A quick train ride (or longer swim) from Lisbon takes you away from
the frenzied metropolis, past the historic sites of Belém and the ritzier resort of
Estoril, and into the beach town of Cascais. Once a strategic outpost for sea trade and
defense, Cascais became popular with the Portuguese aristocracy at the end of the 19th
century; their palatial homes still dot the coastline. Today, Cascais attracts a much more
varied crowd, consisting of international beach-lovers and Lisbon residents escaping the
city for a day.