Just outside of Lisbon is a city with gardens, multiple palaces, an old Moorish castle and a view of the Atlantic that can’t be beat. Nestled in the verdant hills outside of Lisbon, Sintra may be the single best day trip from Portugal’s capital city and it’s just a 40-minute train ride away. We visited on our first full day in Portugal and it was the perfect place to start our journey. In fact, we could have spent several days there and would have never seen everything. Here’s what we were lucky enough to see.
Palácio Nacional da Pena
The real gem in Sintra and the National Palace of Pena, a fairytale castle, built in the 19th century by King Ferdinand II to rival the castles in Germany. A couple of generations of Portuguese royalty lived there before the monarchy fell and the palace became a tourist attraction in 1910.
In order to see the castle, which includes a tour of the inside and a stop in a beautiful courtyard overlooking the vast landscape from the palace to the Atlantic, you must get a timed ticket ahead of time.
I can’t stress enough how early you should leave to get to the palace. The train from Rossio Station in Lisbon is a 40-minute ride. Then, you must take a taxi or jump on the 434 bus to get to the entrance to the Palácio da Pena. The bus leaves every 15-20 minutes, but can have an extremely long line and be very crowded. Once you get to the entrance, there is a 30-minute uphill hike to the palace or you can buy tickets to take the shuttle, which, again, leaves every 15 minutes and can have a long line. Each of these stretches may mean waiting for long periods to get to your final destination.
But it is worth it! The palace itself is well-maintained and you can see dozens of rooms, small and large with original furniture. There is an audio guide that tells you about each room, and plenty of time to stop in the rooms or in the courtyard to take in the view. If you get hungry there are a couple of cafes and bathrooms on site.
Moorish Castle
Most people start at the Palácio Nacional da Pena and then trek down to the Castelo dos Mouros (Moorish Castle) afterwards. Personally, the Moorish Castle was my favorite. It’s all outdoors with beautiful views of the surrounding landscape. You even get a wonderful view of the Palácio da Pena, sitting on its nearby hilltop, if you hike to the highest point of the Moorish Castle. The gardens you walk through and ancient castle walls are just amazing.
Gardens & Views
There are a dozen other sites you can visit in Sintra as well. From the gardens themselves (Parque da Pena) to another Palácio Nacional de Sintra. You could spend several days exploring Sintra and I hope I get the chance to soon! Just a quick walk through the gardens leading down from Palácio da Pena made me want to stay longer.
Throughout the park, you’ll find amazing views of the lowlands around Sintra and even the Atlantic ocean. You just get a lot of bang for your buck visiting Sintra.
You can also walk through the town of Sintra, have lunch, shop, and spend a very delightful day enjoying yourself before departing back to Lisbon. The next stop on our trip is to what turned out to be my favorite city in Portugal, Porto. That’s what I’ll write about next week!