Beach
CASCAIS - Parede
SINTRA - Colares
Cascais: Parede
Parede sits on the Cascais train line, one of the most scenic commuter routes in Europe, hugging the Atlantic from Lisbon out to Cascais. It's beach life without Cascais's price tag or crowds — a town where people surf before work and the promenade runs straight into Carcavelos and Estoril — with Cascais itself close by whenever you want to borrow it for an afternoon.
Sintra: Colares
Colares is the coastline that's truly ours — my family's beach house for three generations, tucked where the Sintra hills meet the sea. It's a landscape I measure every other beach against: vineyards in volcanic soil, cliffs instead of boardwalks at Praia Grande and Praia das Maçãs, and a slower, wine-region pace just minutes from Sintra's palaces without borrowing their crowds.
Together, the two give you real Atlantic beach culture on either side of Lisbon — an easy, connected seaside town, and the wilder coast my family has loved for three generations — both run on the same principle as everything else here: a house that looks after you without needing to be looked after itself.
Our Houses by the Beach
Avenca da Praia, in Parede, is a Scandinavian-inspired tiny house five minutes on foot from the beach and the train — a favourite with surfers and remote workers who don't want to choose between ocean and city. Pinha da Praia, near Colares, is the family retreat: private pool, fireplace, tucked into the coast my family has known for generations.
