We’ve only been in Cascais for just about a week and I already love it – lots of fit people out being active *all* the time. Right on the doorstep of the gorgeous Cascais/Sintra Nature park, my only concern was where the trailheads are. We’d been spoiled in Lisbon being about 1km from the southern entrance to the magnificent Monsanto. Here, it almost looked like we’d need transport to the trailhead. Not so fast.
Good old AllTrails found me an intriguing possibility – trailhead and nature starting right in the city center behind the Mercado Municipal de Cascais.
(Note: The trail was updated in the summer of 2021 – find updated trail information here)
Here are the stats:
- Distance: 11.84 km / 7.36 mi
- Moving Time: 1:32
- Elevation: 210 metres / 689 feet
- Temperature: 18° C / 65° F
- Humidity: 87%
To get to the trailhead, you need to go behind the Mercado, through the parking area and towards a green bridge with some pipes, and towards the apartment blocks on your right. Go under the bridge and through what is another parking area with some tremendous street art on the walls.
Update – while this trail was once a bit mysterious and slightly confusing (in an interesting sort of way, including some potential “trespassing”), the Cascais municipality did a number on the trail – in less than two months they extended it, cleared it and paved the vast majority of it. Not my favorite thing as I much prefer trails to concrete but it’s a good thing for accessibility. So, during a recent stay in São Jão do Estoril, I went back and ran the full length of it.
Updated Photos:
