Estoril is a seaside resort and civil parish of the Portuguese municipality of Cascais, Lisboa District. The Estoril coast is close to Lisbon, the capital of Portugal. It starts in Carcavelos, 15 kilometres from Lisbon, and stretches as far as Guincho, often known as Costa de Estoril-Sintra or Lisbon Coast (Costa de Lisboa). Historically Estoril was composed of several boroughs along the coastline, namely – from East to West – those of São Pedro do Estoril, São João do Estoril, Santo António do Estoril (this is the area today known simply as Estoril) and Monte Estoril, among others further inland. The two main resort towns along what is known as the Estoril coast are Estoril and Cascais. Estoril has a famous casino, Estoril Casino. Estoril was the residence of Juan de Borbón, pretender to the Spanish throne during the last part of the 20th century. The population of Estoril parish/village is 24,000, its density is 2,702/km² and the area is 8.79 km². There are remains of Roman mansions dating back around 2,000 years.
Estoril used to be a significant fishing port. Due to the vision of Fausto Cardoso de Figueiredo and his business partner Augusto Carreira de Sousa, it became an international tourist destination both during and after the Second World War. During this time a high number of dignitaries in exile came to Estoril. Miklós Horthy (†1957), the regent of Hungary, lived and died in exile in Estoril after the Second World War. Juan Carlos I of Spain, Umberto II of Italy and Carol II of Romania also lived in Estoril during this time.
The beautiful hill town of Monte Estoril is situated between Estoril and Cascais. The town, which houses the Verdades-Faria Museum, was built in 1917 by Jorge O’Neil. Later on, in 1942, the building was bought by Mantero Belard and dedicated to the support of the arts and artists. Following his death, the building was donated to Cascais Council under the name of Verdades Faria and eventually housed the Regional Portuguese Music Museum.
At present, this Museum hosts an important collection of musical instruments related to popular music, assembled by Michael Giacometti. The museum is open for temporary exhibitions, concerts, and guided visits on request. The Estoril area has supported Estoril as the flagship of Portuguese tourism. The area was initially called the Sun Coast but is now known as the Estoril Coast. The area Cascais-Estoril is nowadays ranked as one of the most expensive places to live in Portugal.
