HOP ON A BIKE (rentals cost under $5 a day at the station) to explore Lisbon’s former fishing village of Cascais. Easy access to bikes is one of the eco-friendly features that helped this lively seaside town win the European Union’s QualityCoast Gold award in 2016, recognizing it as one of Europe’s most sustainable coastal tourism destinations.
Environmentally minded visitors will find plenty to admire in Cascais, from carefully protected beach dunes to a twice-weekly market that showcases locally produced foods. Restoration of the extensive Cresmina-Guincho coastal dunes began in 2010; today you can walk wooden boardwalks through 90 acres of restored habitat, read interpretive signs about native flora and fauna, and visit the Interpretation Center. Nearby, the self-sufficient Environmental Interpretation Center at Pedra do Sal stands out as Portugal’s first Zero Energy building.
The dunes start just beyond the dramatic Boca do Inferno (Mouth of Hell), about a 20-minute walk from central Cascais, where high Atlantic surf pounds caves in the jagged cliffs. Farther north, the winds and waves at Guincho create one of Europe’s top spots for surfing, drawing boardriders and kitesurfers to its wide sandy beaches.
King prawn at the market © LEVAI GABOR | DREAMSTIME.COM
Fishermen work from a colorful local beach near the daily market, where you can watch the late-afternoon fish auction. Almost every restaurant in town specializes in fresh seafood: traditional and inventive preparations of sea bass, bream, Cascais sole, sardines, shrimp, crab and crayfish are commonplace. Pair these dishes with a glass of Colares, the local DOC wine whose vineyards are protected by the coastal dunes.
Life in Cascais revolves around the sea and the coast: from the wave-patterned mosaic paving to the Museu do Mar (Museum of the Sea) and the sunlit beaches where children build sandcastles. The town balances cultural attractions with outdoor recreation, making it appealing to a wide range of travelers.
Families will appreciate Martinhal Cascais, a newer luxury hotel located conveniently between the two championship golf courses of Quinta da Marinha and Oitavos Dunes. The hotel focuses on family-friendly amenities and services, which, combined with Cascais’s relaxed beach-town atmosphere and easy access to central Lisbon, makes it an excellent base for sightseeing and seaside relaxation.