-Estoril, Cascais, Sintra, Pena palace - full day
We leave Lisbon passing by the scenic harbour and the estuary of the river and its seashore. The Estoril coast, incorporating holiday hotspots offers great beaches and a choice of historic sights. Cosmopolitan seaside town of Carcavelos is popular for its long stretch of sandy beach and its XVII century fortress - the biggest in Tagus river. Other beaches on Estoril's include Parede. Waters here are rich in iodine and have therapeutic qualities. Around Sao Pedro, Sao Joao and Santo Antonio do Estoril the beach scene gets more cliff like, but there are small beach bays with aristocratic palaces, manor houses and deluxe villas, a safe haven of exiled kings and politicians. The cosmopolitan casino town of Estoril boats pretty Tamariz beach which is good for bathing and the biggest casino in Europe, its gardens, cafes and esplanade.
Cascais fishing port swiftly expanded to an elegant, cosmopolitan, coastal resort. Once stop of navigators like Columbus and Vasco da Gama. From the harbor there’s a nice view of Estoril bay and one can watch the typical fishing boats unloading the catch, a flash marina and a castle. Continue by the seaside with rocky and sandy beaches and the picturesque cliff - the Mouth of Hell - where high waves crash into gigantic caves carved out of the rock by the sea. Next is Guincho beach, backed by dunes and with some of the best rollers in Europe, it is a true paradise for surfers.
Go up the mountain by twisted roads with breathtaking views of the coastline and arrive to Cabo da Roca - the westernmost point of continental Europe, a promontory of Sintra Mountain, a granite cliff, 472 feet (144 m) high - for a fantastic view of the seaside. Drive across the luxuriant Sintra Mountain and its gardens - "The Glorious Eden" - by twisted roads bordered by several plants, its mystical hills dotted with fairytale palaces and extravagant villas that have bewitched visitors for centuries. Pass by Colares, famous for its "Ramisco" vines, some of the oldest in Portugal and belonging to a demarcated area of wine. Colares is a deep colored, full bodied red wine.
Sintra’s historical town centre is a listed UNESCO world heritage site. It is made up of a charming maze of steep, narrow streets lined with fine examples of old palatial homes hiding behind lichen-covered walls, while local pastry shops provide the famous Sintra ‘queijadas’ (cheese pastries), ‘travesseiros’ (egg and almond pastries) and local wine. The town is also full of shops that carry many of the local crafts like pottery, ceramics and lace.
Go up to one of the highest peaks of the mountain through a narrow and crooked road crossing Sintra forest, passing by the mysterious Moorish castle. Fairy tale Pena palace and its surrounding park are billed as "a consummate specimen of Portuguese romantic architecture, with a profusion of eclectic styles, 500 meters above sea level, on a rocky promontory that looks purpose-built for a castle. The delightful Parque da Pena offers walking paths, fountains, lakes, follies, belvederes, exotic trees and other specimens. From the palace, one has a spectacular outlook onto the mountain and its surroundings.
On the way back to Lisbon, we pass by the XVIII century Queluz palace, reminiscent of Versailles.
