Cascais with Kids: The Best Day Trip from Lisbon (and Why You Might Want to Stay Longer)

If you're visiting Lisbon with young kids and wondering what to do beyond the city itself, Cascais should be at the top of your list. Cascais is a seaside town about 30km west of Lisbon on the Estoril Coast, and the combination of sheltered beaches, a walkable historic centre, a proper park with peacocks and a playground, and great seafood make it an easy day trip or base for a exploring somewhere else when you visit Lisbon. We visited as part of our week in Lisbon when our daughter was 3 yrs old, initially just planning a quick afternoon by the sea after a morning at Guincho Beach nearby and ended up staying until well into the evening, reluctant to leave.

Getting to Cascais from Lisbon with Kids

This is one of the simplest day trips you can do. The train departs from Cais do Sodré station in central Lisbon and runs directly to Cascais without any changes. The journey takes around 35–40 minutes and the train runs frequently throughout the day, roughly every 20 minutes during peak hours. A single ticket costs approximately €2.30 per adult, with children under 4 travelling free. There is also a 24-hour ticket for €6.00 if you're planning to combine Cascais with other train trips that day.

The train is pram-friendly and the platforms are accessible. If you're arriving at Cais do Sodré with a young child and a pushchair, I would recommend heading to the end of the platform where the carriages tend to be less crowded, especially in summer.

One small tip: sit on the right side of the train heading towards Cascais to get the coastal views. It sounds like a minor thing but looking through the window at the sea helped keep my daughter entertained during the journey.

When to go: Cascais is a year-round destination, but if you're going primarily for the beaches, aim for May to September when the water is warm enough to actually swim. July and August are the busiest months and the town beaches do fill up so if you're going in peak season, make sure to arrive early. We went in September and the timing felt perfect because it was still warm but noticeably quieter than peak summer

What to Do in Cascais with Young Kids

The Town Beaches

The beaches in Cascais are the main event, and what makes them so good for families with young children is how sheltered they are. Praia da Ribeira, Praia da Rainha, and Praia da Conceição sit right in the bay with calm, relatively gentle water. Praia da Ribeira is the most central, a stone's throw from the train station, and tends to fill up quickest. Praia da Conceição and Praia da Duquesa, a short walk further along the waterfront, are slightly bigger and feel a little less hemmed in.

What I particularly like about the Conceição and Duquesa beaches for families is the natural sea pool that sits between them. This barriers create a sheltered swimming area with calmer water, which is ideal if you have a child who's just finding their feet in the sea. There are lifeguards in high season. The steps down into the water can be slippery so water shoes are worth having (we always travel with a pair for our daughter), but the ramps make it accessible with a pram. All three beaches have toilets and there are showers along the waterfront, though changing facilities are limited so factor that in.

Guincho Beach

Guincho Beach offers a long stretch of Atlantic coastline backed by shifting sand dunes and the hills of the Sintra-Cascais Natural Park, giving you a wild feeling only 10 minute drive from central Cascais (you can also get there by bus, though it takes longer and the service isn't frequent, so I'd recommend a taxi or Uber).

It's a completely different experience to the sheltered town beaches as it has strong winds and surf, so it's a popular spot for surfers and kitesurfers but it's not the easiest for swimming with young kids. When we went in September with our daughter, we only splashed around very close to the shore butthen mainly spent our time finding the natural pools that form in the sand, where she played around and built sandcastles to her heart's content. There are also rocky edges at either end of the beach with caves and rock pools to explore, which she loved exploring. The beach has toilets, showers, and ramps down to the sand.

Parque Marechal Carmona

This park is a 5-10 minute walk from the train station and has wide shaded paths, a pond with ducks and turtles, peacocks wandering around completely unbothered, and a good playground which has plenty of shade.

The café inside the park has high chairs and a ramp for prams, and the ice cream was a very effective bribe for leaving the playground when it was time to go. There are picnic tables under the pine trees near the museum at the edge of the park, which is a good spot for lunch if you've packed food. But if you want to eat out then the Time Out Market Cascais is nearby and worth a visit.

Boca do Inferno

A 20 minute walk along the coastal path from the town centre (or a short taxi ride) brings you to Boca do Inferno (which translates to "Mouth of Hell") which is a natural rock formation where the Atlantic crashes into a collapsed sea cave and sends spray up through the opening in the rocks above.

It's worth visiting for the coastal walk alone, which is flat and pram-friendly. There are usually a few souvenir stalls set up near the viewpoint, and a café. On windy days the spray can reach the viewing area, so you might get a bit of a splash! The path back into town via the coastal promenade, past the Cascais lighthouse at Santa Marta, is lovely and easy walking with a pram.

The Town Centre and Historic Cascais

Cascais has a preserved historic centre with a fort, a cultural centre, a small marina, and the kind of Portuguese town square (Largo Luís de Camões) where children can run around without anyone minding. There's a merry-go-round in Jardim Visconde da Luz just off the main square, it's a small thing, but our daughter spotted it from about 200 metres away and the decision about what we were doing next was immediately made for her.

The town is almost entirely flat and very pram-friendly, which makes it an easy place to wander around and soak in the atmosphere. The streets around the historic centre have good cafés and plenty of seafood restaurants, after all, Cascais is a fishing town at heart so the fish and seafood options here are excellent. If you're there for lunch, I would suggest sitting down somewhere with a proper menu rather than going straight to the Time Out Market, simply because the local seafood restaurants here offer better value for the quality than you'd typically find in central Lisbon.

The Cascais Time Out Market is a smaller version of the Lisbon one so it doesn't have as many vendors and isn't as crowded but it's a very practical option with young kids as you can each pick something different and find a table easily. The bacalhau (salt cod) fritters here were excellent.

Where to Stay in Cascais

Most people do Cascais as a day trip from Lisbon, and it works very well that way. But if you'd rather base yourself on the coast and do Lisbon as the day trip (which does make a lot of sense with young children because it's quieter, more space, easier beach access), here's where I'd look across three price points.

Budget: Hotel Baia

Hotel Baia has a location that's genuinely hard to beat because it is right on the seafront at Cascais Bay, steps away from Praia da Ribeira and a 5 minute walk from the train station. The rooms are straightforward and many have sea view balconies. It's not specifically set up as a family hotel in terms of extra amenities, but the location means you're onto the beach in under two minutes and back to the room for nap time without any fuss. Cots are available on request. Check availability here: Hotel Baia.

Mid-Range: Pestana Cascais Ocean & Conference Aparthotel

Pestana Cascais is the best midrange option for families because the aparthotel rooms mean you get more space than a standard hotel room. Especially the family suites which have a separate sleeping area for children. There's both an indoor and outdoor pool, a good breakfast buffet, and the location puts you close to the beaches and town centre. Book via: Pestana Cascais.

Splurge: Onyria Quinta da Marinha Hotel

If you want a resort style stay and are happy to be a short taxi or drive from the town centre, Onyria Quinta da Marinha is outstanding for families. Six pools (including a children's pool), a kids club with good staff, babysitting available, a spa, and multiple restaurants on site. It's on the pricier end but you and your family will be well looked after here with the comfortable facilities and friendly staff. Find availability here: Onyria Quinta da Marinha.

Final Thoughts

A day trip to Cascais with kids is one of those things that requires almost no planning and delivers far more than you'd expect. The train is easy, the town is flat and walkable, the beaches are calm, and there's enough variety to fill a full day without ever feeling like you're ticking boxes.

If you're building a Lisbon trip with young kids, I'd also recommend reading our guide to How to Spend a Week in Lisbon with Young Kids. Cascais fits naturally into a longer itinerary alongside Sintra, Guincho Beach, and the city itself. And if you're thinking about extending your Portugal trip further south, our full Algarve guide covers the best spots for families down the coast.