How long to see sintra

Personally, I recommend opting for the walk because it takes you through the charming town of Sintra at a leisurely pace. En route to our first stop, we will pass through Sintra City Center. I suggest taking the time to admire the lovely buildings of this town. I mean, look at those lovely splashes of color!

Pro Tip: Swing by Casa Piriquita for a pastry before embarking on your adventurous day. Just the energy boost you need for the day ahead. Our first official stop will be a magnificent palace by the name of Quinta da Regaleira. The gardens at Quinta da Regaleira are whimsical indeed. They mimic ancient secret orders, full of hidden tunnels and concealed symbolism. We wanted to see the famous well at Quinta da Regaleira, so we made that our first stop. Along the way, we passed through the breathtaking gardens and the Quinta da Regaleira Tower, which we promptly climbed, of course.

Our second stop will take us to the much calmer Monserrate Palace, where gothic, Arabic and Indian architectural styles are seamlessly blended together. Monserrate Palace is often overlooked by visitors eager to take a photo of the better known Pena Palace. Quite the pity, really. Especially considering how elaborate and quiet this hidden gem is. Up, up, up we go! However, a different bus — number — will take you there. But the reason you would visit is for the incredible park around it. When a wealthy man called Carvalho Monteiro bought the estate in , he decided to turn this park into a collection of oddities.

I think the highlight is the well or inverted tower that I told you about at the start of this story. You can climb down the 27 metre deep spiral staircase and then follow the underground tunnels to pop up at a second well or further down the garden. From April — September, Quinta da Regaleira is open from — From October — March, it is open from — The last entry is an hour before closing time.

From Quinta da Regaleira, walk back to the centre of Sintra town and catch the bus from outside the National Palace up to the Moorish Castle. The castle was built at the top of a peak by the Moors in the 10th century. Although it was presumably used for residential and official purposes, it was also part of the fortification effort of Sintra.

In the centuries afterwards, the location and foundations were used by various Portuguese rulers who added to the structures but none of them lasted. What makes a visit to the castle so special is being able to climb up and walk along the defensive walls. You will get incredible views across the region from here, including a great angle of Pena Palace.

If you want to avoid the line to get in, you can buy a fast-track ticket online in advance. From the Moorish Castle, you can get the bus to Pena Palace or just walk along the road for 10 minutes. This is another one of the most iconic buildings in Sintra, high on a hill with its yellow and red towers and turrets and dome. One wing of the palace is an old monastery that was built in Work to change it into a modern and luxurious structure started in under the direction of King Ferdinand II.

He then added the second wing to make it even bigger and more opulent. Around the building is a wall that is all about aesthetics rather than defences. Pena Palace is a perfect representation of the Romantic movement that swept through Sintra in the 19th century and stands as the ultimate symbol to this style.

You can buy a ticket for just the park or a combined ticket for the palace and the park. I think Sintra is the kind of place where doing a day tour is actually quite a good idea. However you choose to explore Sintra, I hope you find the time to make the trip from Lisbon. The Moors, the Royals, the Romantics — none of them made this for us.

They made it for their own amusement because they appreciated how special this land was. The fact that we can now enjoy what they have left for us just shows how much care they took in the creation of this fairy tale playground. While I have put together this guide to help you plan a one day trip to Sintra from Lisbon, there are also quite a few accommodation options in Sintra and it is a wonderful place to stay if you want to explore the area for a couple of days without the hassle of catching the train back and forth each time.

Spending the night in Sintra is a magical experience, and here are my top suggestions for every style of traveller. Photographing this area was a major highlight of my Sintra day trip. The state rooms are elegant and full of surprises. Be sure to look out the sitting room windows for a view of the Castle of the Moors! You might have noticed that Pena Palace is surrounded by a massive park, which has everything from a swan-filled pond to a charming chalet house.

Luckily, the walk from Pena Palace to the Castle of the Moors is quick and easy. Just head back to the main entrance and follow the Estrada da Pena north. There will be signs pointing to the Moorish Castle along the way. Buy your skip-the-line tickets for the Castle of the Moors here! Originally constructed in the 8th century, the site was rebuilt several times, which is why you can still walk the walls without them crumbling beneath your feet.

From up here, you can reach multiple overlook towers with views all the way to the ocean. The walls leading towards the castle ruins do get narrow at times, so take care when passing others. I know I said this was a Sintra walking tour. But you do have four choices for going from the Moorish Castle to the town center: bus, Tuk Tuk, Uber, and walking.

Each of these options takes roughly 30 minutes, though the vehicle routes will be faster in the off season. After a long morning of hiking, we were famished.

For 9 euros per person, we had a veritable feast of traditional Portuguese food. My biggest regret about our day trip to Sintra was missing the National Palace. I was looking forward to seeing the famous azulejo tile salon, and the beautifully painted Swan Room.

Thus, you should absolutely get your tickets online in advance. Buy your skip-the-line tickets for the Sintra National Palace here! Good news: the last stop on this Sintra day trip is only 15 minutes away from the National Palace! Simply exit the palace and head southwest on the main road N When we arrived around 3pm, we only waited in line for about 5 minutes. Exploring the grounds made me feel like a modern day adventurer.

There are overgrown gardens, Gothic buildings rising from the trees, damp caves, and even a spooky well that spirals deep into the ground. I half-expected to see Lara Croft or Nathan Drake sneaking around the place….