In Cascais you drive on the right under national Portuguese law: 50 km/h in town, 90 km/h on open roads, 120 km/h on motorways, and a 0.5 g/l alcohol limit (0.2 g/l for drivers in their probationary period). Holding a phone at the wheel costs €250–1,250 and speeding in town starts at €60. The A5 from Lisbon is tolled (€0.40–0.90 per section for a car in 2026), the coastal Marginal is free, and parking on the busiest streets of the town centre costs €1.80 an hour, charged from 08:00 to 22:00 with a 4-hour limit.
| Rule | What the law says | Fine |
|---|---|---|
| Driving side | Right; overtake on the left | – |
| Speed: town / open road | 50 km/h / 90 km/h (lower where signed) | Town: €60–300 up to 20 km/h over, €120–600 up to 40 km/h over |
| Speed: expressway / motorway | 100 km/h / 120 km/h; minimum 50 km/h on motorways | Open road: €60–300 up to 30 km/h over |
| Alcohol | 0.5 g/l; 0.2 g/l for probationary and professional drivers | €250–1,250 (0.5–0.8 g/l), €500–2,500 (0.8–1.2 g/l) |
| Phone | No handheld use; one earpiece or hands-free allowed | €250–1,250 |
| Seatbelts | All occupants, front and rear | €120–600 |
| Children | Under 12 and under 135 cm: approved child seat | €120–600 per child |
| Warning triangle + vest | Must be in the car; wear the vest when you get out on the road | €60–300 per missing item |
| Paid parking | Pay and respect the maximum stay | €30–150 |
Fine ranges as set in the Portuguese Highway Code (Código da Estrada, articles 27, 55, 71, 81, 82, 84 and 88). Above 1.2 g/l, drink-driving is a criminal offence. The 0.2 g/l limit applies to drivers in their probationary period and to taxi, ride-hailing, heavy-vehicle, emergency and school-transport drivers.
From Lisbon you have two options. The A5 motorway is the fast one: Lisbon Airport to Cascais is 36 km, about 30 minutes without traffic. It is tolled. In the official 2026 toll table a car (class 1) pays €0.40 from Estádio Nacional to Oeiras, €0.70 from Oeiras to Carcavelos, €0.90 from Carcavelos to Estoril and €0.50 from Estoril to Cascais; what you pay depends on where you join and leave. The N6 “Marginal” follows the coast through Oeiras and Estoril and is free, but slower and busy on summer weekends. Prefer to arrive without driving? See Lisbon airport transfer options and pick the car up later.
Street parking in Cascais is graded by demand. On the red axes, the busiest streets of the town centre, the council charges €1.80 an hour from 08:00 to 22:00, with a 4-hour maximum. Orange and yellow axes further out have their own rates, which the council does not publish online, so read the meter. The free 180 minutes a day you may read about is only for registered residents with the Viver Cascais card. For a long beach day, the Cascais Próxima car parks are easier: Estação de Cascais (by the station on the Marginal), Marechal Carmona and Hipódromo on Avenida da República are open 24 hours, and Cascais Center on Rua D. Francisco de Avilez closes at 22:00 or 02:00. They take cash, Multibanco cards and MB Way; their prices are not published online.
Give way to traffic already on the roundabout. If you leave at the first exit, stay in the right-hand lane; for later exits use the inner lanes and move right before your exit.
The coastal road to Guincho is exposed to strong Atlantic winds. Leave room for cyclists, who are common on this stretch.
The general town limit is 50 km/h, but some streets in the centre and near schools are signed lower. The sign wins over the general rule.
Do not stop or park in bus lanes and bus stops. Cascais has no trams, but MobiCascais buses run through the centre.
Cascais rental budget calculator
Estimate only: the 8 EUR daily rate is an example, enter the price DiscoverCars shows for your dates. The extras are typical rental-desk amounts, not quoted prices. Tolls and fuel are not included.
The A5 motorway is. The official 2026 table charges a car €0.40 to €0.90 per section (Estádio Nacional–Oeiras €0.40, Oeiras–Carcavelos €0.70, Carcavelos–Estoril €0.90, Estoril–Cascais €0.50). The coastal N6 Marginal through Estoril is free but slower.
0.5 g/l of blood alcohol, or 0.2 g/l for drivers in their probationary period and professional drivers. Fines run from €250 to €1,250 between 0.5 and 0.8 g/l and from €500 to €2,500 between 0.8 and 1.2 g/l; above 1.2 g/l it is a crime.
On the red axes, the busiest central streets, €1.80 an hour from 08:00 to 22:00 with a 4-hour maximum. Not paying or overstaying costs €30 to €150. Cascais Próxima car parks such as Estação de Cascais and Marechal Carmona are open 24 hours.
EU and EEA licences are valid until they expire. According to the IMT, a tourist with a licence from a country that has an agreement with Portugal or has signed the international traffic conventions (for example the UK, USA, Canada, Australia or Brazil) can drive for up to 185 days after entering the country. Ask your rental company whether it also wants an International Driving Permit.
Holding or handling a phone while driving costs €250 to €1,250. A single earpiece or a hands-free system that does not need to be handled is allowed.
Disclosure: Auto Jardim participates in the DiscoverCars affiliate program. We only recommend services we would use ourselves.
Last updated: 1 November 2026. Fact-checked on 1 November 2026 against the Portuguese Código da Estrada (consolidated text), the IMT 2026 toll table and foreign-licence page, Cascais council parking information and Cascais Próxima; driving distance from OSRM routing. Rules and tariffs change – local signs always take priority.
