Sintra/Cascais Full day on Wheels

The Church of São Martinho is the parish seat, it was destroyed by the earthquake of 1755, rebuilt and lost its character at the end of the 18th century. Only the Gothic structure of the chancel remains, visible from the outside, including the 15th-century tombstone of Margarida Fernandes and three boards of Portuguese painting from the mid-16th century – “S. Martin and the poor", "St. Pedro” and “St.º António” – attributed to the Master of S. Quintino.

We can only speak of the Parish Church of São Martinho from 1283, the year in which statutes were ordained and granted, which, however, were only approved in 1306. Thus, all its regulations and properties were established (notably, among them, the hermitages of São Romão de Lourel; and São Mamede de Janas).

Over time, Sintra's Mother Church and seat of the Royal Collegiate of São Martinho, will have been the target of several restoration and improvement campaigns, highlighting the one carried out during the reign of King Manuel I.

Located in the heart of Sintra, the Biester Palace opened to the public in 2022, after restoration works.

The various areas of the palace and the park offer a privileged view of the Castelo dos Mouros, while a few minutes from the lower entrance you can find the mystical Quinta da Regaleira.

More than a historical monument, the Biester Palace is a mysterious adventure in a fascinating and (still) unexplored cultural labyrinth.

Praia Grande is a beach in the municipality of Sintra, in Portugal. It is integrated into the Sintra-Cascais Natural Park.

It offers a relatively extensive beach - hence its name. With an ideal strong swell, the beach is famous for its excellent conditions for surfing and bodyboarding. On this beach, every year, various water sports events are held, including the world bodyboarding championship. It has an ocean pool at the north end (entrance fee), while to the south there are traces of dinosaur footprints on the cliff. Good water quality.[4]

Praia Grande is still a summer resort for many inhabitants of the Lisbon region and very popular among the Portuguese capital's jet set. The EN375 road, which gives access to the beach, has been served by a Sintra Tram stop since 1980 and in the period 1904-1958.

The left end of the beach, next to the cliffs, is one of the most popular areas for fishermen, famous for the quality and quantity of fish.

Cabo da Roca is the westernmost point of mainland Portugal and continental Europe. It is located in the parish of Colares, in the Municipality of Sintra and District of Lisbon. Its geographic coordinates are N 38º46'51", W 9º30'2".

The site can be visited, not to the extreme but up to an area at an altitude of 140 m. The cape forms the western end of the Serra de Sintra, falling into the Atlantic Ocean.

Luís Vaz de Camões described it as the place “Where the land ends and the sea begins” (in Os Lusíadas, Canto III).[1]

A stone pattern with a tombstone highlights this geographical feature to everyone who visits this place.

Its flora is diverse and, in many cases, has unique species, being the subject of several studies that also extend to geomorphology, among others.

There is a lighthouse (Farol do Cabo da Roca) and a tourist shop in the area.

It is located in the Sintra-Cascais Natural Park, in an area with easy access and a large number of tourists, with many people visiting it.

Cascais is a Portuguese village in the Lisbon Metropolitan Area subregion, belonging to the region with the same name and the district of Lisbon, with 64,310 inhabitants (2021) in its urban perimeter.

It is the seat of the municipality of Cascais, with a total area of ​​97.4 km2 and 214,158 inhabitants (2021), subdivided into 4 parishes. The municipality is limited to the north by the municipality of Sintra, to the east by the municipality of Oeiras and to the south and west by the Atlantic Ocean.

Its origins as an independent entity date from the Carta da Vila, of June 7, 1364, in which King D. Pedro I of Portugal separated it from the term of Sintra due to its economic development. Administratively, it only became independent in 1514, the date on which it was provided with its own charter. Occupied since the Paleolithic period, and with an important archaeological heritage, the municipality was focused on agricultural production, fishing and resource extraction from an early age. Its strategic position in Barra do Tejo also contributed to its importance, today boasting a vast military architectural heritage.

Due to its natural and scenic values, both the town and the municipality experienced a surge in popularity that saw it become the preferred destination for Portuguese and foreign elites from the 19th century onwards. The arrival and electrification of the railway were crucial to the city's progress, being the main factor in its urbanization from 1930 onwards.