Sintra sits in wooded hills half an hour west, a cluster of palaces and gardens built by royalty and rich eccentrics in a damp green microclimate. It is one of the busiest day trips from Lisbon; plan it, or it plans you.
Palácio da Pena
A romantic nineteenth-century palace painted red and yellow on a crag above the town, with a park of exotic trees around it. By far the most popular sight in Sintra — book a timed entry, and go for the first or the last slot of the day.
Quinta da Regaleira
A neo-Gothic villa and garden lower down, full of grottoes, tunnels and a spiral “initiation well” you climb down through the rock. More atmospheric than grand, and it takes as long as you let it.
The rest
The historic centre with the Palácio Nacional and its two conical chimneys; the ruined Moorish castle on the ridge; and, further out, Monserrate. You cannot do all of it well in a day — pick two.
Good to know
- The train from Rossio in central Lisbon is far easier than driving — Sintra’s roads and parking are a nightmare in season
- The 434 hop-on bus loops from the station to the castle and Pena; the 435 covers Regaleira and Monserrate
- Everything needs booking ahead in summer
- It rains and clouds in when Lisbon is sunny — bring a layer