Discover Lisbon

Cascais, Sintra, Óbidos and Sesimbra are popular day trips from Lisbon.  While Cascais and Sintra are easily reachable by train, with 3 or more departures each hour, Óbidos and Sesimbra are reached by car or one of the many tours. 

- Cascais and Estoril are a seaside resort and the closest thing to a Riviera in Lisbon. Great food, entertainment and beaches are some of the reasons people go there.

- Óbidos is a small village with intact city walls that is really nice to visit and sample the local ginja- bitter cherries liquor. Nearby there is Oriental Budha Eden Garden which is an unexpected oriental oasis on a winery –site.

- Sintra features beautiful estates, a Moorish castle and 18^th century castle. Also sample the famous local pastries – queijadas.  Not far from Sintra there is Mafra- with an imposing monastery and PalaceSesimbra – is a delightful seaside village with excellent fish and a charming fortification by its sought after beachOther places you may explore –  Cabo Espichel, Cabo da Roca, Portinho da Arrábida, Azenhas do Mar, Gincho

Montemor-o-novo
Montemor is a village located in the middle of Portugal, close to the intersection of major highways only 1 hour away from Lisbon by car.  Montemor marks the ancestral force of religious and agrarian nobility orders, expressed in beautiful eighteenth century manor houses, in multiple convents, in churches that associate Manueline, rich baroque altars and unforgettable fresco and azulejos.If you enjoy modern art (XVI-XVIII centuries) you will be spoiled for choice.  The key points to visit are Convent of St. John of God, Matriz Church, Terreiro of Saint John of God, the Salutation Convent, the Church of Mercy, the Chapel of Our Lady of the Visitation, Carvalho Church, the Archaelogic Museum, and the castle of Montemor-o-novo. The most striking art pieces are the frescos inside Matriz Church, the altars and the marble Pieta from the Chapel of Our Lady of the Visitation, the coated azulejos from the Salutation Convent.Explore the castle at your leisure, passing through the Village Gate, next to the Guard House, and with the necessary care, climb the stairs of access to the Clock Tower. From this point of the wall you’ll find an unique view of the ruins of Palace of Mayors- which have lodged various monarchs and where they met the Court.

Cacilhas
Cacilhas is a river front district of Lisbon in the south bank of the Tagus. Take a 10-minute boat journey from Cais do Sodré to discover this village, enjoy one of the most beautiful views of Lisbon and sample several restaurants known for their fresh fish.It was know as a working class district, where shipbuilding dockyards operated- you can visit the remnants of the industrious past.Also nearby you can visit the Monument to Christ (strikingly similar to Cristo Rei in Rio de Janeiro).You may also visit the Church of Our Lady of Safe Homecoming, built in 1759 with a beautiful gilded interior and tile panels. Across the road you find a large vessel from the 1800s (the “D. Fernando II e Glória”), which may be visited every day except Mondays (free admission on the first Sunday of the month).

Mafra
Mafra is a city and a municipality in the district of Lisbon, less than 30 min distance by car. Mafra is mostly known for the sumptuous Mafra National Palace built in the baroque style. The Palace also inspired Portuguese Nobel Prize laureate José Saramago to write his novel Baltasar and Blimunda (Memorial do Convento) and was classified as a National Monument in 1910-  one of the finalists of the Seven Wonders of Portugal.Around the Mafra National Palace you will find the Tapada Nacional de Mafra- a natural park with more than 8 square kilometres, home to different species of deer, wild boar, foxes, birds of prey and many others coexisting in an unusually rich and diversified natural habitat. The Tapada is also open for walking, mountain biking, horse riding, archery and crossbow shooting activities.Other points of interest around the municipality include Churches from various period of times with original details (Nossa Senhora da Encarnação, São Pedro, Paroquial da Ericeira, Matriz de São Silvestre do Gradil, São Silvestre e Santo André).

Cabo Espichel
Cabo Espichel is a cape located to the west of Sesimbra- approx. 1 hour driving time from Lisboa. Pilgrims were drawn there due to impressive views of its cliffs facing the Atlantic Ocean, and it is a popular day trip from Lisbon, frequently including Sesimbra.The location is famous for the sanctuary complex (Santuário de Nossa Senhora do Cabo Espichel), built extremely close to the edge of the tall cliffs, which includes a church still in use today.You will also find several dinosaur fossil track ways exposed in some of the now tilted Jurassic strata which form the cape’s cliffs. It is said that local superstition interpreted the tracks as the path taken by the Holy Virgin (“Nossa Senhora”) when riding a giant mule from the ocean and up the cliffs, which led to the eventual construction of the convent at that location.Don’t forget to take a tour around Sesimbra – an old fishermen’s village, and popular beach resort with a lot of old restaurants and houses but also affordable restaurants near the beach.  Meco is another village nearby, known for its artsy types and alternative life styles popular with Lisbonites.