Estoril & Cascais
Estoril
Estoril has the air of a once popular resort, as indeed it was. Exiled royalty, including
Italy’s last king, Umberto II, Juan de Borbón of Spain, Karl Hapsburg, the last
Austro-Hungarian emperor, and king Carol of Romania, settled here and it grew from a small
spa village into an elegant town, popular as a smart conference venue.
The proximity to Lisbon, the
mild climate and its fame as a haunt of aristocrats have long attracted both summer and
winter visitors to this ‘Portuguese Riviera’. Today, grand villas, modern
apartments and five-star hotels line the coast, following the long, breezy promenade
behind the beach that links Estoril with the town of Cascais, 3 km (2 miles) to the west.
Impressively sited at the top of the central park, the casino is flanked with tall, majestic date palms. Other entertainments include several superb golf courses, sailing and horse riding. In September the drone of Formula-1 motor racing cars at the Autodromo echoes around the hills.
Cascais
A favoured harbour since prehistoric times, Cascais stands in a sheltered, sandy bay at
the mouth of the River Tagus, once heavily defended against invaders. 
It became a fashionable resort in the 1870s, when Luis I converted
the 17th century citadel on the southwest corner of the bay into a summer
palace. Part of this is now the President of Portugal’s summer residence.
Sea bathing became popular at the turn of the century and wealthy families built spendid holiday villas here. Nowadays it is a busy cosmopolitan resort, with fashionable shops in the pleasant pedestrian streets of the old town. Fishing is still an important activity, and the day’s catch is auctioned near the harbour in the afternoon.