Portugal’s Three Royal Beach Resorts

Cascais, which has been a harbor since prehistoric times, became a fashionable resort in the 1870s when the monarch Luis I built his summer palace there. It says a lot for a place when the man who can be anywhere chooses to be there, and what was said was heard and answered by a wave of recognition washing over the lovely beach. The upscale shops in the pedestrian section of the glorious old town bear homage to the exalted rich who ones vied for produce along the same streets. The port is still in use, and the day’s catch is auctioned near the harbor in the afternoon.

Three kilometers east of Cascais is the beach resort of Estoril. Estoril is home to excellent hotels and grand villas, helping to retain a sense of the place’s past. In years gone by, Estoril was the home of exiled European royalty. The beach is pristine and popular, and it’s not hard to understand why.

To west, ten kilometers from Cascais is Guincho. Guincho’s beach is magnificent and sandy and looks over an endless sea. Its atlantic breakers make it a haven for surfers, and the spirit of youth is ever present to electrify any who come near. A seafaring empire since its inception, Portugal holds on to her love of the ocean in her seaside resorts and no visit to Portugal is complete without a walk on the beach.