Azenhas do Mar

All the coast of Sintra is well known thanks to its beaches which are not yet over-populated and are between cliffs. The road and the beaches also continue towards the North: Aguda, Magoito, Samarra... But we will turn towards Colares. At the exit for Praia das Maçãs, take the crossing to the right where the road leads to Praia Grande: a vast sand beach very popular with surfers. On the cliffs that surround it there are dinosaur foot prints.

In Colares you go to the right towards Cabo da Roca (10 km)

The road is rather sinuous but very pretty (on the right there is the access to the Adraga beach). Cabo da Roca is the most Western point of the European continent. The Sintra mountain ends here with a 140 m cliff, the vegetation is low and is typical of this area. The cape's 16th century lighthouse along with a tourist shop sit on top of a cliff. The site has a monument with the sign in Portuguese language "Here...Where the land ends and the sea begins..." (from Portuguese poet Camões). The headlight dates from the 18th century and is one of the most significant on this coast. In the tourist office you can buy a certificate attesting your visit to the lighthouse. Geographical co-ordinates: Latitude: 38° 47. North - Longitude: 9° 30. West - Altitude: 140 m.

Then, you have to go back to the road towards the crossing and turn right towards Cascais.

The view from the road is splendid. You go down to Malveira da Serra- a small village on the southern slope from the mountain - from there you go to the right: Guincho, Cascais. The beach of Guincho is vast and sandy and rather windy, so a must for surfers and very popular in the summer. There are several restaurants and also a hotel in a restored old fortress. Then one continues on the seafront. At the entrance to Cascais one passes the "Mouth of Hell", an excavation in the cliffs where the sea comes in making an astonishing noise. There are several cafés and even a local market next to it.

Boca do Inferno	Guincho

After approximately 2 km, you arrive in the town centre of Cascais. Cascais was a fishermen's village which became the summer residence for the Portuguese royal family at the end of the 19th century. The court moved in to the fortress and the city became an elegant town, where the nobility and the upper middle classes stayed; from this time there are still beautiful residences which are still in the town. In the area there are prehistoric and Roman, Visigoth and Moorish traces. The city was conquered from the Arabs by Alphonse 1st, after the conquest of Lisbon and Sintra.
In 1580 the Duc of Alba's troops took over the town and left for Lisbon to fight D.António's troops, thus permitting the throne of Portugal to be occupied by Filipe II, king of Spain.

Cascais	Cidadela

The earthquake of 1755 destroyed a lot of the city which is now the tourist destination by excellence. The centre is nice, there are restaurants, bars, hotels, shops and a pleasant feeling all round. Cascais has a small fishing port as well as a modern marina.

To see in Cascais:

- The Nossa Senhora da Assunção Church dates back to the 17th century and has 18th century azulejos and beautiful paintings.

- The Nossa Senhora dos Navegantes Church is from the 17th century and has a lot of marble inside.

- The Fortress. This is the place where the royal family lived. It dates from the 17th century and is known under the name "Cidadela". On the inside there is the small Nossa Senhora da Vitória chapel. There are also other small fortresses in the neighbourhood: S. Jacinto and S. Jorge, from the 17th century, which belonged to the defensive line of Lisbon built in the 17th century, after the end of the Spanish domination.