Lisbon Coast
Why go?
The coast around Lisbon provides an easy, breezy escape from the
capital, whose proximity has made it the stamping grounds of kings
for the last 1,000 years, thus drenching it in history. Lisboistas
stream west to escape the heat of the city in summer and descend on
elegant Estoril and Cascais (the later once the destination of
choice for Europe’s exiled kings), surfers hang loose on the
west coast all year round waiting for the rollers to crash down on
miles of sandy beaches, and the Portuguese come in droves to visit
its crown jewels: Fatima for pilgrimage, the ancient walled town of
Obidos, the 12th-century monastery at Alcobaça, and the
fairytale palace on top of a hill at Sintra. In short, it contains
much that the Portuguese hold dear.
Administratively the region is known as Estremadura - not to be
confused with its near namesake Extremadura, the border region of
Spain. It is more densely populated than the coast further south,
and easily accessed via a choice of motorways from Lisbon - one
heading west (to Cascais), one north (past Obidos) and one south
(past Setubal). If you come up from the south you will notice a
distinct increase in the volume of traffic (you jump from
‘nearly none’ to ‘quite a lot’), but escape
is at hand. Simply drop off the motorways and take to the country
roads, the best of which is the drive north from Ericeira to
Peniche; you follow the Atlantic all the way and small harbour
villages appear here and there offering numerous opportunities for
an excellent lunch. Alternatively, follow the river Tejo northeast
into Ribatejo (banks of the Tejo), where numerous vineyards make
some of the best wine in the country; the trip inland is well worth
the bother.