Discover the incredible Sintra: an enchanting town

Spending a few days in Lisbon? After visiting this beautiful, dynamic city, you absolutely must devote a day to discovering Sintra, one of Portugal’s outstanding sites. Located around thirty kilometres from the Portuguese capital, Sintra is a unique town renowned for its many palaces, each more beautiful than the last. The entire site is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. A historical and architectural marvel not to be missed!

Where is Sintra located?

In the heart of the Serra de Sintra hills lies a town full of surprises. It’s not so much the town centre that’s spectacular, but the magnificent villas, palaces, castles and houses of incredible architecture that are scattered in every nook and cranny of the verdant landscape that surrounds the town. Sintra lies 30 km west of Lisbon, at the gateway to the Sintra-Cascais Natural Park.

How to get to Sintra

From Lisbon

By train: take the train from either Rossio or Estação do Oriente stations. It takes around 40 minutes from the former and 50 minutes from the latter to get to Sintra town centre.

From Cascais

By bus: take line 417 from Cascais bus station. It will take you around 30 minutes to reach the centre of Sintra.

From Estoril

Bus: line 418 will take you to the centre of Sintra in around 30 minutes.

Once you’re there

Once you arrive in the centre of Sintra, you’ll need to take the tourist bus to get to the palaces. There are two different buses, which do not cover the same route:

Route 434: Sintra Station > Historic Centre > Moorish Castle > Pena National Palace > Historic Centre > Sintra Station

The 435 takes the following route: Sintra Station > Historic Centre > Regaleira Palace > Seteais Palace > Monserrate Palace > Seteais Palace > Regaleira Palace > Historic Centre > Sintra Station.

What to do in Sintra

The best way to discover all that Sintra has to offer is to stay for at least 2 days, so that you have enough time to visit the main palaces, especially during the summer months when queues can be long. If you are taking a day trip, you will need to select the sites you wish to visit. Here are the monuments you’ll find on site, with a short guide to help you choose the ones you like best!

1- The Pena National Palace

This is the most visited palace in Sintra and one of the most beautiful in the world. The Pena National Palace, built between 1838 and 1885, is an incredible castle situated high up in the region, giving you a 360° view of the surrounding area. Featuring red, yellow, blue and a mix of impressive architectural styles, it is undoubtedly the highlight of Sintra and a must-see on your visit. Your visit includes both the exterior and interior of the palace, as well as its grounds if you purchase an additional ticket.

To get into the palace, you need to buy a ticket at a fixed time: either on the spot, but expect to be in a long queue, or in advance on the website – the best option. If you buy your ticket online, arrive at the entrance to the park 30 minutes early to ensure that you arrive at the palace at the time shown on your ticket.

This is one of the most beautiful palaces in the world: in high season, it’s extremely busy.

Palace opening times : 9.30am-6.30pm (last entry at 6pm)

Park opening times: 9am-7pm (last entry at 6pm)

Admission

2- The Château des Maures

This castle is much older than its neighbours. Built by the Moors from the 8th century onwards on a rocky massif, it is in a remarkable state of preservation, allowing us to step back in time and discover this monument steeped in history.

It is one of Sintra’s main attractions, so it will be very busy in high season.

To get to the castle and its ramparts, you have to climb quite a bit. It is therefore not advisable to visit during hot weather, as the route is quite strenuous.

Times : 9.30am-6.30pm (last entry at 6pm)

Prices :

3- The Regaleira Palace

Certainly the most original palace you’ll see in Sintra, the Quinta da Regaleira is a castle built in the early 19th century. Aside from its historical aspect, it is its stunning architecture and fascinating, mysterious gardens that give it its great reputation. A walk around the site is well worth the diversions.

It’s a good idea to take a torch with you to explore every nook and cranny of the park.

Summer opening times (1 April – 30 September): 10am – 7.30pm (last entry at 7pm)

Winter opening times (1 October – 31 March): 10.00-18.30 (last entry at 17.30)

Admission

4- Monserrate Palace

Less well known than its predecessors, but just as magnificent, Monserrate Palace boasts beautiful architecture influenced by Gothic and Indian styles, with a touch of Moorish. Built by an Englishman in the 19th century, it is one of the finest examples of Romantic architecture in Portugal.

Opening times palace: 9.30am-6.30pm (last entry at 6pm)

Park opening times: 9am-7pm (last entry at 6pm)

Admission

5- Sintra National Palace

This is the oldest palace in Portugal! The first part of the building was constructed around the 10th century, and the palace has been altered, modified and enlarged over the centuries to become what it is today. Most of Portugal’s kings and queens have lived within its walls as their summer residence. The interior is richly decorated and the pretty gardens are free to visit.

Times : 9.30am-6.30pm (last entry at 6pm)

Admission

Entrance to the garden is free.

6- The Capuchin Convent

It’s not a palace or a castle, and it’s much less crowded than the rest of Sintra, but the Capuchin Convent is well worth a visit if you’re spending several days in the town. A haven of peace hidden in the abundant vegetation, this rock-cut Franciscan convent dates back to the 16th century, and is well worth a visit for its historical aspect.

Times: 9am-6pm (last entry at 5pm)

Admission

Some tips for visiting Sintra

• The busiest site is the Palacio de Pena, so we recommend you visit it first and arrive before opening time if you want to avoid (a little, you’ll always have some!) the queues. Buy your ticket in advance online.
• Don’t take the car to get to Sintra: the roads linking the palaces were not designed for cars and it’s very difficult to get around because of the crowds. What’s more, there are very few parking spaces in the town car park.
• On a busy day, you’ll have enough time to do between 2 and 3 visits, for example to the Palacio de Pena, the Palacio de la Regaleira and the Palacio de Monserrate, or the Palacio de Pena and the Castello dei Moori. Depending on how much time you spend visiting, this can be adapted.
• The Sintra site is quite steep, and it’s a day when you have to walk quite a bit to reach the palace entrances and visit the gardens. Even if you take the bus between the various buildings, you’ll still have to climb a bit, especially for the Pena National Palace and the Moorish Castle. Wear comfortable shoes and take plenty of water with you for the best possible visit!