· A Toca · 4 min read
What to Do Near Cacilhas Before or After Dinner: Cristo Rei, Boca do Vento and Cais do Ginjal
A three to four hour itinerary from Cacilhas: Cristo Rei, the Boca do Vento panoramic lift and Cais do Ginjal, with up-to-date prices, opening hours and travel times.
What to do in Cacilhas before dinner depends on how much time you have left: half an afternoon is enough to fit in Cristo Rei, the Boca do Vento panoramic lift and Cais do Ginjal, in that order, ending at a table in Cacilhas as the day closes. The three stops are minutes apart and cover very different experiences: a viewpoint 110 metres up, a free panoramic lift over the Tejo, and a riverside walk at water level facing Lisbon.
How do you get from Cacilhas to Cristo Rei?
Cristo Rei sits about 3 km from Cacilhas, a route that climbs the hillside and that most visitors cover by bus rather than on foot. The direct link is line 3001 of Carris Metropolitana (the former TST 101), which leaves from the Cacilhas terminal at Largo Alfredo Dinis, next to the ferry pier, and ends at Largo Cristo Rei. The trip takes around 17 minutes, with departures every half hour for most of the year and hourly in summer.
The Sanctuary opens every day, from 10am to 6pm between October and March and from 10am to 7pm between April and September, with the last ascent to the viewing platform 20 minutes before closing. A ticket to go up costs 10 euros from age 13, and 3 euros for ages 8 to 12, free up to age 7. Anyone arriving by car pays a flat 2 euros for parking.
The monument stands 110 metres tall in total, and the lift takes visitors to a platform with open views over Lisbon, the 25 de Abril Bridge and the mouth of the Tejo. Counting the ascent, time on the platform and the way down, the visit takes between 45 minutes and an hour.
Is the Boca do Vento lift worth stopping for?
The Boca do Vento panoramic lift connects Almada’s historic centre to the Jardim do Rio, covering a 50 metre drop inside a glazed capsule facing the Tejo. Entry is free and it runs every day from 9.30am to 11.30pm, with the last trip at 11.15pm, which makes it the easiest stop to fit into the itinerary, whether before or after dinner.
The view from the upper platform, at Largo da Boca do Vento, justifies the trip on its own even if you never go down to the Jardim do Rio. For those who do, the garden connects by footpath to the riverside stretch heading towards Cacilhas.
What is there to see at Cais do Ginjal today?
Cais do Ginjal is the old port and industrial waterfront between Cacilhas and Olho de Boi, with a direct view of Lisbon at river level. It is worth knowing its condition before going: the quay was closed off from 1 April 2025, after Almada’s Municipal Council declared an alert situation over holes in the walkway and the risk of buildings collapsing, and it only reopened to the public on 31 July 2025.
During that intervention, the owner filled the holes, installed protective barriers and public lighting, and demolished a large part of the built structures. Anyone who knew the Ginjal for its derelict, graffiti-covered warehouses will find a far barer scene today, and this is only the first phase of the rehabilitation planned for the area. What remains untouched is what always drew people there: the way the quay lines up with Lisbon across the water, and the constant passage of the cacilheiro ferries in the foreground.
At the far end of the walk, already in Olho de Boi, are the restaurants Ponto Final and Atira-te ao Rio, which marked the boundary of the closed zone. Walking the quay without stopping takes 15 to 20 minutes.
Where the walk ends
Rua Cândido dos Reis holds most of Cacilhas’s traditional restaurants and seafood houses, a few metres from the ferry terminal and from the point where the Ginjal path returns to the town. It is the natural close to the itinerary, especially if the last stop coincides with the end of the afternoon.
Summary: times and costs
| Stop | Time | Cost | Getting to the next one |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cristo Rei | 45 min to 1h | €10 (13+), €3 (8-12) | Line 3001 to central Almada |
| Boca do Vento lift | 15-20 min | Free | On foot, through the Jardim do Rio |
| Cais do Ginjal | 15-20 min | Free | On foot to Cacilhas |
| Dinner on Rua Cândido dos Reis | Rest of the evening | Varies | - |
Taken without rushing, the full itinerary runs three to four hours. It suits anyone leaving Lisbon by ferry in the early afternoon, making the three stops in the order above and staying in Cacilhas for dinner. The prices and hours listed were confirmed in August 2026 with the Sanctuary of Cristo Rei and Almada Municipal Council, but it is worth checking again before setting out, especially off season.
Cover image: “Cais do Ginjal, Almada 01”, by GualdimG, via Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
A Toca
O melhor restaurante de Cacilhas, Almada. Pratos tradicionais de peixe, marisco e carne com o melhor da cozinha portuguesa, marisqueira e vinhos da casa.
