival with a wonderful atmosphere, and we wanted to go back to see the many restaurants and snack shops inside.
We came back as soon as we moved and whenever we can, we're there, because there's a restaurant with wonderful acarajé (Dona Ana) and Marisco na Praça, which is a must go for those who like seafood.
The Market is a very well-used space with weekly fairs and fun cultural events that bring the village to life. I recommend it!
Walk on the Seawall or Costa da Guia
If you enjoy walking, I suggest you do it in Wall or in Guia Coast because both have sea views. At Paredão you will be very close to the sea and will pass by some beaches and even an ocean pool, while at the other edge you will be further away, seeing the sea from above. Both are cool, with different proposals and certainly unmissable.
At Paredão, you can walk from Praia da Ribeira de Cascais to Praia da Azarujinha without worrying about cars next to you. It's a good place to take children to ride their bikes, but be careful of cyclists in a hurry and electric scooters too. On the other side of the river, you can also ride your bike, but with cars passing right next to you, you need to be more careful with children.
Duchess Beach
One of the Paredão beaches that we always go to with the kids is Duchess Beach. With easy parking and access, especially if you arrive before 9am, and few waves, we think it's an excellent choice for a calm summer morning. Whenever we want drinks and snacks, we go to Duche Bar, and when we want to stretch out a bit more, we even have lunch there.
There are beaches for all tastes in Cascais and this is one safe choice for us. It usually gets emptier than the Cascais Riverside and the Queen's Beach, but don't be fooled: the sea water will almost always be incredibly cold.
Cascais Marina
Another cool place is Cascais Marina. Recently revitalized, it has become a modern space with many cool restaurants and high-end shops. It is common to see Ferraris and Porsches parked and many yachts wonderful that make us dream every day that we go there. The view from the Santa Marta Lighthouse is very beautiful and having an ice cream there in the late afternoon can be a great plan.
Here we really like going to the restaurant Seafood in the Square (look at him again here) and in Valerio for lunch, and in the QabDaq for a tapioca snack on a casual afternoon. There is a small playground for children and you can also book boat trips around the region. We haven't done it yet, but we want to do it in 2024 and I'll tell you all about it later.
Marshal Carmona Park
Our delicious backyard. 🙂
In fact, it is the backyard of every family in Cascais, I think. It is amazing how we always run into people we know when we go there. The largest park in the village is a very pleasant place because it is spacious, has a beautiful garden that is very well laid out and, to make things even more appealing, some free-roaming animals such as chickens, roosters, peacocks, ducks and turtles. Children spend a lot of time playing with them and it is guaranteed fun for everyone.
There is a café inside that raises money for a charity and a charming children's library. There are some big events that force the park to close, such as EDP Cool Jazz in the summer and the Christmas Market in December, but other than that, the park is free to enter all year round.
It has two entrances, the main one facing the Casa das Histórias Paula Rego. Be sure to walk to the entrance of the park in front of the Cascais Marina to see the little castle that is highly photogenic with its beach right below.
Hell's Mouth
A beautiful viewpoint in Cascais, always more crowded than I would like it to be. Hell's Mouth It appears to have been an ancient cave, with a gigantic caldera, connected to the sea by an arch, through which the waves force their way.
The sunset there is breathtaking and listening to the waves crashing against the rocks is truly mesmerizing. If you ignore the tourists who only go there to take selfies, you will be able to enjoy the place. I find it very interesting to see the fishermen who leave the tourist circuit and wait there for a nice catch while enjoying the most beautiful view of Cascais. The ice cream there is a classic and if you want a high-quality meal, I recommend the Mar do Inferno restaurant.
Guide House
On the Guia Coast there is the Guide House, which is nothing more than an open-air commercial space with a spectacular view of the ocean. There are many restaurants and shops there, a large free parking lot inside and from time to time some cultural events and craft fairs that are worth it. You can rent bikes from one of the shops and cycle along Costa da Guia to the Cascais Marina, for example, or go the other way to Guincho, which is my next recommendation.
Guincho Beach
Do you like beaches with waves and outside the city? Winch is the answer! This is the place where the region's surfers usually go – in addition to Carcavelos Beach – because it has a lot of wind and good waves, from what I’ve heard. We rarely go there, I confess, but we want to change that in 2024 now that Ju is more relaxed about lunch and nap times.
There is a really cool bar called Guincho Bar, which is right on the sand in a place a little protected from the wind. The view is really cool and the atmosphere is cool, and I think it's a good option for those who have small children and need some infrastructure on the beach.
Just pay attention because the path to it is poorly signposted, but I think it is on purpose so that it remains the way it is.
Cresmina Dune
And to finish this list of cool places in Cascais, one of the most different in the region: Cresmina Dune. Park your car in the free parking lot Cresmina Dune Interpretation Center, take a walk along the walkways to the beach, and then on the way back, stop for a snack at the café there. The view is spectacular!
An interesting fact: this dune system is quite unique because the sand from Guincho and Cresmina beaches returns to the sea further south – between Oitavos and Guia, after migrating over the flat rocky platform of Cabo Raso. Find out more on the official website.
I think that's it!
I hope this list of 10 recommended places reaches many people interested in visiting Cascais and that it can help them in some way.
If you want to know about restaurants in the village, see Our 10 favorite restaurants in Cascais.
I will soon write an article about Cascais Itinerary and I will post the link here too!
