Cascais with your feet in the water
As birthplace for many sport genres in Portugal, Cascais has a special passion when it comes to water sports. Salt is the ingredient that you won’t miss when choosing which you would like to try. Here, the sea is the infinite invitation for your body and soul.
The relationship between Cascais, the water and water sports is historical. Since the beginning of last century, King D. Carlos, penultimate Portuguese monarch, enjoyed the beauty and excellent conditions that Cascais bay presented for fun and organising regattas. Later, it was Don Juan Carlos from Spain that enjoyed this tradition, while staying in Estoril with his family, during exile.
Sailing was the first genre to set pace in Cascais waters and nowadays it’s hard to know where to start when it comes to splashing the spirits of sportsmen and enthusiasts for everything that surrenders to the sea. If you wish to follow tradition, all you need to do is jump aboard a vessel and enjoy the astonishing views over Estoril and Cascais on trips that can include several dives offshore. Departing from Cascais Marina, sails fill with wind. From the deck, you can gaze over the more urban, natural or wild landscape: the sand on the highly populated beach during the summer; a picturesque lighthouse, painting the set. Usually these trips extend till sunset. You’ll enjoy a fresh drink and enjoy the warm breeze of summer afternoons declare your love, capture wonderful pictures with the golden fire-like tones that hit the horizon, or simply relax and enjoy the natural show of saying goodbye to yet another day. Other times, the sails are hoisted up for fun in friends gatherings, bachelor parties, far away from the most curious eyes. Parties that can take hours, or days!
Sailing across Cascais’ bay is also another way to understand the importance that the sea has in this town and municipality life. Sailing and rowing schools are at the centre of the youngsters’ attention. Paddle, for example, is one of the most recent water sports grabbing everyone’s heart, no matter how old.
When we talk about adrenaline, there are excellent spots to practice surf, windsurf and kitesurf, where many schools are located and ready to teach the bravest spirits how to conquer and dominate the waves and winds. If you want to dig further on this subject we join diving and underwater fishing as two of the most sought sports by those who are not satisfied with the surface and really wish to explore further down.
With almost 30 km of seashore, distributed along 17 dream beaches with multiple and diversified characteristics, Cascais couldn’t by anything else than a town totally devoted to the sea and to the good things in life, the healthy and fun side of it.
If you are visiting Cascais, or plan to do it soon, don’t miss experiencing Cascais through another perspective. Come aboard this idea and have fun.
Special thanks to Ruy Figueiredo | The Charm of Cascais Guest House
