Lisbon Coast Region

As you stroll around, you'll find wide esplanades paved with black and white mosaics, open squares where you can buy freshly roasted chestnuts in paper cones, mazes of cobbled alleys, and steeply winding streets along which quaint trams whirr.

From St. George's Castle, which stands magnificently on top of one of the seven hills, Lisbon is laid out before you in a breathtaking view. White and turquoise peacocks strut around the shady gardens above which tower yellow sandstone battlements shrouded in ivy. From here, you can see terra-cotta tiled rooftops, ancient monuments, statues which preside over squares, the old quarters of the Bairro Alto and Alfama where nostalgic fado is played nightly, and the Tagus river flowing under its graceful suspension bridge. It's hard to believe that most of the city was re-built after the great earthquake of 1755 and devastating fires: redesigned in a strict grid system, preparing Lisbon for its future.

Down by the Tagus, from where many explorers set sail, stands the Belem Tower with its fairy tale turrets and the proudly poised Monument to the Discoveries. Nearby is the Jeronimos Monastery: a remarkable example of Manueline architecture - a Portuguese variation on Gothic with carved nautical symbol, such as anchors and ropes. Inside are fantastic stone columns, high ribbed vaultings, royal sarcophagi borne by marble elephants, and stained glass windows through which pour jeweled beams of light. Other incredible sights include the imposing 14th century Carmo Convent, the beautiful Madre de Deus church which houses the fascinating National Tile Museum, and a wide range of other museums, some with art exhibitions from ancient to contemporary and some with unusual collections such as coaches and costumes.


Cascais Region

Cascais is a coastal town 30 kilometres west of Lisbon, with about 35,000 residents in the town. It is a cosmopolitan suburb of the Portuguese capital and one of the richest municipalities in Portugal. The former fishing village gained fame as a resort for Portugal's royal family in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Nowadays it is a popular vacation spot for both Portuguese and foreign tourists. Cascais is also a municipality with over 180,000 inhabitants. It is located in the Estoril Coast (named after Estoril, a civil parish), in Greater Lisbon subregion. It has a regional airport in Tires (S. Domingos de Rana), 'Aeroporto Municipal de Cascais'.

Today there is a large yacht harbour and several small sand beaches in and around town. Cascais is easily reached from Lisbon by car, (A5 Lisboa-Cascais highway), or by frequent inexpensive commuter trains. It has the ruins of a castle, an art and sea museum as well as parks and the charming cobbled streets of the historic centre. The town has many hotels and tourist apartments as well as many good restaurants of varying cost. It is a fine base to use for those visiting Lisbon and its environs who prefer to stay outside of the city yet in an equally urban and sophisticated environment.

Cascais is surrounded by popular beaches such as Guincho Beach to the west, and the lush Sintra mountains to the north. Some of its shoreline is cliffy, attracting tourists for its seascapes and other natural sights such as Boca do Inferno. It is also becoming a popular golf destination, with over 10 golf courses nearby. Surfing, sailing, windsurfing and kitesurfing are also popular in the region around Cascais due to favourable weather, wind and sea conditions. In 2007, Cascais was the official host of the ISAF World Championship in sailing for dinghies and racing yachts.


Parque das Nações

Gare do Oriente (Orient Station) is one of the main transportation hubs of Lisbon, for trains, metro, buses and taxis. From Orient station people are drawn to the Vasco da Gama Shopping Centre or go straight to the several popular attractions in Parque das Nações (Park of the Nations), site of the Expo '98, the World Fair that took place in between May and September of 1998.

The main highlight is the state-of-the-art Oceanarium, hailed as the world's most impressive aquarium. Both adults and children will be amazed with this attraction.

Other attractions include a modern casino, water gardens, a viewing tower, a marina, and a number of bars and restaurants with outdoor seating overlooking one of the world's longest bridges. The Pavilion of Knowledge - Ciência Viva is an interactive science and technology museum that aims to make science accessible to all, stimulating experimentation and exploration of the physical world.

Two striking twin towers designed to look like giant sailboats are apartment and office buildings named after two of Vasco da Gama's ships.

To tour the area, visitors can jump on a toy train that passes by the main attractions every twenty minutes, or ride the cable car that runs the full length of the site, parallel to the river, while giving commanding views along the way.