The trip
Overview
Portugal's Lisbon coast is what golfers try after the Algarve, and many never go back. The courses are wilder — Oitavos Dunes running through umbrella pine and open dune with the Atlantic in sight from almost every hole, West Cliffs stacked along the clifftops an hour north — and the towns behind them, Cascais and Óbidos, are far more interesting than a resort strip.
We split the six nights across two bases. Three nights in Cascais pair Oitavos Dunes with Penha Longa’s Atlantic course in the Sintra hills, with the town’s seafood restaurants a short walk from your hotel. Then a seventy-five-minute transfer north to the Óbidos coast for West Cliffs and Praia D’El Rey, staying by the beach with the medieval walled town ten minutes inland. Direct Dubai–Lisbon connectivity makes the whole thing easier than it sounds.
Highlights
- ✦Oitavos Dunes — routinely ranked in continental Europe’s top handful of courses
- ✦Penha Longa Atlantic in the Sintra hills, a former Portuguese Open venue
- ✦West Cliffs — dramatic clifftop golf opened to instant acclaim
- ✦Praia D’El Rey between pine forest and Atlantic beach
- ✦Cascais old town dining and the walled town of Óbidos
Who it suits
- ●Golfers who already know the Algarve and want the next tier
- ●Couples mixing serious golf with Sintra, Cascais and Óbidos sightseeing
- ●Groups of four to eight who like two bases rather than one resort
Why this journey works
- ✓Two of Europe’s highest-ranked modern courses on a single itinerary
- ✓The two-centre split keeps every golf transfer under twenty minutes
- ✓Lisbon’s direct Dubai connectivity removes the usual Portugal changeover
Day by day
Day 1
Lisbon arrival, Cascais base
The Dubai–Lisbon flight lands you thirty-five minutes from Cascais. Check in near the marina, stretch your legs along the Paredão seafront promenade, dinner in the old town. Hotel style: elegant Cascais four- or five-star, walkable to restaurants.
Day 2
Oitavos Dunes
The round the trip is built around: fast-running fairways through dune and pine, the lighthouse and ocean in view, wind as the real opponent. Afternoon recovery at the hotel or Guincho beach. Access unverified — confirmed at booking.
Day 3
Penha Longa Atlantic, Sintra afterwards
Golf in the Sintra hills on the Atlantic course, a Trent Jones Jr layout with mountain views and a monastery on site. Non-golfers should spend today in Sintra proper — Pena Palace and Quinta da Regaleira — and everyone reunites for dinner in Cascais.
Day 4
North to the Óbidos coast
A gentle morning, then the seventy-five-minute transfer north. Check in by the beach at Praia D’El Rey or the West Cliffs side, and take the evening to walk the walls of Óbidos with a ginjinha in hand. No golf today — deliberately.
Day 5
West Cliffs
Clifftop golf above the Atlantic on a course that entered world rankings almost as soon as it opened. It is exposed, honest and spectacular; take one club more and enjoy it. Clubhouse lunch overlooking the ocean.
Day 6
Praia D’El Rey, farewell dinner
Final round between pine and dune at Praia D’El Rey, a course that would headline most destinations and here settles for closing the week. Farewell dinner either at the resort or back inside Óbidos’s walls.
Day 7
Lisbon and home
Transfer to Lisbon — an hour — with time for a quick city lunch if flights allow, then the direct leg back to Dubai.
The golf
Rounds
4
Handicap
Handicap certificate may be requested at championship venues
Buggies
Typically available — confirmed per course at quote stage; some walk-preferred courses
Clubs
Check airline sports-baggage allowance on UAE departures; hire sets can be arranged
Oitavos Dunes
Day 2 — dune-and-pine golf by the Cascais lighthouse, among continental Europe’s elite. Access unverified — confirmed at booking.
Penha Longa — Atlantic
Day 3 — Trent Jones Jr golf in the Sintra hills beside a fourteenth-century monastery. Access unverified — confirmed at booking.
West Cliffs
Day 5 — clifftop Atlantic golf near Óbidos, world-ranked within a year of opening. Access unverified — confirmed at booking.
Praia D’El Rey
Day 6 — pine-and-dune golf running to the beach; the quiet achiever of the coast. Access unverified — confirmed at booking.
Tee times are requested and confirmed at booking — we never guarantee a tee time until the course has.
For non-golfers
When to go
April to June and September to October give the best balance of warmth and calm Atlantic weather; July and August are reliably sunny but breezier on the clifftops. Winter rounds are very possible — green fees drop sharply — but pack a wind layer whatever the month. This coast rarely suffers the extreme heat that can tire southern Europe in high summer.
Planning around seasons, regions and style? Read the full Portugal destination guide →
What’s included
- ✓Return flights from Dubai or Abu Dhabi to Lisbon
- ✓Three nights in Cascais and three nights on the Óbidos coast
- ✓Four rounds of golf with pre-booked tee times once confirmed
- ✓Golf transfers on playing days and the mid-stay transfer north
- ✓Daily breakfast
- ✓PCT golf travel consultant support
Not included
- —Buggies and caddies unless stated
- —Golf club hire
- —Travel insurance
- —Personal spending
Ways to extend it
- +Two nights in Lisbon city before flying home
- +Add a round at Royal Óbidos or Quinta da Marinha
- +Sintra palaces private tour for non-golfers
Gallery
