Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
AROUND LISBON
When the city sizzles in summer,
lisboêtas
don't have to go far to keep their cool - it's all
in their backyard. Enchanting beaches lie north and south of the capital. There are also rip-
pling woods brushed with pine and eucalyptus, marshy reserves where bottlenose dolphins
splash, hills studded with fanciful palaces, and limestone cliffs where dinosaurs left their
footprints 150 million years ago. And you'll find it all within an hour of the capital.
Drenched in shades of green, Sintra is often touted as the must-do day trip and you can
believe the hype - it's stunning. Moors, blue-blooded eccentrics and even Lord Byron let
their vivid imaginations loose in above-the-clouds palaces, woods scattered with enormous
boulders and subtropical gardens. To the southwest, Cascais is a cocktail of beach, culture
and lively bars, and neighbouring Estoril might just tempt you to roll the dice at its once
ritzy casino of James Bond 007 fame. Go northwest for royal decadence in Mafra's
baroque palace of Versailles proportions.
