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18<title>About us: Phil Giddings on Cascais</title>
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72<p class="title_h1" style="margin: 0; padding: 0">Cascais-Portugal.com</p>
73<p class="text_centre" style="color: white; padding: 0; margin: 0;">The best independent guide to Cascais</p>
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79<p class="title_h1"><span style="background-color: rgba(3, 115, 243, 0.6)">Cascais-Portugal.com</span></p>
80<p class="title_h2"><span style="background-color: rgba(3, 115, 243, 0.6)">The best independent guide to Cascais</span></p>
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85<div class="title_box" style="margin-top: 0">
86<h1 class="title_h1">About Phil Giddings: your guide to Cascais</h1>
87</div>
88
89<p class="text_justified">Olá, I'm Phil. My goal with this website is to provide expert, practical advice on Cascais, grounded in over two decades of first-hand experience. Sharing my knowledge of Portugal is now my full-time profession, allowing me to focus entirely on the on-the-ground research that makes these guides genuinely useful.</p>
90
91<p class="text_justified">My connection with Portugal began in 2001 through my wife, Carla. In 2009, I launched my first website, frustrated by the superficial and often outdated travel information online. My goal was simple: to create the kind of reliable, in-depth resource I wished had existed for my own trips.</p>
92
93<p class="text_justified">This isn't knowledge from a single visit. It's an understanding built over 20 years of exploring <a href="../index.html">Cascais</a>. I've seen it maintain its chic, historic charm while growing as a top destination. I appreciate its unique dual identity: a fantastic holiday town in its own right, and the perfect coastal escape for a day trip from Lisbon.</p>
94
95<p class="text_justified">This long-term perspective is the foundation of every article on this site. My research process is continuous and hands-on.</p>
96<ul class="text_justified"><li>I know the scenic train journey from Lisbon inside and out and can advise on the best way to plan your travel.</li>
97  <li>I understand the character of the local coastline, from the calm, sheltered beaches of the town centre to the wild, windswept surfing beaches like Guincho.</li>
98  <li>I've walked the beautiful coastal promenade, the Paredão, to Estoril many times and know the best spots to stop along the way.</li>
99</ul>
100<p class="text_justified">This methodical approach ensures the information you find here is not only inspiring but also accurate and trustworthy. My aim is to give you the confidence to explore this stunning part of the <a href="https://lisbonlisboaportugal.com/index.html" target="_blank">Lisbon</a> coastline.</p>
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102<p class="text_justified">Thank you for trusting me with your travel plans.</p>
103
104<p class="text_justified">For my full story and specific expertise on Lisbon, you can read <a href="https://lisbonlisboaportugal.com/lisbon-tour/about-us.html" target="_blank">my main profile here</a>.</p>
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107<p class="title_h2_centre">Our most popular guide for Cascais and Lisbon</p>
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110<p class="title_h2">The best independent guide to Cascais</p>
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121<p class="navboxtop">Cascais Home</p>
122<a href="../index.html"><img src="../ix/170/portugal-when-to-visit.jpg" loading="lazy" alt="Cascais Portugal guide" style="width: 100%;" height="170" width="170" /></a>
123<p class="navboxbottom">Discover Cascais' coastal charm, where centuries-old tales meet modern luxury</p>
124</div>
125
126<div class="boxholder">
127<p class="navboxtop">Sights &amp; activities</p>
128<a href="cascais-things-to-see-sightseeing.html"><img src="../ix/170/cascais-170-f.jpg" loading="lazy" alt="Cascais sights" style="width: 100%;" height="170" width="170" /></a>
129<p class="navboxbottom">Explore Cascais' varied sights, from grand villas to beautiful beaches</p>
130</div>
131
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133<p class="navboxtop">Cascais' beaches</p>
134<a href="cascais-beaches-beach.html"><img src="../ix/170/cascais-beach-170.jpg" loading="lazy" alt="Cascais beaches" style="width: 100%;" height="170" width="170" /></a>
135<p class="navboxbottom">Relax on Cascais' glorious beaches, where turquoise seas meet golden sands</p>
136</div>
137
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139<p class="navboxtop">Day trip to Cascais</p>
140<a href="cascais-day-trip.html"><img src="../ix/170/tour.jpg" loading="lazy" alt="day trip to Cascais" style="width: 100%;" height="170" width="170" /></a>
141<p class="navboxbottom">Plan the perfect day trip to Cascais, with map and useful insights</p>
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145<p class="navboxtop">Need a Hotel?</p>
146<a href="https://www.booking.com/searchresults.en.html?city=-2162360&aid=1695337&no_rooms=1&group_adults=2&room1=A%2CA&label=cascaisEN"><img src="../ix/170/hotel-booking.jpg" loading="lazy" alt="Cascais hotel" style="width: 100%;" height="170" width="170" /></a>
147<p class="navboxbottom">Cascais accommodation, from luxury resorts to cosy guesthouses</p>
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151<p class="navboxtop">Where to eat?</p>
152<a href="where-to-eat-in-cascais.html"><img src="../ix/170/restaurants-cascais.jpg" loading="lazy" alt="Where to eat in Cascais" style="width: 100%;" height="170" width="170" /></a>
153<p class="navboxbottom">Cascais's restaurants, from traditional gems to sophisticated highlights</p>
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157<p class="navboxtop">Cabo da Roca</p>
158<a href="../Attractions/Cabo-da-Roca.html"><img src="../ix/170/cabo-roca-170.jpg" loading="lazy" alt="Cabo da Roca" style="width: 100%;" height="170" width="170" /></a>
159<p class="navboxbottom">The westernmost point of mainland Europe with dramatic Atlantic sce

159nery</p>
160</div>
161
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163<p class="navboxtop">Sintra</p>
164<a href="https://www.sintra-portugal.com/index.html"><img src="../ix/170/sintra-170-f.jpg" loading="lazy" alt="Sintra Portugal" style="width: 100%;" height="170" width="170" /></a>
165<p class="navboxbottom">Mystical hills where fairytale palaces rise above mist-shrouded forests</p>
166</div>
167
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169<p class="navboxtop">Cascais maps</p>
170<a href="cascais-map.html"><img src="../ix/170/map-2.jpg" loading="lazy" alt="Cascais Maps" style="width: 100%;" height="170" width="170" /></a>
171<p class="navboxbottom">5 detailed maps to help you plan your trip to Cascais</p>
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173
174<div class="boxholder">
175<p class="navboxtop">Lisbon to Cascais</p>
176<a href="lisbon-to-cascais.html"><img src="../ix/170/travel.jpg" loading="lazy" alt="Lisbon to Cascais" style="width: 100%;" height="170" width="170" /></a>
177<p class="navboxbottom">How best to travel from Lisbon to Cascais – a detailed transport guide</p>
178</div>
179
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181<p class="navboxtop">1-week holiday</p>
182<a href="1-week-cascais-7-day-tour.html"><img src="../ix/170/portugal-holiday-107-f.jpg" loading="lazy" alt="1 week in Cascais" style="width: 100%;" height="170" width="170" /></a>
183<p class="navboxbottom">What to see and do during a 1 week holiday to Cascais</p>
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185
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187<p class="navboxtop">Lisbon in 1 day</p>
188<a href="https://lisbonlisboaportugal.com/lisbon-tour/lisbon-walking-tour-self-guided-1-day-foot.html"><img src="../ix/170/lisbon-170-f.jpg" loading="lazy" alt="Lisbon guide" style="width: 100%;" height="170" width="170" /></a>
189<p class="navboxbottom">See the best of Lisbon with our 1-day walking tour</p>
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198<p class="bottom_navigation">Cascais guides</p>
199<ul class="text_bot_nav">
200<li><a href="../index.html">Why visit Cascais?</a></li>
201<li><a href="cascais-things-to-see-sightseeing.html">Things to do and see?</a></li>
202<li><a href="1-week-cascais-7-day-tour.html">1 week in Cascais</a></li>
203<li><a href="cascais-weather-when-to-go-visit.html">When to Visit &amp; Weather</a></li>
204<li><a href="cascais-or-sesimbra-holiday-trip.html">Sesimbra or Cascais</a></li>
205<li><a href="cascais-day-trip.html">Day trip to Cascais</a></li>
206<li><a href="Lisbon-Airport-to-Cascais.html">Airport to Cascais</a></li>
207<li><a href="lisbon-to-cascais.html">Lisbon to Cascais</a></li>
208<li><a href="cascais-beaches-beach.html">Cascais Beach Guide</a></li>		
209<li><a href="https://lisbonlisboaportugal.com/index.html">Lisbon introduction</a></li>
210<li><a href="https://lisbonlisboaportugal.com/Alfama-Lisbon/Alfama-district-lisbon.html">Alfama District</a></li>
211<li><a href="https://lisbonlisboaportugal.com/Baixa-Lisbon/baixa-district-lisbon.html">Baixa District</a></li>
212<li><a href="https://lisbonlisboaportugal.com/belem-lisbon/belem-district-lisbon.html">Belem District</a></li>
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219<div style="padding: 20px; border-top: 1px solid #ddd; border-bottom: 1px solid #ddd; margin: 20px 0; background-color: #f9f9f9;">
220<p style="font-size: 0.9em; line-height: 1.5; color: #444; margin: 0;"><strong>About the Author: I'm Philip Giddings</strong> and I live in Graça (Lisbon) with my Portuguese wife Carla, whose family have been Lisboetas for generations. I've been visiting Portugal since 2001, writing independent guides at Cascais-Portugal.com since 2009, and the site is now my full-time work. I visited Cascais on my first trip to Lisbon as a teenager and Carla was so proud to show off her country. Twenty-five years later, married, with a bigger family and so much more experience of Portugal, we are still heading to the same beaches in Cascais and walking the same coastal promenade on a hot summer's day.</p>
221<p style="font-size: 0.9em; line-height: 1.5; color: #444; margin: 0;">This site has 32 guides on Cascais and the surrounding region. It takes no payment from tourist boards, tour operators, or attractions for inclusion, and is funded by affiliate commissions on tour bookings, disclosed on every page that contains them. Every practical detail (ticket prices, opening hours, bus routes, time-slot policies) is checked against the official sources and verified in person on the walks I make through the town each week. <a href="https://www.cascais-portugal.com/Guides/about-us.html" style="color: #2784E3; text-decoration: underline;">Read my full bio here.</a></p>
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