The best parks and gardens in Cascais

Considered one of Cascais’ green lungs, this park was created in the 1940s by merging the gardens of the Condes de Castro Guimarães Palace – whose museum still stands nearby – with the lands of the Viscount of Gandarinha. It’s a park with a romantic feel, full of secluded corners perfect for a little flirtation, but also hugely family-friendly, with two playgrounds (one for toddlers, another for older kids). You’ll also find ducks, roosters and peacocks strutting around confidently, hoping to be fed – though the park staff are strict on that front. And of course, there’s a big lawn made for sunbathing.

If Marechal Carmona Park is one of Cascais’ green lungs, Palmela Park is the other. Built in 1870 by the Dukes of Palmela, it’s home to a popular treetop adventure course, adapted for all ages – check out the company Pedaços de Aventura online for more info – and a performance space, the Fernando Lopes-Graça Auditorium, a nod to the days when the Duchess of Palmela hosted lavish parties here. The park also features a fitness trail to encourage outdoor exercise and a café with a terrace for well-earned breaks.

This park has 41,000 m2 of greenery, part of which is integrated into the National Ecological Network. This urban park incorporates (and is named after) the Ribeira dos Mochos, one of Cascais county’s main waterways. Opened in 2010, it has a children’s playground, an adventure trail, a picnic area and places to walk, as well as the obligatory fitness circuit. An interesting bit of trivia: it is also home to the Cascais Nurseries, where plants are grown that will be replanted in other green areas across Cascais.

This little-known park, located on the edge of the Sintra-Cascais Natural Park, near Murches in Alcabideche, spans four hectares and is perfect for those who enjoy walking in nature. It features a playground (with a castle for pretending to be knights) and a wooden boardwalk that allows for crossing (both on foot and by bike) through the natural slopes of the landscape, which remains largely untouched and offers panoramic views well worth discovering.

There are no car horns, planes overhead, or the rumble of passing trains. People are few and far between, and their presence is easily drowned out by birdsong and the rustling of leaves in the breeze. Welcome to Quinta do Pisão, set in the heart of the Sintra-Cascais Natural Park. Spanning 380 hectares, it’s a place where you can ride horses or donkeys, pick vegetables from the organic garden, or follow the Cuquedo trail – inspired by the beloved character from the Portuguese children’s bestseller, which even features in the National Reading Plan. Beyond its ecological richness, the site also offers a glimpse into local heritage, with restored facilities like stables, threshing floors, wells, and even 19th-century lime kilns, once vital to the area’s production. Resident animals roam freely – from horses and donkeys to sheep and goats. If you're planning a visit, consider joining an interpretative walk and check out the monthly programme, packed with activities.

The history of this park, in the parish of Parede, dates back to the beginning of the 20th century. Domingos José de Morais, a wealthy industrialist and owner of the “Portugal e Colónias” factory, owned the land and had his house there. The current Parque Morais thus descends from the remains of the formal garden of the house, which was acquired by the Cascais Municipality Initiatives Committee and a group of private individuals, in the 1930s. At that time, part of the park became home to the Association of Charity and Aid Amadeu Duarte, the Aid Post and the Volunteer Firefighters of Cascais – 6th Station of the Cascalense Humanitarian and Recreational Association. Now, the space – also known as Jardim Moraes and “duck park” – is equipped with a children's playground (recently remodeled), a pine forest with a picnic area, a pond with poultry and a large lawn. Once a month hosts a flea market. With an extensive garden with rose bushes, lively herbaceous plants and large trees, it becomes a unique place to rest and contemplate nature.

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Located in the heart of Monte Estoril, Jardim Carlos Anjos opened on 4 October 1889. Designed by architect Jorge Segurado, a key figure in introducing modernist architecture to Portugal, the garden once hosted a meteorological station in the early 20th century. This was to highlight the area’s status as an “excellent winter retreat,” far surpassing then-popular destinations like Biarritz, Cannes, or Nice. What it lacks in size, it more than makes up for in charm, making it a lovely spot to take the kids for a stroll after school or enjoy a weekend brunch at the newly revamped kiosk, the already iconic Pirouette.

The main attraction at Quinta de Rana – as the name suggests, also in São Domingos de Rana – is the João Pedro Cardoso da Conceição Butterfly House, home each year to dozens of species. Through guided visits, you can observe every stage of the butterfly life cycle: from eggs and caterpillars to chrysalises and butterflies. The urban park also includes a playground and a café, all set within two hectares of land that once formed part of a working farm.

Bike paths, pram paths, rest areas and lots of space in which to let the little ones run free is what you will find in the Bosque dos Gaios Urban Park. It borrows its name from one of the birds that live there, along with the rabbits and owls – so you can see how the kids will be entertained, right? – and has around 2.5 hectares of green space to explore. It has a picnic area, a viewpoint and, because every self-respecting park must have one, a fitness circuit for those who prefer to exercise for free in the open air.

Located in Alto da Castelhana, Alcabideche, this park — roughly the size of half a football pitch — offers a generous green space in an urban setting, complete with picnic areas and a fitness circuit equipped for outdoor exercise.

The Pedra Amarela Base Camp, in the heart of Sintra-Cascais Natural Park, is the place for all our readers with an adventurous spirit. Here you can camp in a safe place, go on the zip line, hire bikes to ride the mountain bike course, go abseiling, try archery, follow the canopy trail and also go rock-climbing. It is the perfect place for that energetic child at home, as well as for the mini-environmentalist and the romantic who only wants to wander and wonder.