Walking Sintra to Cascais

This route is suitable for most regular hikers of good average fitness.

To prepare for your tour, we recommend regular hiking, including routes with hilly terrain. Be sure to review the daily distances and elevation changes detailed in your itinerary.

The route follows a mixture of gravel trails, forest and clifftop paths with daily ascents of between 150-500m / 500-1650 ft

The walk from Praia Grande to Azoia (longer tour only) – the walk takes you along clifftop paths which can feel exposed, so may not be suitable if you suffer from vertigo (you can opt out of walking that day). Near Cabo da Roca the path can be sandy and the terrain can also be quite challenging here, with steep sections of bare dirt. We highly recommend hiking poles.

This route is graded moderate. Within each tour, individual days may vary in difficulty, so some days might be a bit tougher or easier than the overall rating suggests.

Accommodation on this tour is in boutique hotels and quinta-style guesthouses. All have a private bathroom and a warm Portuguese welcome.

You can add extra nights at any of the overnight locations, and there's also the option to upgrade to the Lawrence's Hotel in Sintra - just let us know when booking if you'd like this.

Yes, solo travelers are very welcome. There will be a supplement because some costs, like transfers, aren't shared. Or if you'd like to book a single room, just ask. These are available for a supplement.

Breakfast is provided by your accommodation every morning - typically a selection of hams and cheeses, along with pastries like the delicious pastel de nata, served with a cup of galão (milky coffee).

Lunch isn't included, you can pick up picnic supplies from small local stores, and some accommodations will make you a packed lunch if you ask in advance.

Dinners are not included, but you'll find plenty of places to eat out in the towns and villages along the way. Portuguese food is well worth exploring here, from the classic codfish dish bacalhau à brás to other fresh seafood, and the Sintra region is also known for its Queijada de Sintra pastries and Colares wine.

This tour offers complete flexibility, with a start on any day of the week from the beginning of January to the middle of December - we don't operate it in July and August, when conditions get too hot for comfortable hiking.

Sintra enjoys good weather for most of the year, with spring and fall offering especially good conditions for walking. Average temperatures range from the low-to-mid 50s°F / 10-15°C in winter up to 70-85°F / 20-30°C in early summer.

Inland areas tend to run a little cooler than Cascais, thanks to the higher elevation.

Your bags will be collected from your accommodation each day and moved onto your overnight accommodation. We ask you to limit your luggage to one bag of up to 20kg/44lbs per person.

The route is way-marked in places, though not everywhere.

Navigation is straightforward using our app which has maps, tracks and daily route info. Simply download the information and tracks for offline use and follow the route on your phone. Once on the trail you do not need signal for the app to work and follow your progress.

Lisbon Airport (LIS) is well served by direct flights from across the UK, Europe and several US cities. If you are traveling from elsewhere in Portugal or Spain, Lisbon is also easy to reach by rail. For example, the train from Porto takes about 3 hours. Check the Comboios de Portugal (CP) website for timetables.

At the end of your tour, it is easy to get from Cascais to Lisbon Airport (LIS). Take the train to Cais do Sodré station in Lisbon (40 minutes), then a bus on to the airport (20 minutes).

On the longer tour you have an included transfer from Lisbon Airport to Sintra at the start of the tour.

You'll need good hiking shoes or boots, comfortable hiking clothes, waterproofs, a daypack, and we recommend hiking poles. A portable charger for your cell phone is essential. On booking, our Tour Info will give you a complete packing list.

On certain days you can shorten the route or skip it entirely by using a taxi or public transport.

We highly recommend that you have travel insurance when you book with Macs Adventure. Your policy should cover medical treatment (including repatriation and emergency evacuation by air ambulance or helicopter), injury, death, third-party liability, and trip cancellation