The Convento dos Capuchos (unfortunately closed due to the storm in March 2025) and Azenhas do Mar are just two of the places out of the Estoril Coast where you will find historic and picturesque sites. The Cabo da Roca is also another point of interest.
AZENHAS DO MAR:
Enjoy a hot Summer’s day with a dip in the rock pool or sea and drink at Azenhas do Mar, foto above.
Azenhas do Mar is a long drive from Cascais but it has a pretty village overlooking the sea with a natural rock pool and great views from here.
The steps that lead from the main road to the beach at Azenhas do Mar, opposite the rock pool, photo above.
CONVENTO DOS CAPUCHOS, SINTRA (Note: closed from April 2025, see below) :
In 1560 Dom Alvaro de Castro, built the Convento dos Capuchos on behalf of his father Dom João de Castro. The Convent had other names: Convento de Santo Cruz da Serra da Sintra and Convento da Cortiça. William Beckford mentions the Cork Convent in his travel journal.
The whole complex was an austere hermitage with the barest of conditions. The devout friars believed in living with the minimum comfort, spiritually embracing God’s creation of nature.
The cells which were carved out of the granite boulders had their walls insulated with cork taken from the local trees. This was to keep out humidity. They made use of local natural materials. The friars grew medicinal plants and lived off the land. The friars lived here until 1834 when religious orders in Portugal were disbanded. In 1873 it became the property of the Cook family. The Portuguese state acquired it in 1949. In 1995 UNESCO classified the Sintra Hills including where the convent is located as a Cultural Landscape – Heritage for Humanity.
PLEASE NOTE: DUE TO THE HEAVY STORM THAT TOOK PLACE IN THE AREA ON 19TH/20TH MARCH 2025 THE CONVENTO DOS CAPUCHOS IS CLOSED. WE AWAIT NEWS OF THE DATE OF REOPENNING OF THIS SITE.
CABO DA ROCA:
Cabo da Roca is the most westerly point of Europe. Luis Camoes was Portugal’s famous poet and writer. He referred to it in his Lusiadas as the point “where the land ends and the sea begins.” It is part of the Sintra Cascais Natural Park and is 150 metres above sea level.
Built in 1758 the lighthouse played an important role in the defence of the coast. The views of this coastline and Sintra hills are spectacular.
COLARES:
Colares is located nearer to Sintra. It is well-known for its winery the Adega Regional de Colares that produces the famous Chitas wine. Colares has some beautiful rugged landscapes and terrain with narrow winding roads. There are a number of small villages nearby.
By Pat Rodrigues