Cascais (30m by train) - Old fishing village used as summer residence by the royal family and the aristocracy since the nineteen century. With a smashing atlantic coast, protected by the Sintra-Cascais Natural Park, with beaches, surf, windsurf and kitesurf 1st class spots. The road that comes from Cascais to the Sintra mountain is a must do.
Sintra (30m by car, also possible by train) - Ancient village, with castles, palaces, manors and villas, crossing all times and eras, from the arabic period to the present time, once called Moon mountain, it has been as well a place of cult since the beginning of times. The traditional cakes and pastry from Sintra are the perfect end for this enchanted and mystic day.
Mafra e Ericeira - Mafra stands as a gift to God, made to honour the promise by king D. João V to build a great convent if God give him a child. Its a barroc german style palace - convent, being the Library maybe the most impressive room. Ericeira is at a short distance, it was from this fisherman village that the royal family departured to Brasil during the Napoleonic invasions. Today stands as the first surf reserve in Portugal.
Batalha, Alcobaça e Óbidos - Batalha monastery is classified as World heritage since 1983, its a remarcable building and a milestone in european architecture. Its again the result from a promise made from King D. João I, this time it was the throne and the kingdom who were in question, the portuguese defeated the spanish in the battle of Aljubarrota conquering the independence as well. Alcobaça is the home of another monastyre, again related with the Templars, but this time in their very begining. Full of sobriety is a fine exemple of the Gothic architecture. Óbidos is a fortified city from the roman era, remains as a living exemple of an arabic and medievel urban trace.
Tomar, Almourol e Parque das Esculturas - Tomar is the home of the Castle of Templar Knights, one of the most important sites of the templars in the world. Very near is the castle of Almourol, other Templar castle whose history travels in time till the foundation of the kingdom of Portugal. Close to Almourol there is the Contemporarie Sculptures Park, a park with several sculptures of the most important portuguese contemporarie artists.
Serra da Arrábida, Setúbal e Troia - Another region whose history travels in time till the ancient era of the first settlers in Europe. Standing at the top opf the Serra staring at the Atlantic sea and coast is an astonishing experience, the sea with its differents green and blue tonalities constrasting with the vegetation it´s something you just have to see, I advise to pick one of the inumerous walking trails to enjoy the views at the best. Setúbal is the hometown of some of the finest fish restaurants and Troia, a beatifull sand peninsula with their Roman ruins and a 45km wide white sandy beach.
