Going to Portugal for work in early October and will have 2 free days - the day of arrival and 1 full day later in the week. Landing in Lisbon at 6 AM and staying in Cascais, so assume my starting point would be from there after dropping off bags. I would love to find a tour of Sintra that STARTS in Cascais (instead of going back to Lisbon), or any other suggestions for exploring Cascais while jetlagged. I'm also interested in bike tours and food tours in Lisbon for my full day. Appreciate any recommendations from this great group! Thanks in advance.
Posted by
Folsom
2738 posts
We toured Sintra with this company http://www.yourfriendinlisbon.com. Guide and driver were great, very knowledgable. They usually pick up in Lisbon, but contact them and see since Cascais is on the usual tour anyway.
Posted by
Cascais, Portugal
1824 posts
I dont think there are tours of Sintra from Cascais. However, it's easy to visit Sintra on your own from here. You take bus 404 and it ends very close to the train station in Sintra. From there you can catch the bus up to Pena Palace or town. If you do a little research you can decide which of the places you want to visit. Quinta da Regaleira is my favorite.
While in Cascais exploring the village is nice. If you are here on Saturday or Wednesday a visit to the Mercado is a must. There is a walk along the water from Cascais to Estoril filled with seaside bars. There are free bike rentals and you can potentially ride all the way to Guincho beach. If you don't want such a long ride, riding from town to Casa da Guia is lovely and once there, there are restaurants with amazing views.
Taste of Lisbon and Culinary Backstreets are food tour companies with good reputations. I've taken one with Taste of Lisbon that was quite good.
Posted by
OP
10 posts
Thank you both so much!!
Posted by
Folsom
2738 posts
Oh, food tours in Lisbon. We went with http://culinarybackstreets.com and it was great!
Posted by
not here anymore
631 posts
As Kathryn says, 404 bus from Cascais. But Sintra has a Hop On Hop Off bus and that serves Cabo Da Roca (as does the 404). This place is worth seeing, the most westerly point on European mainland with stunning views on a fine day (probably appalling in a storm!). You could get the 404 to there then pick up the tour bus. https://city-sightseeing.com/en/81/sintra/111/hop-on-hop-off-sintra
Posted by
OP
10 posts
Thank you, thank you!
Next question - I will be there on Oct 5 which is a bank holiday in Portugal. Food tour for that day is out, Taste of Lisboa and Culinary Backstreets are not running since most shops and restaurants are closed. Bike tour of Lisbon still looks viable. What are your must-see places (by bike) and do you have any recommendation for bike tour companies?
Posted by
Folsom
2738 posts
Bank holidays usually mean shutdown. You'd need to check with bike tour companies (I have no suggestions) and see if they run. Hope for a beach day!
Posted by
2 posts
I loved Cascais! If you're a surfer you can tag along with the "Nice Way Surf Hostel". They have vans that take guests or people who purchase lessons to some local great beaches.