It is at the end of the 19th century that King D. Luís, residing in the Cascais Citadel, transforms Cascais - both in terms of local infrastructure and the habits of the local inhabitants - into what would come to be known as the Portuguese Riviera, thanks to the usual the stay of great illustrious people during the summer.
The changes continued and the Fort of the Citadel became his royal residence. Estoril comes to life and sees a casino, a spa, luxury hotels and even Sud-Express - the train service that connected Estoril to Paris.
In the mid-1930s, Cascais and Estoril became known as “Costa do Sol”, which originated the creation of the first official tourist region in the country, covering the area of the municipality of Cascais (currently known as the Junta de Turismo do Costa do Sun".
It is during the Second World War that Estoril becomes a destination of choice for the European aristocracy, fleeing the persecutions and nightmares of the war. Among several illustrious artists of the time, six European royal families stood out who made Estoril their haven.
Several famous personalities have chosen Estoril as their official residence. We highlight the writer Ian Fleming, who contributed to the promotion of Estoril to the World, when he wrote “Casino Royal”, with the very emblematic James Bond.
