Hello, First trip to Portugal. Will be there with my husband and our two teenage daughters. We'll be in Porto first and then Lisbon (end of June, beginning of July). We thought we'd stay right in one of the town centers (either in Porto or Lisbon) and then in a beach town nearby at the other destination (in other words, a beach town near Lisbon or Porto). So far I haven't been able to find any beach towns that seemed like a good fit for us near Porto. Near Lisbon, I found the town of Cascais. So my question ... Has anyone been to Cascais? Is there a lively or fun vibe there, things to do, etc.? Are there other beach towns you would recommend either near Lisbon or Porto. Want to spend some time at the beach, some time shopping and eating, and some time exploring. Our preference is to rent an apartment rather than a hotel. Thanks for the help!!

My daughter and I stayed in Cascais for 5 nights instead of in Lisbon (Lisbon is very easy to get to by frequent, cheap trains, 30minutes). We stayed in a wonderful hotel, something like Grand Real Italia which was not cheap but way less than a similar hotel in the states would be. There were evening activities at the hotel, it seemed to be a mix of guests and visitors alike. There are plenty of restaurants in Cascais, the food was very good and again, not as expensive as in the states. We were very glad of our decision to stay out in Cascais rather than in Lisbon - the hotel had a lovely pool - we would sightsee in town in the morning and come back and relax in the heat of the day. Near Cascais is Estorial that we did not get a chance to explore but I think it is a "faded dame" of a resort from earlier days. I think the current beach favorites are a bit further from Lisbon than Cascais and Estorial but we had a lovely time during our stay. But I don't remember there being chairs or umbrellas at the beach - we were doing our "sun worshipping" by the pool.

When we went to Portugal, we stayed most of the time in Lisbon but did spend a few nights in Cascais. Loved it! Our kids were very young and still enjoyed it. Walking to the Boca do Inferno was wonderful, and then you can continue walking along the water on the paved path.

We stayed in Estoril at the Intercontinental for two nights and loved it! It is a pricey hotel, very modern with a nice pool and it is on the boardwalk that leads into Caiscais. We walked down there and went to dinner in Caiscas. There are many shops and restaurants to choose from. All the beachfront offers beaches with umbrellas and chairs to rent and small restaurants.
The ocean water is quite chilly year round here just so you know.
I would recommend either the Intercontinental or another hotel along the walkway in caiscas. Your teens would definitely enjoy the area.

Good info! Thank you Suec1!

Wonderful! Thank you for the feedback, mms and girlonthego!