What to See in Portugal’s Riviera Town of Cascais, Cascais, Portugal

In this blog, we share what to see in Portugal’s Riviera town of Cascais, when in the Lisbon area. A destination where sophistication and nature collide, giving you a real travel treat.

Our early impressions of Portugal’s Riviera town of Cascais was a classier version of Blackpool. With its London Eye, souvenir lined alleyways, English pubs, busy main road and McDonalds, where scantily clad tourists swarmed through the old town. Although, that first image melted into oblivion with an early morning exploration, where I had the streets to myself. The golden hour light made the colonial, 19th century houses look sultry. The empty promenade and patterned cobbled streets now visible without its scurrying visitors. And the dismantling Easter statues (including the ‘Eye’) brought the town back to its authentic heart.

After a couple of hours, sharing the day with a few hardy joggers, my feelings towards Cascais softened and, despite its trendy vibe, it has a strangely classical feel that endears you to it. It has a charm and architectural delight that drew us into its seaside beauty, framed by the oceanic blues of the sparkling seas and coves of intimate, sandy beaches. The only shock was to see so many homeless immigrants lining the beach with their possessions filling just one carrier bag. It tears at your heart for sure and makes me appreciate the privilege of my life as I know it. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).