The palace has a loggia, mullioned windows with Manueline-style mouldings and an imposing Gothic revival stone tower.It’s also a few strides from Rua Frederico Arouca and so effortlessly close to bars and cafes.More affordable but still in the premium bracket is Golf do Estoril, laid out in the 20s for Estoril’s high class tourists.Only a short of walk from the marina is the Boca do Inferno (Hell’s Mouth), a chasm in the limestone cliffs.This first opened in 1916 and was reworked in the middle of the 20th century.There are also plenty of surf schools and camps open all year round, and you can book week-long courses, one-day sessions or single lessons at Angels Surf School, Cascais Surf School, Surf’s Up, Moana Surf School and many more.All of seven kilometres from Cascais is a wild Atlantic beach in the untouched nature of the Sintra-Cascais Natural Park.If you don’t mind the tourist trail your evenings out will be centred on Praça 5 de Outubro, which is hemmed by bars and restaurants.in the flowing, upland terrain of the Sintra-Cascais Natural Park where tall maritime pines line the fairways.The town’s market trades on Wednesday and Saturday mornings in a big semi-permanent hall that doubles as a live music venue.Among them are Roman amphorae, cannons and a bronze Florentine musket from the 1600s.Source: Gabriela Popa / shutterstockThe view of the facade between the rows of cedars on Jardim do Estoril is something to behold: This is claimed to be the largest casino in Europe.It isn’t easy picking a favourite beach in Cascais, because they all have their strong points.Meanwhile outside are stalls selling clothes, kitchenware, as well as azulejos and other handicrafts.There’s also a shop, cafe and a garden where you can appreciate this remarkable building.Hook up with Gustykite, SBKiteboarding and Kitesurf Adventures if you’ve ever felt tempted to have a go.The beach is oriented to the east, which explains why there are hardly any currents, and it’s all the more picturesque for the low cliffs and two big limestone outcrops deposited on the sand.But if your vision of a perfect beach is a sandy cove lapped by crystalline seas then Praia da Rainha is the one for you.Source: Globe Guide Media Inc / shutterstockSource: Val Thoermer / shutterstockPassengers catching the train from Lisbon to Cascais can get off a couple of stops early at Estoril and find themselves on this fabulous beach.For some trivia, this cave was the first ever to be recorded on film, as the subject of Henry Short’s 1896 moving picture, A Sea Cave Near Lisbon.Safe to say that Cascais is where affluent Lisboans come to hit the fairways.In winter the winds blow from the east, for hollow left and right beach breaks that surfers hunt for.The town’s heritage as a former fishing village is also laid bare in a gallery of nets, old-time clothing and model vessels.Kids can spot the turtles in the water and feed the roosters, peacocks and ducks that strut around the mini farm.But there are other, maybe more authentic bars and restaurants in the quieter more residential corners of the town.It hosts temporary exhibitions of Rego’s paintings and graphic art, presented in a refreshingly frank and unpretentious way.Source: Junior Braz / shutterstockThere are all the usual games like roulette wheels, baccarat tables and black jack as well as a thousand slot machines, restaurants and a spacious auditorium for shows.If you don’t mind the wind Praia do Guincho is fine for sunbathing in summer, and a dramatic place to walk and watch the surfers in the cooler months.Praia do Tamariz was once favoured by aristocrats and industrialists and then the jet set as it’s just a stone’s throw from the casino.This is in two sections, the first of which handles Portuguese lighthouses in general.Deckchairs and benches are provided, and there’s a coffee shop with a terrace by the main pond.The building is from 2009 and was the work of Pritzker Prize-winner Eduardo Souto de Moura.The permanent exhibitions study both the ocean’s ecology and natural history, as well as man’s relationship with the ocean.The town’s maritime museum opened in 1992 and is just next to the Casa das Histórias.When well-heeled Lisboans need a change of airs in summer they go west to Cascais on the upper lip of the Tagus Estuary.