ESTORIL & CASCAIS MUSEUMS AND MONUMENTS

The Estoril and Cascais area have a handful of museums and monuments with a few in the Oeiras borough –  the important larger ones are concentrated in Lisbon. Below is a brief guide to the museums and monuments in this borough.

ESTORIL:

• MUSEU DA MUSICA PORTUGUESA – CASA VERDADES DE FARIA (MUSEUM OF PORTUGUESE MUSIC):

  

  Av. Saboia, 1146 B, Monte Estoril. Tel: +351-21-4815904. Open:10am-6pm. Closed Monday.

  

  A collection of regional Portuguese musical instruments. More on our page Casa Verdades de Faria

CASCAIS:

Statue of King D. Carlos I  overlooking Cascais Bay

• MUSEU DO MAR (MUSEUM OF THE SEA):
  

  Rua Júlio Pereira de Mello. Tel: +351-21-4815906. Open: Tuesday-Sunday: 10am-6pm. Closed Monday. Display of fish, sea creatures, fishermen’s costumes. More on our page  Cascais Museum of the Sea

• MUSEU CONDES DE CASTRO GUIMARÃES (MUSEUM OF THE COUNTS OF CASTRO GUIMARÃES):

  Av. Rei Humberto II de Itália, Parque Marechal Carmona. Tel: +351-21-4815303. Open: Tuesday-Sunday: 10am-6pm. Closed Monday. Collection of furniture, objects d’art and a library belonging to the Counts. Lovely garden park and chapel in the grounds. Read more at Condes de Castro Guimaraes Museum

• CASA SOMMER:

  

  This house was built by Henrique Sommer in the neoclassic style in the 19th century.  It was refurbished and opened in 2016 by the Cascais Council housing the Municipal Archives.  This is a smaller museum in Cascais just next to the Museum of the Sea. The current exhibition ‘Invention of Estoril – Photographic History’ runs to 19 October 2025 and has photographs on two floors of the years when Estoril was developing as a tourist destination (1914-1955).  Fausto de Figueiredo was one of the great founders of this invention of Estoril. There is also a bookshop where you can buy mainly historic books on this area. Open Monday-Friday: 9am to 1pm and 2pm – 5pm. Sat./Sun: 10am-1pm and 2pm – 6pm.

• IBN MUCANA WINDMILL:
  

  

  Cascais has several windmills. The Ibn Mucana windmill is located in Alcabideche just before Cascaishopping. It was named after the Arab poet who was born and raised in Alcabideche in the 11th century.  The windmills were referred to in his poems and writings.

• BOCA DO INFERNO (Mouth of Hell – Rock Formations):

  

  Spectacular rocks just past the Cascais Marina.  Stalls nearby sell handicrafts. Cafés and restaurants overlook the sea.

  

OEIRAS MUSEUMS:

• GUNPOWDER FACTORY (Fábrica da Pólvora de Barcarena) Oeiras:

  
  This former industrial area was renovated and includes a park and other leisure areas.  The Black Powder Museum – MUSEU DE PÓLVORA NEGRA  is open Tuesday to Sunday 11am-5pm. Closed Monday. Diplays the process of the manufacture of black powder from the 15th century to the late 1980s.

• CAXIAS ROYAL GARDENS (Jardim da Real Quinta de Caxias):

  Estrada da Gibalta, 18B, Caxias. Train station Caxias.  Open daily: 9am-9pm.  Lovely garden built in French style in the 18th and 19th century.

• To visit Museums in the Lisboa area from Cascais or Estoril take the train to Cais do Sodré.  The Metro, buses , trams and cabs are all available from here. Trains run from 5.30am to 1.30am and the Metro from 6.30am to 1am.