Quinta da Serra is perfectly placed to enjoy both coastal and countryside pursuits. There are beautiful beaches within 10 minutes drive, including Praia Grande’s long beach flanked by high cliffs, with a life guard available during the summer. The slightly smaller Praia de Macas is also 10 minutes away. Both beaches have numerous restaurants (we recommend Bar deo Fundo in Praia Grande) and bars along their promenades as well as kiosks with companies that offer surfing lessons.
For serious surfers, an hour away is Nazare, which offers spectacular beaches and when the conditions are right, it has the largest waves on the planet. Calm water beaches include Cascais and Estoril, both also offer numerous restaurants and bars. Cabo de roca is the most westernly point in Europe, with a picturesque lighthouse perched high on the cliffs. This route is very popular with motorcyclists on Sunday mornings.
Sightseeing
We are blessed with a plethora of historic palaces virtually on our doorstep. These are all within ten-minutes drive of the villa: Pena Palace; Castle of the moors; Quinta de Regaleira; Palace de Monserrate; National palace of Sintra. We advise parking in one of the many carparks outside the historical city walls as there is less availability inside and the roads are very narrow with one-way traffic systems – a wrong turn can cost you 20 minutes to get back again!
Picturesque villages to visit
Nearby Sintra is a must-visit for to soak up some authentic Portuguese history and architecture as well as good shopping. Azanhas do Mar is ten minutes from the villa, and is a beautiful hilltop town built into the cliff sides. There is a very popular restaurant (Restaurante Azenhas do Mar) situated above a natural pool overlooking the beach. In summer is also has a nice bar where the sunsets are amazing.
Obidos is a very picturesque village completely surrounded by high city walls. It has very lively narrow streets with lots of boutique shops. A favourite time is Christmas when it’s all lit up and has a Christmas village with lots of games for children. Cascais is an old fishing village with beautiful beaches and shopping. It also has a nice Christmas market during winter.
Daytrips
Lisbon is just over half an hour away, and is a must-visit on your holiday. Don’t miss Castle St. George, Bairro Alto, Alfama, the main square, statue of Christ, Torre de Belem.
Nazare and Peniche offers fantastic surfing, beaches, promenades and shops.
Setubal has good beaches and you can go dolphin spotting.
Serra da Arrabida for very beautiful beaches and mountains within the national park.
Costa Caparica for beaches and shops.
Shopping & Groceries
There are a couple of small grocery stores within 5 minutes drive of the villa. There is a nice deli supermarket in Janas, which has a bakery selling deliciously fresh croissants and bread. They open at nine and the bread is normally still warm. Janas also has a butchers, organic supermarket and café, which is well worth a visit. The closest bigger supermarket is Continente and is 10 minutes drive.
For other shopping needs, there are a number of large malls. The two closest ones are Allegro and Cascaishopping. Both have all the high end stores but Cascaishopping offers a more contemporary selection of outlets.
Horse riding
Equestrian centres are available nearby at Quinta do Rol; Le Paddock in Janas and Quinta de Marinha.
Mountainbiking (Single track)
There are some amazing downhill trails in Sintra National Park, most of them start from Malveira de Serra. You can explore on your own or book a guide for day with uplift shuttles. There are a lot of different riding conditions, ranging from dense forest with roots and mud to more open landscape with flowing trails and even dry and rocky loose terrain near the coast.
Hiking
There are many marked hiking trails available, more info on www. https://www.parquesdesintra.pt/en/parks-and-monuments/park-and-national-palace-of-pena/recreation-and-leisure/hiking-trails/
Fishing
Fishing charters are available from Lisbon or nearby Cascais. If you are lucky, you may spot dolphins off the coast too.
Markets
Visiting a local market is the perfect opportunity to experience local life and to buy fresh produce for your lunch and dinner. On Saturday and Sunday there are local markets in Colares and many of the other nearby villages and towns have market days, we can advise on this at the time of booking.
