Most families choose a house first and then discover the school run. It’s usually better the other way round. Pick your school (or two), then live near it, or on its bus route.
This guide maps the areas from Cascais to Lisbon to the schools in each one, using the addresses the schools publish. It shows which areas the school buses say they cover, what the train and bus options are, and what official data says about rents. We don’t quote house prices or rents for individual neighbourhoods, because they vary from street to street.
Last checked: 21 October 2026.
The short answer
- Want to walk or cycle to school? Live in the same area as the school. The table below shows which schools are where.
- Choosing a school with a bus? Check that your street is on a route before you sign a lease.
- Commuting to Lisbon as well? Look near a station on the Cascais train line: Carcavelos, Parede, the Estorils or Cascais.
- Looking at Sintra-side schools (CAISL, TASIS)? They’re inland at Linhó, away from the train line. Test the drive at 8:00 on a school day.
Areas and the schools in them
Cascais municipality has four parishes (freguesias): Cascais e Estoril, Carcavelos e Parede, São Domingos de Rana and Alcabideche. We’ve grouped the schools by those, then added Oeiras, the Sintra side and Lisbon.
| Area | Schools and nurseries there | On the Cascais train line? |
|---|---|---|
| Cascais town (incl. Birre, Quinta da Marinha, Alto do Cobre, Pampilheira) | King’s College School, Kairos Montessori, Sapienti, Lisbon Montessori School, Colégio Quadrante, Aprendizes, St. James & St. George’s, St. John’s | Yes: Cascais station |
| Estoril (Monte Estoril, Estoril, São João and São Pedro do Estoril) | SAIS, Prime School (Estoril campus, Alapraia), Colégio Maple Bear Estoril, Colégio Papião, Boa Ventura Montessori | Yes: Monte Estoril, Estoril, São João and São Pedro do Estoril |
| Carcavelos and Parede | St. Julian’s, Svenska Skolan | Yes: Carcavelos, Parede |
| São Domingos de Rana (inland) | St. Dominic’s | No, inland |
| Alcabideche (inland, incl. Bicesse) | IPS Cascais, International Christian School of Cascais | No, inland |
| Oeiras (Barcarena, Porto Salvo, Cruz Quebrada) | Oeiras International School, ISS Lisbon, Instituto Español Giner de los Ríos | The coast is (Cruz Quebrada, Caxias, Paço de Arcos, Santo Amaro, Oeiras); Barcarena and Porto Salvo are inland |
| Sintra side (Linhó, Penaferrim, Portela) | CAISL, TASIS Portugal, Prime School (Sintra campus) | No |
| Lisbon (Restelo, Ajuda, Alcântara, Campo de Ourique and the centre) | British School of Lisbon, PaRK, Redbridge, The Lisboan, Lycée français Charles Lepierre, Deutsche Schule Lissabon, Prime School (Lisbon campus) | Partly: Cais do Sodré, Santos, Alcântara-Mar and Belém |
PaRK’s largest campus, which runs to Grade 12, is in Alfragide (Amadora), just outside Lisbon. Each school profile lists the exact address of every campus.
Area by area
Cascais town
Cascais town has more schools in our guide than any other area, from nurseries to King’s College School’s new campus. It’s also the end of the train line, which makes it convenient for Lisbon and less convenient for schools further east, such as St. Julian’s, St. Dominic’s or OIS, unless your school’s bus reaches you. Several schools list Cascais as a bus area (see the bus table below).
Estoril
The Estoril stretch has SAIS and Prime School’s Estoril campus, plus two bilingual colégios and a Montessori nursery. Four train stations make it a good base if one parent commutes to Lisbon. SAIS says it doesn’t run its own bus, so check how you’d get there if you live further away.
Carcavelos and Parede
St. Julian’s and the Swedish school are in Carcavelos. This stretch sits between Cascais and Lisbon and has two stations, so it can suit a family with a child at St. Julian’s and a parent who works in Lisbon. St. Julian’s runs a bus service, mostly door to door, and publishes its routes on a map.
São Domingos de Rana and Alcabideche (inland)
St. Dominic’s, IPS Cascais and the International Christian School are inland, away from the train line. If you live on the coast, you’ll rely on the car or the school bus. All three describe a bus service, and IPS says its minibuses run door to door from Lisbon to Malveira da Serra.
Oeiras
OIS in Barcarena and ISS Lisbon in Porto Salvo (Taguspark) are between Cascais and Lisbon, away from the coast. Both run bus services that list Cascais and Lisbon among their areas, so you don’t have to live in Oeiras to use them.
Sintra side
CAISL and TASIS Portugal are near each other at Linhó, on the Sintra side of the Serra. CAISL runs a school bus at extra cost, and lists Cascais and Lisbon as areas. TASIS says its bus service isn’t included in tuition, but it helps families arrange transport. Prime School also has a campus in Sintra.
Lisbon
If you’re choosing a French, German or Spanish national school, or the British School of Lisbon, you’ll probably be looking at Lisbon or the western edge of the city. Our Lisbon schools guide covers these schools and the commute from Cascais.
School buses: which areas they say they cover
These are the areas each school names on its own website. Routes can change each year with where families live, so a town on this list doesn’t guarantee your street. Several schools say their bus costs extra.
| School | Areas the school names | Source |
|---|---|---|
| St. Dominic’s | Lisbon, Oeiras, Cascais, Estoril, Queluz and Massamá, Odivelas | Bus service |
| Oeiras International School | Cascais, Estoril, Parede, Sintra, Lisbon | Bus routes |
| ISS Lisbon | Lisbon, Oeiras, Cascais, Sintra (door to door) | FAQs |
| International Christian School of Cascais | Cascais, Estoril, Sintra, Oeiras (door to door) | School life |
| Prime School | Estoril, Cascais, Sintra, Lisbon, plus a shuttle between campuses | Estoril campus |
| IPS Cascais | Lisbon to Malveira da Serra (door-to-door minibuses) | Additional services |
| CAISL | Cascais, Lisbon | Family services |
| PaRK | Oeiras, Lisbon (door to door), plus buses between campuses | Bus service |
| St. Julian’s | Routes shown on a map; mostly door to door | Transport |
| British School of Lisbon | Routes set each year around where families live | Admissions FAQs |
| Deutsche Schule Lissabon | Bus lines with published timetables and a map | School buses |
| Colégio Maple Bear Estoril | Own minibus; ask the office | Transport |
No bus, or not run by the school: SAIS says it doesn’t run its own bus. At St. James & St. George’s, parents arrange transport privately with transport firms. TASIS says bus service isn’t included in tuition but helps families arrange it. The Lisboan says it hopes to start a bus. For the other schools in our guide, we didn’t find a school bus on their websites, so ask.
The commute: what to expect
The train. The Cascais line runs along the coast from Cascais to Cais do Sodré in Lisbon. On CP’s weekday timetable in force since 6 April 2026, trains from Cais do Sodré to Cascais take 40 minutes on all-stops services and 33 minutes on the faster peak trains. Carcavelos to Cascais takes about 14 minutes. In the morning peak, a train for Cascais leaves Cais do Sodré every 15 minutes, and around midday every 20 minutes. Most schools in this guide are a walk, bus ride or drive from the nearest station, so check the last stretch too.
Local buses in Cascais. The municipal bus network, MobiCascais, is free for residents, workers and students of Cascais who hold the Viver Cascais card (free in digital form). Children travel free until the day before their 4th birthday when they’re with an adult, and the free navegante sub23 pass covers students aged 4 to 23 across the Lisbon metropolitan area. Buses between municipalities, for example to Oeiras or Sintra, are run by Carris Metropolitana.
By car. Journey times by car vary a lot with the time of day and the season, so we don’t quote them. Before you commit to a house, drive or ride the school run at 8:00 on a weekday during term time, and do the return trip at pick-up time.
What about rents?
Rents vary from street to street, and official statistics don’t go down to neighbourhood level outside Lisbon and Porto. Here is what Portugal’s statistics office, INE, published on 29 September 2026 for new rental contracts in the 12 months to June 2026:
| Municipality | Median rent, new contracts (12 months to June 2026) |
|---|---|
| Lisbon | €17.43 per m² |
| Cascais | €16.83 per m² |
| Oeiras | €15.75 per m² |
INE also notes that, among the 24 municipalities with more than 100,000 people, Cascais had the highest median rent for larger homes: €16.18 per m² for three-bedroom homes (T3) and €14.33 per m² for four bedrooms or more (T4+).
These are medians across whole municipalities. What you’ll actually pay depends on the street, the size and condition of the home, and the season, so check current listings and ask a local agent.
How to choose your area
Shortlist schools first. Our schools guide lists every school with its curriculum, ages and fee page, and the fees guide compares costs.
Ask each school about transport. Ask whether there’s a bus, what it costs, and whether your street is on a route this year.
Test the commute. Do the school run at 8:00 on a school day, and the Lisbon commute too if one of you works there.
Think about siblings. If your children are at different schools, live where both runs are realistic, or near a stop both buses share.
Last checked: 21 October 2026. Please confirm transport and addresses with each school before you choose a home.
Sources
All checked on 21 October 2026.
- School addresses and bus services: each school’s own website, linked from our school profiles and the bus table above.
- CP: Cascais line weekday timetable, in force since 6 April 2026.
- MobiCascais: frequently asked questions and Câmara Municipal de Cascais: Transport Authority.
- INE: Estatísticas de Rendas da Habitação ao nível local, 2.º trimestre de 2026 (published 29 September 2026).
- Portal da Transparência: Cascais municipality: the four parishes.