Whether you are dreaming of immersing yourself in a fairy tale land, or whether you are just trying to escape Lisbon’s city heat, in Sintra you will find what you are looking for. This UNESCO World Heritage site is locaed in the cooling hills of Serra de Sintra. The area breathes history. Its many colourful villas take you back to the time when Sintra was a summer retreat for the Portuguese monarchy and nobility (before the 5 October 1910 revolution). Already long before that, the Moors left their mark with a strategically placed castle on top of one of the higher hills.
What to see in Sintra
Pálacio da Pena (Pena Palace)
To many people Pálacio da Pena is the main highlight of Sintra, and for good reason. When you browse the Internet for “Sintra”, this dreamy yellow and red castle is bound to be in the top hits. Originally built as a monastery, but later ruined by the 1755 earthquake, king Ferdinand II saw the appeal of the ruins. He not only restored the original building, but extended the palace to suit his dreams of Romanticism. Nevertheless, some of the atmosphere of the original monastery remains, as parts of it are still there. For examle the Grotto of the Monk, the place where the monks went into secluded retreat.
The ideals of Romantiscism continue onto the forested grounds surrounding the Palace. The grounds are extensive and require some fitness to conquer the elevation that leads to some of the best spots to admire the palace from the outside: St Catherine’s Heights, and La Cruz Alta, the highest point in Pena Palace Park.
Practical information
To be fair, I have only admired Pálacio da Pena from the outside. One of the reasons for this is that I had a limited amount of time in Sintra, and I didn’t really plan ahead. Pálacio da Pena is likely the most visisted spot in Sintra, meaning it will attract many people.
To somewhat limit how crowded it gets inside, tickets for the palace are distributed for 30 minute timeslots. The time indicated on your ticket is the time you can enter the palace, NOT the time you can enter the park. The park can be visisted at any time, and cheaper tickets are available if you only want to visit the park without visiting the palace on the inside. However if you do have a ticket to visit the palace, bear in mind that it is located on top of a hill in the park. The journey from the entrance of the park to the entrance of the castle will take you about thirty minutes. This means that you have to enter the park at least thirty minutes before your timeslot for the palace to make it in time. Do not miss your timeslot!
Beat the crowds with an early timeslot. Early timeslots sold out first, especially in high season, book in advance. park open half an hour before palace.
Castelo dos Mouros
Not far from Pálacio da Pena you find
Quinta da Regaleira
Sintra National Palace
Not to be confused withm which is sometimes also called
Historical tram
What to see around Sintra
Palácio de Monserrate
The rugged coastline
New page: Now that you know all the things that this charming town has to offer, you might want to dive deeper into practicalities/food (maybe on this page?), how to get there. I think -where to eat and -how long to spend still on this page. As well as future list.
Where to eat
Gluten-free and vegan-friendly
Incomum (stars out of five)
– Closed on Wednesdays!
Mela Canela (stars out of five)
How to get around
How to get there
How long to spend in Sintra
On my list for future visits
Sights & activities
Food
Ekvilbro Club