The best markets in Cascais

The people of Cascais have gone to the Boca do Inferno market for decades to buy warm woollen jumpers and sheepskin slippers. Believe us, once you’ve tried the slippers, you won’t want to wear anything else all winter. There is also a number of stalls selling Portuguese plates, many of them hand-painted, which make excellent souvenirs. The stalls are open every day, and even if you don't buy anything, they make for a good stroll after taking a peek at the Boca do Inferno.

You are likely to come across the Mercado da Vila several times during your stay in Cascais. This is the name given to the old Cascais market, which has welcomed buyers and sellers since 1952. Since then it has been transformed into a centre for restaurants, bars and terraces, themed markets and a place for selling produce. On Wednesday mornings it has a big old-fashioned market selling everything from bed sheets to Pinterest-pinned crockery, from shoes to jeans. It is connected to the fresh market, the Mercado Saloio, which sells fruit, vegetables, flowers, cheeses, and so on, and which also opens on Saturday mornings.

Agrobio – the Portuguese Organic Agriculture Association - has spent years trying to convince the Portuguese to consume organic produce at a number of markets throughout the greater Lisbon region. On Saturday mornings, the Parque Marechal Carmona welcomes a number of Portuguese vendors of vegetables, fruit, herbs and processed products, who stay there come rain or shine.

For years this market took place in the centre of Cascais, until it moved to Alcabideche, which is still part of the municipality, only a little farther out. Vendors have gained in terms of the space available and can set up bigger stalls selling crockery, towels, clothes and shoes: in fact, everything an old-fashioned market should have - including the loud music.

A small street market for those looking for a more environmentally-friendly and sustainable way to buy, with all kinds of products, many of them made by local artisans.

This is the perfect street fair for treasure hunters. It sets up in the same place every Wednesday and has stalls where you can buy silver items, stalls with books and records, others selling necklaces, and all tending towards the antique – but in good condition, of course.

The acronym stands for Feira de Artesanato do Estoril (Estoril Craft Fair), an iconic summer fair that turns 58 in 2021. However, despite its age, it maintains the spirit of fun that it has always had. There are concerts, live music, dozens of traditional stalls selling everything from clothes to crockery, from home accessories to earrings, tiles – the lot – and has a number of traditional restaurants where you can eat chouriço assado (roasted chorizo), caldo verde (cabbage soup) and fresh sardines.