Sintra is a great day trip from Lisbon and only takes 40 minutes by train from Rossio station. Sintra is where the Portuguese royalty summered and was a retreat for wealthy nobles. Its beautiful mountains and cooler weather make a perfect backdrop for the castles and palaces that were built there over the centuries. I wouldn’t go on a rainy day since the best part of Sintra is being outside exploring the walls and gardens of the palaces.
Two different bus routes pick tourists up at the train station and make separate loops around Sintra, covering all the sights between them. You won’t be able to do more than a few of sites so you’ll have to think ahead and pick and choose your castles wisely. I’d recommend Pena Palace and Quinta da Regaleira as must sees. Unfortunately they are on different bus routes. You’ll need to take bus 434 to get to Pena Palace which would be a bit too far to walk. The Quinta da Regaleira, on the otherhand, is an easy walk from town so its not necessary to ride the other bus. We also saw the National Palace since its right there in the middle of town and an easy one to fit into your schedule (and also on bus 434).
Pena Palace
In the middle of the 19th century, Pena Palace was built by King Ferdinand at the site of an old monastery and a chapel dedicated to Our Lady Of Pena. The remodeling of the old monastery (red buildings) was completed first and then was extended with new structures (yellow buildings) modeled after the castles in Bavaria. It was a summer residence for the royals until the end of the century. The bold red and yellow colors were restored to the original colors of the palace.
Its important to get to the Pena Palace early so definitely do it first. Board bus 434 right from the train station and don’t be tempted to get off at the Moors Castle. You’ll get a good view of the Moors Castle when you’re up on top of the hill looking down from the palace.
As soon as you arrive at the Pena Palace, get in line for the tour of the inside of the castle. Its not the highlight of Pena Palace, but its definitely the most crowded and the line only grows as the day goes on. We got there at about 11:00 and when we came back outside, the line had almost doubled in length.
After the tour of the inside of the palace, you’re ready for the best part: the outside! Don’t miss the wall walk. You’ll get some great pictures of the hills surrounding the palace and also some great photos with the bold colors of the castle walls in the background. Remember that pictures are free so keep snapping your camera until you get a good shot. We challenged ourselves to make it look like we were the only ones there by angling our cameras away from the tourists or waiting for a quick moment when there was nobody else in the frame. It wasn’t always easy.
Old Town and Sintra National Palace
The final stop of the bus 434 loop is back down the hill and into town. There are shops and restaurants in the tiny town and the Sintra National Palace is at the lower edge. Finding a recommendation for a good restaurant in Sintra was hard to come by so instead we decided to pick a restaurant based on the view. Right in the middle of the main square of town are several outdoor restaurants all sharing the same space. Its hard to tell where one ends and the next starts. We randomly picked one and had a fine lunch (although not great) and enjoyed the view of the National Palace and the town square.
After lunch we toured the National Palace across the street. The majority of the palace dates back to the 14th and 15th centuries and was occupied by Portuguese royals up until the late 19th century. Unlike the other palaces in Sintra, this one was more interesting on the inside than the outside. The defining feature is the two huge cone shaped chimneys.
Quinta da Regaleira
Don’t bother taking a bus to Quinta da Regaleria, its an easy walk from town. It was an unexpected highlight of our day. The palace and especially the gardens are magical. It was designed by an Italian opera-set designer and architect, Luigi Manini, for the owner, Antonio Augusto Carvalho Monteiro, known as ‘Monteiro the Millionaire’. The estate consists of lakes, grottos, towers, winding paths, fountains and the best part: two spiraling wells and a maze of tunnels that connect them. You’ll feel like a kid in a playground while you scurry to explore every hidden corner of the grounds.
