Cascais & Lisbon
12 September 2007 | Open top bus tour of Portugal's capital city, great marina at Cascais
Having spent longer than we anticipated in Nazare due to being fog bound, we were eager to arrive at Cascais, a suburb of Lisbon, some 15 miles west of the city. The marina is fabulous with great facilities, lots of restaurants with a backdrop of the town's fortified walls. However, this comes at a price as it is the most expensive place that we have stayed at since the UK.
Took a train for the 30 minute journey into Lisbon (15 miles and only �2.25 return for both of us, why can't the UK sort out its trains like this and everybody would use them) and decided to do an open-top bus tour where you can hop on and off as you like. Mike and Elaine will remember a similar trip in Vancouver some time ago. It is a great way to see a city as big as Lisbon when time is short. We spent the afternoon discovering some of the highlights of the capital city, built upon seven hills and which, in medieval times, was once one of Europe's most important ports. It is hard to believe that it is only just over 30 years since the country became independent from a dictatorship. We finished off the day's visit, and ourselves, by climbing to Castelo de Sao Jorge, that was one of the most intact and impressive castle's that we have ever seen. Located on the highest hill in Lisbon, offering magnificent views across the city, the oldest remains date back to the 6th century. Check out the photos of our day in the Gallery.
To make you feel better, thought you'd like to know that we had a big thunderstorm last night with LOTS OF RAIN. The light show above us filled the whole of the sky. Thank goodness it is back to normal and it is sunny again today. So we enjoyed bacon rolls on deck for breakfast. We know how to live.
If you do get the chance to visit Lisbon, we would recommend that you consider staying in Cascais because it is beautiful, has its own beach, is full of character, a lot cheaper than the city and only half an hour away.