Cascais and the stunning Estoril Coast

Portugal’s the place where sea and mountains embrace, and history mingles with the art of living.

Portugal may be small in area, but it’s bursting with variety and beauty, proud of a long history of culture and enterprise going back to the great age of ocean discoveries – which Portugal basically invented. Well before Columbus, Prince Henry the Navigator was turning his country into the first truly global superpower, promoting new ship design and sending intrepid captains out to explore waters and lands previously completely unknown to Europeans. The first voyage all the way around Africa to India, achieved by Vasco da Gama in 1499, provided new opportunities for trade in gold, slaves, textiles and spices from the Orient … quickly making Portugal rich.

In 1755, Lisbon, the seacoast capital, was struck by a major earthquake that killed up to a fifth of its people and destroyed over 80% of its buildings. But the disaster provided the impetus for redesign and rebuilding using new urban planning concepts, reflected in the street grid of the city center with its two great plazas, the impressive riverside Praca do Comercio and the Praca do Rossia, traditional meeting place of the metropolis where longer-established restaurants and theaters are found.

The appeal of Lisbon for today’s travelers is its endlessly rich and romantic mix of tempos and flavors, sights and sounds. There are elegantly upscale districts like Bairro Alto and very old neighborhoods like the Alfama, with winding, hilly streets where neighbors chat in tiny courtyard eateries and sidewalk shops, and the sad-passionate strains of fado singing can be heard in the clubs late into the night. There are fascinating historic sites and buildings like the 16th Century Tower of Belem and medieval St. George’s Castle, still a powerful fortress on its commanding height.

Just west from Lisbon proper is the “Portuguese Riviera”, the Estoril district centered on the delightful resort town of Cascais, where the beaches are heavenly, the warm sun and sea air rejuvenating, and strolling and shopping a pleasure. Not to mention more than a half-dozen excellent golf courses in the immediate area, and many opportunities for boating and hiking excursions. From this coastal haven it’s a short trip to a for-real “fairyland”, the forest-clad, castle-studded hills of Sintra, where Lisbon’s royals and wealthy have been building summer homes and gardens for centuries, in a bewildering array of colorful architectural fantasies.

All this, plus some of the friendliest people and tastiest cuisine (don’t forget Portugal’s excellent wines) to be found anywhere … you couldn’t wish for a more satisfying vacation.