Description of Apartment/Location
Out and About Locally
Get a real taste of Portugal, in a great neighborhood in Estoril. Only minutes walk to several Estoril beaches, this is the perfect location if you do not wish to use a car. It offers good space for a large family or 3 couples. In the neighborhood there some well regarded restaurants, a great grocery and butcher, and cafés. Lisbon is very accessible too as the train station is just a 5 minute walk and it takes 40 minutes to Lisbon or just walk along the boardwalk into Cascais centre - about 20 minutes from the station.
An easy walk to the casino in Estoril for a meal or a show. Close by you also have a small grocery/butcher shop as well as coffee shops serving small lunches and restaurants serving typical Portuguese meals. It has free wi-fi internet access and cable television.
Lisbon
Lisbon & the Lisbon Coast are both an all-year-round destination. Summers, whilst warm are rarely oppressive and the cooling sea breeze keeps it comfortable even during the hottest months. Very mild winters mean you can enjoy your short break in the winter sun in Cascais and Lisbon.
The town of Sintra is a World Heritage Site and well worth a visit.
Lisbon itself has lots to delight; from taking an old electric tram up the steep hills of Lisbon to whizzing up to the top of the Santa Justa Elevator to get a panoramic view of the city of Lisbon. Do visit Alfama (the old quarter) and be sure to wear comfortable rubber soled shoes to avoid slipping on the cobbles. In the evenings, take in a Fado evening over dinner in one of the many restaurants in this area. Bairro Alto is also wonderfully lively at night – lots of restaurants, Fado houses and late night bars/clubs.
June 12th is the night of the Festival of St Anthony; the best night for trying traditional sardines in Lisbon.
Go by tram - #15 is the best - to Belem. It leaves from Praça Figueira and stops at Praça do Comerçio and Cais do Sodré before going on to Belem - a wonderful place of fountains, parks, monuments and monasteries.
Worth visiting in the Estremadura and beyond are, Óbidos, Sintra, Azeitão & Setúbal, Fatima & Nazaré. Alentejo is a little further (about 2 hours) but worth visiting are Évora and Monsaraz. The Esporão Wine Estate is worth having lunch at if you are going as far as Monsaraz
Sintra
Sintra is a world heritage site and has a lot to be seen, including the Moorish Castle, Pena Palace, National Palace and the mysterious Quinta da Regaleira. It also offers great shopping and restaurants. Markets in Sintra are on the 1st and 3rd weekends of each month.
And with Lisbon only 25 minutes away and Cascais & Sintra only 15minutes, you can get all the cosmopolitan and night life you need.
A short distance away you can enjoy a lovely lunch at the Don Quixote Restaurant. This terrace bar is located at a windmill just a stone's throw away from the westernmost point in Europe. Sit relaxing with sangria in your hand and an incomparable view of the Guincho Beach and the Atlantic in front of you and the Sintra Hills behind. A truly perfect location for sunsets. Snacks served as well as scones and tea. Pay a visit Cabo da Roca, the most westerly point of Europe where you can enjoy a cliff top walk with spectacular views and visit to local tourism point.
There are many walking routes in the mountains (parts of it protected by World Heritage) behind Cascais, if you wish we can provide information and/or contacts to the local walking groups.
Otherwise for the more adventurous traveller, we can arrange organized buggy/go-cart tours along the coastline or into the protected mountain area. (some tours need to be pre organized so that permits can be obtained for the protected areas)
The delightful old town of Ericeira takes you back in time to the days when it was a tiny fishing village. Cobbled streets, white-washed houses and a plethora of restaurants and cafes offer excellent food, especially the sea-food for which Portugal is deservedly famous.
Other Information
Gastronomy
