4.7.4 Cascais
The beach resort at the end of the line (location HERE).
This is a dry weather day out. Ideal for summer, and the parts of spring and autumn when the sun shines.
Get there by suburban train from Estação Cais do Sodré (timetable HERE).
Train travel has no additional cost if you have a valid Lisboa Card. Otherwise, get a cardboard Navegante card loaded with credit, and use it in Zapping mode. Validate the ticket at the boarding station, and arrival station, by using the validation machines provided, or passing through the automatic barriers. As a last resort, visit the ticket office at Cais do Sodré, and buy a ticket from there on the day.
Best to board the train at Cais do Sodré outbound, and at Cascais inbound. Get on the platform in good time and secure your seats. The trains load heavily throughout the day, and there will often be standing loads.
Leaving the station at Cascais, bear left after the ticket barriers, and exit onto the roundabout. From there, it’s more or less straight on for the old town, harbour, and beach area. Lots of cafés, artisan shops, often upmarket restaurants, and places to just sit and chill between spells of walking.
Languages that are not Português, especially English, can be heard on the street and in those shops and food outlets. And the people using those languages, if they live in the Cascais area, are likely to be wealthy migrants, especially given the level of property prices in the area. It’s another case of If You Need To Ask The Price, You Probably Can’t Afford It.
What is affordable is a stroll through the old town, and a walk along the beach or promenade, people watching, maybe even Very Exclusive Car watching, too. There are lots ice cream shops, and the selection of restaurants is extensive - many of them affordable. If you’re not hungry, there are also plenty of places along the prom and by the harbour, to sit.
If you’re using a Lisboa Card, or a Carris + Metro + CP day ticket, it’s possible to break your journey at Estoril, and look around the gardens. Overlooking that area is Casino Estoril at the north side, and Hotel Palacio at the east. Another area frequented by the well-off, and with the added historical note that this was where spies from Germany, Britain and other nations mingled during World War2 (Portugal remained neutral during the conflict).
CAUTION Don’t leave your return journey to Lisbon too late, as continuing engineering works on the Linha de Cascais mean late trains are replaced by buses between Cascais and Oeiras. Last train before the substi-bus is 2130 from Cascais, and earlier at weekends. During weekday rush hours, Cascais trains miss some stops, notably Santos and Belém.
This is a dry weather day out. Ideal for summer, and the parts of spring and autumn when the sun shines.
Get there by suburban train from Estação Cais do Sodré (timetable HERE).
Best to board the train at Cais do Sodré outbound, and at Cascais inbound. Get on the platform in good time and secure your seats. The trains load heavily throughout the day, and there will often be standing loads.
Languages that are not Português, especially English, can be heard on the street and in those shops and food outlets. And the people using those languages, if they live in the Cascais area, are likely to be wealthy migrants, especially given the level of property prices in the area. It’s another case of If You Need To Ask The Price, You Probably Can’t Afford It.
What is affordable is a stroll through the old town, and a walk along the beach or promenade, people watching, maybe even Very Exclusive Car watching, too. There are lots ice cream shops, and the selection of restaurants is extensive - many of them affordable. If you’re not hungry, there are also plenty of places along the prom and by the harbour, to sit.
CAUTION Don’t leave your return journey to Lisbon too late, as continuing engineering works on the Linha de Cascais mean late trains are replaced by buses between Cascais and Oeiras. Last train before the substi-bus is 2130 from Cascais, and earlier at weekends. During weekday rush hours, Cascais trains miss some stops, notably Santos and Belém.
[HOME]
Comments
Post a Comment