Is Sintra a good place to stay for a 10 day trip?

We have three very young kids so a beach makes the most sense. We're trying to put together a last min August trip. Sintra seems quieter than the Algarve but still beautiful, is that accurate? Are there beach front hotels or houses to stay in? Because of our young children we won't travel around too much. Am I on the right track with Sintra?

Sintra is in the foothills outside of Lisbon.
While it was a resort for Portuguese royalty trying to escape the heat of Lisbon, it is NOT on the coast, so there are no beaches at Sintra.
If you were thinking of a beach town near Lisbon, check into Cascais or Estoril.
The Algarve coast is where most travelers looking for a beach holiday in Portugal go.

agree with what kenko says - however still try and get to Sintra for a day or two - pretty awesome place

As above. Sintra is a very worthwhile day trip; you could even stay overnight and make 1½ days of it. But there's certanly not enough to do there for ten days. And it isn't on the coast.

We stayed in Sintra for two nights in 2013 and it was one night too many.

Place to visit, but not one for a long stay.

If you've seen a reference to the toy musuem in the centre of Sintra, please note that it closed in 2014.

So would Cascais/esterol be a good choice for a 10 day stay? The Algarve is packed, we can't find accommodation there. Looking for something a little more laid back anyway. Are the beaches nice in Cascais and esterol? Should we rent a car? Are there places to stay right on the beach?

Cascais and Estoril quite close together and there's easy rail acess to Belem and Lisbon plus bus access at least to Sintra. Few recommendations for Cascais re; family destinations on here in recent months.

Plus comments in our car about and hour ago about my partner heading over there with her daughter, son-in-law and grandchildren at some point.

We haven't hired cars in Portugal as we've used buses, trains, Metro and other forms of local transport to get around in each of our four visits since 2013.

How are the beaches in Cascais and estoril? We're coming all the way from the states, is this a good choice for a 10 day stay? I like to proximity to Lisbon, i don't relish a 4 hour car ride to the Algarve but I want beauty and culture. Is Cascais and estoril a good choice for beaches and culture?

Some comments on Cascais on here;

https://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/forums/europe-western-europe/portugal/two-weeks-in-august-with-kids-suggested-itinerary?page=1#post_22108599

https://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/forums/europe-western-europe/portugal/3-months-in-lisbon-area?page=1#post_22071533

https://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/forums/europe-western-europe/portugal/best-home-base-for-three-months?page=1#post_21954321

Hope that these help in some way...

Great information, thank you. Does anyone know if there is lodging in Cascais on a sandy beach? Resort, hotel, condominium, apartment, anything really. As long as we can easily walk to the beach with the little children. I'm not finding anything on booking.com. Too bad you can't search by beachfront.

Try airbnb it seems to have a number of places on or next to beach -- also in booking.com there is an option on left hand side to filter searches to 'beach' properties, plus if you select any property and click on it you will see the 'show map' option near top of screen that shows map of available places so you can work out what is close to beach

There are good, sandy beaches in Cascais and at a number of points east as far as Carcavelos. Use a mapping program (google maps or similar) to determine distance to the beach. We spent a month one summer in Sao Pedro do Estoril in an apartment about four blocks from the beach. Very pleasant.
With little kids, I would go with Cascais if you can afford it. Lots for children to do in Cascais, and there are good transportation connections to Lisbon and Sintra. Monte Estoril is another possibility, but a bit further from the beach. Other than Cascais, the best urban beach along that coast is at Carcavelos, the downside being that the beach is about 1 km from the commuter train station. Having said that, you might be able to find an apartment closer to the beach.
You can rent a car in this area, but parking is a big problem, and I suggest trying to make do with public transportation. Note that taxi's are easy to find in many areas, and are among the least expensive taxis in Europe. As noted by others, there are also good networks of commuter trains and buses.

We're having a hard time finding lodging. It's totally full in the Algarve and nearly so everywhere else. So I guess my essential question is this: does it make sense to travel all the way from the states with three little kids to stay in Cascais and not be able to stay in the Algarve? Aren't the beaches of the Algarve one of the major sites in Portugal? Are the beaches in Cascais nice enough to make the trip? Or should we wait until next year and book
Something farther in advance?

You have asked the same question 4 times - people have given their best opinions and links, at some point you have to make up your own mind.

Yes, true, I'm still struggling with this decision. And this forum always helps me sort through a difficult decision. Just looking for the one clear voice that will quiet my fear that if we skip the Algarve, we won't be missing essential Portugal. Sorry to ask so many times. Last minute travel planning is never easy, but is much worse w kids.

Self and GF have made four trips to Portugal totalling six weeks duration since 2013.

Although we have spent time on the Algarve - two weeks in three different towns over two visits - there is no way that I would describe it as essential Portugal.

Cascais would make more sense, especially with children.

Self and partner discussed this last week as we were talking about her heading off to Portugal with her daughter, son-in-law and her two grandchildren (2 and 4 y.o) for a break.

From Cascais you can head out to Lisbon, Sintra, Belem and the beach without a car as there's good public transport in the area. Others have posted thoughts on how good Cascais is for kids and on using public transport rather than a car.

You really need to make up your mind,

Carpe diem - sieze the day (or the pastella if you go to Belem!).

Carpe diem - sieze the day (or the pastella if you go to Belem!).

Especially if they're still warm, and topped with cinnamon.

Oh yes - with a bica, Sagres/Super Bock or one of each!

We have found a source of both pastellas and Sagres here in the UK.

Our local Co-Op store for the pastellas and either large Sainsbury's or large Morrisons stores....

Cinnamon stays out on the worktop, not in the cupboard...

In my opinion, Cascais is a good place to take your children. The beaches there are quite nice and you can have a look them using the google image search. I took my kids there when they were little, and have recently taken my grandchildren there. Many of the beaches in the Algarve are beautiful, but kids usually don't care that much for scenery. I find the most popular beach towns in the Algarve to be too touristy, and I much prefer the more mixed nature of Cascais and the residential/tourist areas to the west of Lisbon. There is much more for you to do in the area between Lisbon and Cascais than you could possibly do in 10 days.

Thanks again for everyone's advice. We are staying in estoril in a house we found on Airbnb.

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