Keep reading to know how to make the best of your day-trip to Sintra : how to get there, what castles and palaces to visit, and some key historical facts to know before you go.
A visit to Sintra is the most popular day-trip from Lisbon, Portugal, and with reason. Sintra is a one of a kind magical town. Why you ask? Because in between it’s luscious green hill, Sintra hides some of the most beautiful castles and palaces in Europe. These castles are a short 40-minute train ride from Lisbon making it one of the best things to do in Lisbon.
Keep Reading // 11 Amazing Things to do in Lisbon
In the 19th century, Sintra became a popular tourist destination among the Portuguese elite, including the king of Portugal himself. With its beautiful hills and luscious forest, Sintra was the perfect escape from the hustle and bustle of the city. Well-to-do Portuguese started to built their summer palaces in Sintra.
There is quite a lot to see and do in this small town full of romantic gardens and architectural delights. It is easy to get carried away and want to see it all. But in one day, you can realistically visit 2 to 3 castles comfortably.
Here’s how to make the most of your day-trip to Sintra
How to make the best of your day-trip to Sintra
Travel Tip // To make the best of your day-trip to Sintra buy tickets to the different castles and palaces ahead of time.
HOW TO GET TO SINTRA BY TRAIN ?
From Lisbon, the easiest way to get to Sintra is by train.
Located around 40 minutes from Lisbon, the town of Sintra is easily accessible by train. There are two train lines that link Lisbon to Sintra:
- The first one leaves from Rossio Train station, in the center of Lisbon;
- The second leaves from Estação do Oriente, the train station nearest to the airport.
The price of a train ticket is €4,80 and include the trip to and from Sintra.
Trains start early in the morning and last until late in the night. There are 3 trains per hour leaving from each station.
Travel Tip // It is not recommend to travel to Sintra by car. The streets in the hills are extremely narrow and have not been designed to welcome heavy traffic. Parking space are also very hard to come by both in town and at the castles.
Join a Tour // If you prefer the comfort of an organized tour, there are many options available to visit Sintra. This well rated option offers a visit of Pena Palace in Sintra as well as a visit to Cabo da Roca and Cascais. If you want to see more castles, this second option will bring you to Pena Palace, Quinta da Regaleira and Cascais. Joining a tour is also the only way you will be able to see Sintra and Cascais in the same day : local train and buses timetable won’t give you enough time to do both.
HOW TO GET AROUND SINTRA?
Although it is possible to walk around Sintra, I do not recommend it as you will have to climb many steep hills. A better option, when you reach the town, is to take one of the two main bus routes connecting the train station to the palaces and castles of Sintra: line 434 and 435. Plan your visit in advance to determine which bus corresponds to the sights you want to explore.
- Line 434: Train Station – National Palace- Moorish Castle – Pena Palace
- Line 435: Train Station – National Palace – Quinta Da Regaleira – Seteais Palace – Monserrate Palace
There is often some confusion about the price for the bus, but according to my experience the “Pena Circuit Round Trip” cost €7,60 and the unlimited trips for 24 hours is €15.
You can also take an Uber or a Taxi from the train station but be sure to negotiate your price before getting in. This can be a good option if you are travelling as a group but will end up costing you more if you are a solo traveller.
WHAT CASTLES AND PALACES SHOULD YOU SEE IN A DAY?
PENA PALACE
The Pena Palace is without a doubt the most famous and popular castle to visit in Sintra. It is easily distinguishable by it’s bright red and yellow colors. Being the most famous also means that a lot (I mean A LOT!) of people visit it every day: so expect long lines. Although there is no avoiding the lines here, if you are able to get tickets early in the morning you have the best chances of a smaller crowd.
In the 12th century, a chapel dedicated to “Our Lady Pena” was constructed at the site of the present-day Pena Palace. Over time, the chapel evolved into a Monastery, which tragically fell into ruin during the devastating 1755 earthquake that also impacted Lisbon and its surroundings. Left in a dilapidated state for a century, the area caught the attention of Portugal’s King Ferdinand II, who developed a deep fondness for it. In 1838, he made the decision to acquire the old monastery, along with the surrounding lands and the nearby Castle of the Moors. Inspired by the romantic architecture of the era, Ferdinand II oversaw the construction of the Pena Castle, which stands as a magnificent testament to romantic architecture in Portugal to this day.
THE DETAILS
When | Pena Palace is open every day of the week from 9:30am to 6:30pm. The last entry is at 5:30pm.
Price | It costs €14 per person to visit Pena Palace. This price includes the Palace and the Park. You can buy your tickets here.
Travel Tip // You can also buy combo tickets pairing Pena Palace with other Sintra castles. It is definitely worth it and cheaper if you plan on visiting more than one castle.
Unpopular opinion // If you are pressed with time, skip the tour of the inside of the Palace. I did not find it particularly interesting and it’s usually so full of people that it’s hard to enjoy the tour.
MOORISH CASTLE
Just a short 10-minute walk from the Palace of Pena you’ll find the imposing ruins of the Moorish Castle. The fortress was erected sometime between the eighth and the ninth centuries and served as a watchtower that protected Lisbon and its surroundings.
Travel Tip // Follow the trails signs outside of the Pena Palace ground an hike the short 1km trail – this is the quickest and easiest way to get from one castle to the other.
Initially, the Moorish Castle was under the occupation of the Moors, the inhabitants of the region at that time. Its strategic location made it an impregnable natural defense from the north. The castle withstood the initial Christian crusade but eventually surrendered in 1147, when Afonso Henriques, the first King of Portugal, took control of Sintra. Following the establishment of a Christian settlement within the castle walls, the Islamic population gradually dwindled. This paved the way for the growth of a Medieval town that thrived continuously until the 15th century.
After the devastating Lisbon earthquake of 1755, the Castelo dos Mouros lay in ruins. However, King Fernando II was resolute in preserving the formerly magnificent fortress. He initiated the restoration and reinforcement of the exterior walls and towers, resurrecting the Moorish Castle as a prominent feature of Sintra’s landscape once more.
THE DETAILS
When | The Moorish Castle is opened everyday from 9:30 am to 6:30pm. The last entry is at 5:30pm.
Price | It costs €12 per person to visit the Moorish Castle. You can buy your tickets here.
QUINTA DA REGALEIRA
Quinta de Regaleira, situated near the historical center of Sintra, is a stunning estate with a rich history. Originally owned by the Viscountess of Regaleira, a prominent family of affluent merchants from Porto, the property gained prominence when Augusto Carvalho Monteiro, a Brazilian-Portuguese businessman and devoted art collector with a keen interest in the Knights Templar and Freemasons, acquired it in 1892.
The palace may appear deceptively small, yet it showcases intricate Neo-Gothic architecture adorned with exquisitely carved pinnacles. However, the primary allure of Quinta da Regaleira lies in its expansive gardens, distinct from the typical formal palace gardens found in other Sintra castles.
The star of the visit to Sintra is the Initiation Well, which look like a well but is actually an inverted tower of spiral staircase that goes down to a set of underground tunnels. There is always a long line to get into the Well so I suggest you plan your visit with that in mind to give you time to see everything. And trust me, you will want to explore these gardens because they hold so many hidden treasures!
THE DETAILS
When | Quinta da Regaleira is open every day of the week from 10:00am to 6:30pm. The last entry is at 5:30pm.
Price | It costs €15,5 per person to visit Pena Palace. You can buy your tickets here.
WHAT IF I WANT TO SEE MORE?
I completely understand if you now have fallen in love with Sintra and want to see more of it. Although I don’t recommend doing more than 3 castles in one day – otherwise you will be very rushed – here are other palaces you might want to add to your list:
National Palace of Sintra | Located in the heart of Sintra, the National Palace would be a good addition if you want to add a fourth castle to your day. The ticket costs €9,50.
Beister Palace | Just a minute or two away from Quinta da Regaleira, Beister Palace is another great option if you want to visit a fourth palace. Parts of the movie The Ninth Gate staring Johnny Depp was filmed here in 1999. The ticket costs €11.
Monserrate Palace | This gothic, Arabic, Indian inspired palace once won a European Garden Award. Since it is a bit out of the way, it is often skipped by tourists and therefore is much less busy then the other palaces in Sintra. The ticket is €12.
National Palace of Queluz | This Baroque Rococo palace is one of the best examples of late 18th century Portuguese architecture. The gardens here are also worth a visit. The ticket costs €13.
Want to spend the night in Sintra? Find a hotel here.
READ THESE POSTS BEFORE VISITING LISBON!
LISBON GUIDES | 11 Amazing Things to do In Lisbon; How to make the best of your visit to Belém; 14 Things to Know Before Visiting Lisbon; 5 tips for riding Tram 28 in Lisbon; Where to Stay in Lisbon?
LISBON PHOTOS | 30 amazing photos of Lisbon
THE REST OF PORTUGAL | 11 amazing things to do in Porto; 9 amazing things to do in Lagos
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I almost made a very different version of this reel.
Last time I posted about Smiths Falls, the comments surprised me and a lot of them seemed to come from people who actually live there. There’s nothing to do here. It’s boring. My first instinct was to make a whole clap-back video, screenshots and all.
But honestly? I get it. Nobody is a tourist in their own town. The canal is just the thing you cross on your way to work. The museum is where you went once on a school trip in grade four. When you see a place every single day, it goes invisible.
I grew up near the Bay of Fundy - home of the highest tides on the planet - and as a kid I thought it was the most boring place on earth. It took moving away to realize people cross oceans to see what was in my backyard.
So this reel is me being a tourist in your town for you. The 1912 bridge you’d paddle under if you hadn’t stopped noticing it. The museum where you can climb into the trains, and even sleep in one. The thrift trail. The mural. All of it.
To everyone who’s never been: this is your sign for an easy day trip from Ottawa or Kingston.
And to Smiths Falls locals: I dare you to do one thing from this list this weekend. Report back. 😌
What’s the thing in YOUR town that you’ve stopped noticing? I want to hear it.
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#SmithsFalls #RideauCanal #OntarioDayTrip #ExploreOntario #smalltownontario
I have a confession: half my road trips are reverse-engineered.
I don’t pick a destination and find a coffee shop nearby. I pick the coffee shop, then build a whole day around justifying the drive. A hike here, a beach there, some antiquing, all very respectable cover stories for the fact that I drove two hours for an iced latte.
Because here’s what I’ve figured out after years of crisscrossing Ontario: the best coffee shops are never just coffee shops. They’re the unofficial welcome centre of every small town. The barista knows which trail is muddy this week. The regulars will tell you where to park for free. The bulletin board has better local intel than any travel blog, mine included.
So this list isn’t really about coffee. It’s about the 12 places I use as an excuse to keep exploring this province. Swipe through, every single one comes with what to pair it with so you can build your own cover story.
From Thunder Bay to the County, consider this your permission slip to drive unreasonably far for caffeine.
Which one’s closest to you? And more importantly, what’s YOUR coffee shop worth driving for? I’m always taking notes. ☕
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#OntarioCoffeeShops #OntarioRoadTrip #DiscoverOntario #OntarioTravel #SmallTownOntario
For over a hundred years, the men who lived in this house woke up, looked at the lake, and went to work captaining the Wolfe Island ferry. Three generations of them. Same water, same crossing, every day.
I thought about that a lot during my stay at @themullinhouse_ (mainly from the bathtub, because the tub faces the lake and once you’re in it there’s no reason to be anywhere else.)
The Mullin House just opened as a stay, and those who brought it back to life did it in the best way that possible. Keeping the soul of the place.Places with an actual story make my job as a photographer easy. I just have to pay attention.
And if you want to stay here too: It’s a free 20-minute ferry from Kingston, 5 bedrooms, sleeps 10. So this is your sign to plan the group trip you keep talking about.
Save this for when you book it, and be honest, would you make it out of that bathtub by checkout?
Thank you to @themullinhouse_ for having me!
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I grew up an hour from the Bay of Fundy. And every few years, my school would pile us onto a bus and take us to Hopewell Rocks or Fundy National Park. And every single time, as a kid, I thought : ‘okay, cool. Rocks. Trees. Can we go home now?’
I had absolutely no idea what I was standing next to.
It took me leaving New Brunswick, travelling across the country before I came back to the Bay of Fundy as an adult and genuinely had my breath taken away. I grew up next to one of the most extraordinary places on the planet and completely took it for granted. And I think a lot of Maritimers probably feel the same way.
This carousel is my attempt to fix that, for myself, and for anyone who’s never made the trip. Scroll through and I’ll show you exactly how I’d plan a road trip along the New Brunswick side, from the tidal flats to the coastal cliffs to the little fishing towns that feel completely frozen in time.
And if you have extra days to spare, Saint John is absolutely worth a stop, underrated city, great food scene, and it sits right on the bay.
I’m also heading back this summer to try a stay I’ve had my eye on for a while, I genuinely cannot wait to tell you all about it. 👀
Save this for your New Brunswick road trip. 🙌
👇 Have you ever been to the Bay of Fundy? Were you as underwhelmed as I was at 10 years old? 😄
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#BayOfFundy #NewBrunswick #ExploreCanada #CanadaTravel #FundyNationalPark
I’ll be honest, when I pulled up to @whispering_springs I didn’t know what to expect. I’d seen the photos, I’d read the website, but nothing really prepares you for the moment you walk into your safari tent and realize this might actually be nicer than your apartment.
We’re talking a king bed, more space than I expected, and an actual bathtub, in a tent. I took a bath. In the woods. And I would do it again without hesitation.
Oh and the s’mores bar? Someone thought really hard about what would make people unreasonably happy at the end of a summer night and they nailed it.
Save this for your summer planning because at 90 minutes from Toronto there is really no reason to wait.
Now tell me have you ever gone glamping? If not, what are you waiting for!
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#OntarioGetaway #GlampingOntario #OntarioTravel #WeekendGetawayOntario
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