Nazaré and Atlantic Cliffs + Sintra Cascais Coast Roads

Scenic road chapters

Waypoint introductions and full write-ups

1. 1. Lisbon

   Lisbon is built on hills, as the old joke goes, to give the trams something to do. The city rises from the north bank of the Tagus river on seven hills, a tumble of tiled houses, church domes and steep cobbled lanes, with yellow trams creaking up the slopes, and the great red suspension bridge, the 25 de Abril, spanning the estuary. In 1755 a huge earthquake, followed by a tsunami and fires, destroyed much of the centre and killed tens of thousands, and the flat grid of the Baixa district was rebuilt afterwards under the Marquis of Pombal. The hill quarters of Alfama and Mouraria, which came through, still have their medieval twists and turns.

   Read the complete Lisbon write-up.

2. 2. Nazaré

   In winter, Nazaré produces some of the biggest surfable waves on earth. Off Praia do Norte, the beach north of town, a deep underwater canyon funnels Atlantic swells towards the shore, and on the right days they rise into moving mountains of water. Surfers towed by jet skis ride them, and crowds gather on the headland by the old fort with its red lighthouse to watch. If you are here between October and March and a big swell is forecast, it is worth going to look.

   Read the complete Nazaré write-up.

3. 3. Sintra

   Lord Byron called Sintra a glorious Eden, and for once the poet was not exaggerating. The Serra de Sintra is a granite ridge that catches Atlantic cloud and holds it, so while Lisbon bakes the hills above Sintra are green, cool and often wrapped in mist. Up in the trees stand fantasies built by Portuguese royals and rich romantics: the Pena Palace in yellow, red and blue, built in the nineteenth century for Ferdinand II, a German-born prince consort with a taste for the theatrical, and the Moorish Castle, whose walls snake along the ridge above.

   Read the complete Sintra write-up.

4. 4. Cascais

   Cascais has been rich for a long time. It began as a fishing village at the mouth of the Tagus estuary, became a royal summer retreat in the nineteenth century when the Portuguese court started spending the warm months by the sea, and has since turned into a pleasant seaside town for Lisbon's well-off and its visitors. The small citadel stands over the harbour, fishing boats bob on the water, and the old centre has patterned pavements, pastel houses and a pedestrian main street lined with cafés.

   Read the complete Cascais write-up.

5. 5. Lisbon

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Lisbon write-up.