Estoril is a beautiful resort town stretching along the coastline of the Atlantic Ocean to west Lisbon, Portugal. The city has a cosmopolitan structure of the Portuguese Riviera and displays a modern appearance with touristic places while preserving its traditional atmosphere. Estoril is only 30 kilometers from Lisbon and waiting to be discovered with its historical towns, golden sandy beaches, and first-class golf courses as an indispensable address for summer vacations.
Estoril, which has a magnificent marina built on the old port, is best known for hosting the largest casino in Europe. The casino is set in a big garden with tall palm trees, and its reputation comes from big international shows and cabarets. It is said that Ian Fleming, the author of the well-known James Bond series, is highly inspired by this casino, and his first novel Casino Royale based on this casino. Orson Wells, another famous actor associated with Estoril, stayed in the historical Palacio Hotel that was built in the 1930s.
Estoril is also known for hosting many British and German agents and kings and queens who were exiled during that time, as Portugal was a neutral country during World War II. Today Estoril is known for being a resort town with breathtaking beaches, the best golf courses in Europe designed by world-famous architects, tennis courts, and Formula Grand Prix. Tamariz beaches are 3 kilometers from the city center so you can enjoy the blue sea and sandy beaches between June and September which are the prime months. On the hill overlooking the beaches, there are properties of the Monaco Royal family. You can walk to the fishing town of Cascais from Tamariz and along the way you can swim on different beaches. The northern side of the city is quite windy, so you can surf the beaches on this side if you want to.
Lisbon Portela Airport is the closest airport to Estoril if you consider traveling there by airplane. The transportation options are taxis and car rental services, but you can take trains from Lisbon city center to Sintra and buses from Sintra to Estoril too.
