CASCAIS

We checked out of our Lisbon Hotel and rented a small Citroën SUV from SIXT, a German company with an excellent reputation and a convenient presence in all major cities. You are not limited to pickup and drop-off at the big airports. It was a short Uber ride from our hotel to the SIXT office.

The air seemed almost smoky, and we later learned it was from a massive Sahara sandstorm.  That was a first for me. I didn’t realize there were African sandstorms in Europe. Fine sand particles are drawn into the upper atmosphere and block direct sunlight, casting an eerie orange or yellow hue. And if it rains on these dust clouds, it binds with suspended dust, creating “muddy rain” (Chuva de lama), which leaves a thin residue on cars, windows, and buildings. Despite the temporary breathing hazards, the dust contains high concentrations of iron and phosphorus. Once it settles onto Portuguese soil and into the Atlantic Ocean, it serves as a rich, vital fertilizer for marine life and agricultural land.

Portugal is very much like driving in the U.S. The maximum speed limit on the motorways (equivalent to our interstates) is 72 miles per hour, but most people boogie way over that speed.

Highway speed enforcement in Portugal is strictly managed through a combination of fixed cameras, mobile patrols, and recently introduced average speed radars. While the standard motorway speed limit is 75 mph, enforcement typically allows a small technical tolerance, and many drivers cruise at around 80-85 mph, believing they are within a “safe” margin for minor fines.

Motorways (Autoestradas): 75 mph (minimum speed 25 mph).

Main Roads/Expressways: 62 mph.

Rural Roads: 56 mph.

Urban Areas: 31 mph (often strictly enforced by traffic lights that turn red if you approach too fast).

Portugal uses several high-tech methods to catch speeders:

Fixed Instantaneous Radars: These are marked by Sign H43 (blue sign with a camera symbol) and measure your speed at a specific point.

Average Speed Radars: Marked by Sign H42, these calculate your speed between two points on a stretch of highway. Slowing down just for the camera does not work here.

Unmarked Police Vehicles: The GNR (Guarda Nacional Republicana) and PSP (Polícia de Segurança Pública) use unmarked cars equipped with video recording and radar. They may follow you or park on bridges and hard shoulders.

Mobile Traps: Police often set up tripods or hidden cameras in shaded areas or after curves, especially on national roads like the EN125 in the Algarve.

Fines are tiered based on how much you exceed the limit. On-the-spot payment is common; if you cannot pay, the police may seize your vehicle or documents.

The highways are less crowded than in the U.S., and the cars are small and peppy. There were no American cars — NONE! We did see many electric vehicles.

As of early 2026, the electric vehicle (EV) market in Portugal is led by Tesla, though Chinese manufacturer BYD has rapidly emerged as a major challenger. Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs) reached a record market share of 24.3% of new passenger car registrations in the first quarter of 2026.

Gas is expensive.  As of April 26, 2026, the average national prices for fuel in Portugal were approximately:

Gasoline (Simple 95): €1.892 per liter (3.8 liters = 1 gallon).

Diesel (Simple): €1.962 per liter

That comes to about $8.40 per gallon for gas and $9.60 per gallon for diesel.  And then there’s the uncertainty surrounding the world’s gas supplies, given the war in the Middle East.  Gas prices are steadily rising throughout Europe. So, people are driving less in Portugal, and the roads aren’t busy.

We took the A5, a major east-west toll motorway, for about 40 minutes to the Parque Natural de Sintra-Cascais, which surrounds the upscale beach town of Cascais, often referred to as the Portuguese Riviera. The landscape seemed like a cross between the volcanic oceanside cliffs of Iceland and the rocky coastal desert of the Greek Islands.

The Sintra-Cascais Natural Park is one of Portugal’s 13 Natural Parks. Although it was designated a Natural Park by the Portuguese Government only in 1994, it has been protected since 1981. The park includes the Serra de Sintra Mountain Range and extends to the coast and Cabo da Roca, continental Europe’s westernmost point. It also contains the Castle of the Moors, a hilltop medieval fortress in Sintra, located about 15 miles northwest of Lisbon. Built by the Moors in the 8th and 9th centuries, the castle served as a strategic military outpost to defend the region and monitor maritime access to Lisbon. The castle’s most famous feature is its winding walls that snake across two mountain ridges, offering panoramic views of Sintra, Pena Palace, and the Atlantic Ocean.

Cascais, also often called the “Hamptons of Portugal“, has long been a sanctuary for international royalty, athletes, and artists seeking luxury and privacy. That said, it didn’t seem all that exclusive or impressive. The homes were nice, but nothing in comparison to the Jersey Shore — or the Hamptons, for that matter. It’s not a contest, and being the fanciest doesn’t make you the best. But it does invite comparisons.

Cristiano Ronaldo, the football legend, had a massive, newly completed €35 million mansion in the exclusive Quinta da Marinha area. Though he currently plays in Saudi Arabia, he originally designed this estate as his long-term family base in Portugal. NEWS FLASH! Ronaldo ultimately didn’t move into the house because it wasn’t private enough. They come, they go.

Philippe Starck: The world-renowned French designer and architect moved to Cascais several years ago, renting a historic house from the Countess of Monte Real.

The area’s reputation as the Portuguese Riviera is built on a history of hosting influential figures. King Luís I started the trend in the 1870s when he converted a 15th-century citadel into his official residence for September. The Portuguese nobility followed the king immediately, completely transforming what was once a quiet Roman fishing village into a landscape of lavish palaces and chalets.

Historically, Cascais served as a refuge for exiled monarchs, including King Juan Carlos I of Spain, King Umberto II of Italy, and the Duke of Windsor (the former King Edward VIII). It was a great place to vanish while still being seen.

Ian Fleming, the author of the James Bond series, was famously inspired to write Casino Royale while staying in Estoril (part of the municipality of Cascais) during WWII. Portugal was neutral during the war, and Fleming studied the world of espionage by hanging out with spies.

Rumor has it that Madonna used to frequent the area, though she supposedly spent more of her time in nearby Sintra and Lisbon. Then again, maybe she didn’t.

I found it amusing that when I posted this piece on Facebook while I was there, I immediately received a slew of critical comments from people who claimed to have the inside scoop on Ranaldo, Madonna, and various royal beasts. Several claimed to be real estate agents who had shown some very famous celebrities luxury houses around Cascais. It was hard for me to take any of it very seriously, but apparently a lot of people genuinely care about who lands in Cascais.

We hiked through luxurious, fenced-in neighborhoods where the homes were invisible, then took the paved trail along the ocean to the Boca do Inferno Blowhole, the Museu Condes de Castro Guimarães swimming beach, and Marechal Carmona Park.  We ate spectacular sushi at Confraria, and then walked into the heart of the old part of town and tried the world-famous Santini Gelados Artesanais – Cascais Valbom (freshly made gelato). The vibe was upscale beach town. But for a place that was home to the idle rich, the stores were nothing to write home about. All in all, Cascais was very nice, but nothing special.

It took us about an hour to stroll around the city center. By then, we were pretty beat, so we caught yet another cheap Uber back to the hotel ($7) and went swimming in the hotel pool.

The highlight of the day was Boca do Inferno, a volcanic arch where the ocean pounds the rocks into sharply polished fury.  It was certainly majestic, but blowholes are a dime a dozen around the world.  What made this one special was that it came with a great story about an epic practical joke.

Two of the most enigmatic figures of the early 20th century collaborated on a fake suicide stunt there. In 1930, Aleister Crowley (the notorious British occultist) visited Portugal specifically to meet Fernando Pessoa (Portugal’s greatest poet, himself deeply into mysticism and astrology). Together they staged Crowley’s “death” — planting a fake farewell note at this dramatic cliff, then tipping off the newspapers. It caused a sensation. Crowley quietly slipped away to Germany while everyone thought he’d jumped.

Crowley left a cryptic message under his cigarette case that read: “I cannot live without you. The other Boca do Inferno will get me – it will not be as hot as yours.” The note itself was written in Crowley’s characteristically theatrical occultist style — the “Year 14, Sun in Libra” is astrological dating, and he threw in a few mystical pseudonyms. Crowley had recently had a volatile quarrel with his lover, Hanni Jaeger, resulting in a dramatic scene. He orchestrated the stunt to punish her, generate massive international media attention, and temporarily escape mounting debts in Portugal. Pessoa, an admirer of the occult, willingly participated in the prank. He delivered the letter to the authorities and media, and even gave interviews to journalists claiming he had seen Crowley’s ghost near the cliffs shortly after his “disappearance”.

What made it even better: Pessoa was a deeply serious literary genius, not some crank — he just apparently couldn’t resist a good hoax with an interesting stranger.

Cascais is a lovely beach town where wealthy folks from Lisbon come to play. I totally get it.  But to me, it seems a bit crazy because the ocean is dark, the water temperature was about 56 degrees in late April, and the surf was body-bruising and unpredictable.  We drove miles along the Estoril coastline and saw no one swimming. It’s an attractive mix of Southern California and the Pacific Northwest with a Bossa Nova vibe.

Cascais is certainly a nice place to hang, but I’ll take my winter home of Venice, Florida, any day.  The water there is warm and turquoise-colored.  And we even have manatees.