Contents

How to Get There

Sintra is incredibly easy to reach from Lisbon, with trains leaving every half hour from Rossio station. You can buy a ticket online, but it is also very easy to get a ticket from the ticketing office at the train station.

Reaching Rossio station is a fairly easy process as it is located in the center of the city. The Rossio metro station is on the green metro line and there are several bus and tram stops around Rossio Square and the adjacent Figueira Square.

The train ride from Lisbon to Sintra takes around 45-50 minutes. Once you reach Sintra, I would recommend starting your day at Pena Palace, which can be reached by taking the 434 bus from the Sintra station. For this bus you can purchase your ticket from the driver, just make sure you have cash on you. Since Sintra is not very big, the buses are fairly easy to navigate, and the central part of the town is walkable.

What to Do

Pena Palace

About

This is perhaps the most iconic site in Sintra. The colorful castle stands tall overlooking the town of Sintra and on a clear day can even be seen all the way from Lisbon. It is both a national monument and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The palace was a summer residence for the Portuguese royal family and was constructed between 1842 and 1854. After the Republican Revolution of 1910 it was classified as a national monument and transformed into a museum.

How to Visit

Today the palace welcomes many visitors year-round who can explore the castle and its extensive grounds. The park around the castle is open from 9am – 7pm while the palace itself is open 9:30am – 6:30pm.

I highly recommend booking tickets beforehand and getting there right at opening to avoid crowds, particularly during the busy summer months. Tickets for just the park cost €7.50 for adults and €6.50 for seniors and children while tickets for the park and palace cost €14 and €12.50 for adults and seniors/children respectively. There are also family passes available which include tickets for two adults and two children which cost €26 and €49 for the park or palace + park respectively.

Tickets can be purchased from the palace website or from GetYourGuide. Do note that for this palace you must reserve tickets for a particular entrance time.

The best way to reach the palace is by taking the 434 bus, which originates from the Sintra (Estação) bus stop, just outside the train station. You purchase your ticket from the bus driver when you get on the bus. Prices have changed since I visited, but the most recent information I found says that the one way ticket costs €4.10, the round trip ticket costs €7.60 and the 24 hour unlimited ticket is €15. Note that you will have to purchase your ticket in cash.

I recommend buying either the one-way or round-trip ticket as I found that I only used the bus to get to Pena Palace. Once at the Palace I didn’t have any trouble walking to other attractions, but you definitely want to avoid walking up the hill.

Pena Palace is the fourth stop on the bus ride, as is denoted by its Portuguese name, Palácio da Pena.

The alternative way to reach the palace is via taxi or Uber, but expect that to be a more expensive option.

Castelo dos Mouros (Castle of the Moors/Moorish Castle)

About

The other truly iconic attraction in Sintra is the Moorish Castle, which is a medieval castle located a short distance from Pena Palace. This castle was originally built in the 8th and 9th centuries by the Moorish leaders that occupied much of the Iberian peninsula at that time. It was a key strategic position for defending the area around Lisbon. The castle was never conquered but surrendered to the Portuguese in 1147 after the fall of Lisbon. It is now both a national monument and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Visitors can come to the castle and climb its ancient walls to experience one of the most incredible views over the Lisbon region. The castle truly takes you back in time and is a worthwhile experience.

How to Visit

It is open 9:30am – 6pm and tickets can be bought from its website or GetYourGuide. Tickets for adults cost €8, while seniors and children cost €6.50 and a family plan of 2 adults and two children costs €26.

While you can reach this castle via bus, it is a pleasant and manageable walk from Pena Palace. The distance between the ticket offices of each site is just over half a mile, although there is an additional walk from the ticketing offices to the actual castles.

If you prefer to take the bus between the two sites, it is better to start your day at the Moorish Castle since that is the stop before the palace on the bus route. The bus is only able to travel in one direction, so if you want to take the bus starting at Pena Palace and ending at the Moorish Castle you would have to travel for the duration of the 30+ minute route.

Quinta da Regaleira

About

Another UNESCO World Heritage Site, this palace was built in the late 19th century for a family of wealthy merchants. The main building is a beautiful example of neo-gothic architecture but the main event here is the palace grounds.

There are many elaborate buildings and rooms as well as a connection of underground tunnels. The most famous part of the grounds is the Initiation Well, which features a spiral staircase from the top to the base of the well.

How to Visit

Quinta da Regaleira is open from 9:30am – 8pm during the summer and 10am-6:30pm during the winter, they stop allowing admission 1 hour before closing time. Tickets cost €10 for adults, €5 for kids, €4 for seniors, or €25 for a family ticket. Tickets can be purchased in person at the ticket counter or online via their website or on GetYourGuide.

This palace is located a short way from the city center along Av. Almeida Garrett. From the historical center it is a flat and roughly .5 mile walk. The 434 tourist bus does not stop here, but there is a local bus line that does; however, it’s an easy enough walk that there’s really no need to take another form of transportation.

Where to Eat

Cafe Saudade

This cute cafe is a fantastic spot to grab breakfast or lunch while you are in Sintra. It has a cute vibe and both the food and coffee were outstanding. I particularly enjoyed the Saudade coffee, which is a unique drink made with condensed milk, and the fruit and yogurt parfait, which far exceeded my expectations for its modest price of 3.95 EUR.

Overall, this cafe was a great find and I highly recommend it to anyone coming to Sintra. Cafe Saudade is open 8:30am – 6pm Wed-Sat, and 8am – 6pm on Sundays, it is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.

Piriquita

This bakery is famous for their Travesseiro, which is a pillowy puff pastry stuffed with an almond cream. There is seating inside but most people get takeout. The takeout line can get really long, but usually moves pretty quickly, just make sure you grab a ticket so you can be served. Piriquita is open 9am-7:30pm on weekdays and 9am-8pm on weekends.

Sample Itinerary

~8:11 – Train from Rossio Station

• Buy ticket online before or at the train station
• If buying at the train station make sure to show up earlier in case there is a line for tickets

~9 – Arrive in Sintra

• Walk out of the train station and around the corner to the bus station, it should be fairly obvious and there will likely be a crowd of people headed in the same direction
• Take the 434 bus and get off an Pena Palace (4 stops)

~9:30 – Arrive at Pena Palace

• Make sure you bought your ticket beforehand

~11:30 – Walk to Moorish Castle

~12 – Arrive at Moorish Castle

• Make sure to buy ticket beforehand

~1:30 – Walk back down into the town

• There’s a nice trail so you don’t have to go along the road

~2 – Late lunch at Cafe Saudade

~3:30 – Quinta da Regaleira

• Easy walk from Cafe Saudade

~5 – Grab a snack at Piriquita

~6 – Train back to Lisbon

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