Excursions
Cascais sits at the end of a commuter line into Lisbon and at the foot of the Sintra hills. You can be on a clifftop, in a palace, or in central Lisbon within an hour.
How to plan. Tackle big sights (Sintra palaces, Lisbon) early — by 11 am they're crowded and hot. Excursions west (Cabo da Roca, Guincho) are best in the afternoon when the light is at its best.
"Hell's Mouth" — a sea cave where the Atlantic crashes through. Walk west along the seafront promenade from town. Time it with rough seas (mornings, ideally) for the drama; flat days are unimpressive.
Practical: stick to fenced paths; the cliff edges are loose.
The westernmost point of continental Europe. A dramatic 140 m cliff, a small lighthouse, and a café. Frequently shrouded in mist in the morning, glorious by mid-afternoon.
Practical: Bus from Cascais station to "Cabo da Roca". Bring a windbreaker.
A separated cycle/pedestrian path runs from town up to Guincho through the dunes. Rent a bike from the seafront, pack lunch, eat at Bar do Guincho on the way back. The best free thing you can do here.
Practical: BiCAS electric bikes ~€10/day. Watch the afternoon wind on the return leg.
Pena Palace is the famous one; Quinta da Regaleira is the strange one (gardens, tunnels, an "initiatic well"); the Moorish Castle is the rewarding climb. Pick two of three — doing all is a slog with kids.
Practical: book Pena entry online. Drive or taxi; the train via Lisbon is long.
Train into Cais do Sodré, walk to the Time Out Market for lunch, tram 28E up to Alfama. If you only do one thing in Belém: the Jerónimos Monastery cloister. Save Belém for an early start to beat the queues.
Practical: trains every 20 minutes; €2.40 each way. Avoid tram 28E at peak hours.
If you have a car, the cork-oak landscape of the Alentejo plains opens up an hour east. Évora's Roman temple and the Chapel of Bones make a strong half-day; lunch in a tasca and you're back for dinner.
Practical: rent a car for the day; no realistic public-transport option.
Across the Tagus, the Arrábida natural park has cleaner-water beaches (Galápos, Galapinhos), pine cliffs, and the wine-and-cheese town of Azeitão for lunch. A genuinely different coast.
Practical: car only. Galapinhos has a parking quota — arrive before 10 am.