A Full Travel Guide to Sintra, Portugal

4 min readSep 23, 2018

This post is in collaboration with the Sintra Tourism Office

The town of Sintra is filled with castles, palaces, and breathtaking hill-top views. It truly is a Portuguese fairytale situated at the foothill of Portugal’s Sintra mountains and along the Portuguese Riviera. It is an easy day trip from Lisbon (40 minutes) and costs €2.25 for a one-way ticket (ticket info here). I don’t think spending a day here is enough!

The Sintra Mountains are also called the mountains of the moon. It’s cooler temperatures previously attracted royalty to its palaces and gardens as it served as a sanctuary to the Celts, Portuguese and Moors. The pastel-colored villas serve as a mosaic to its rich history of the valley. From monasteries and chapels, Sintra offers both a romantic and mystical destination. As a result of its gardens, forests, nature, villas, and estates it’s become a major tourist destination and is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

What to Expect

Expect to do a lot of walking. The weather can be unpredictable; some days were quite hot and some were colder, but not extreme either way. Evenings tended to be pretty mild particularly in mid-September. Clothes that I wore during the day were not warm enough for dinner time. If you are staying in Sintra plan on bringing light layers for the evenings as the hills are cool. Streets are steep, cobbly and some of the tiles can be slippery. A ten-minute walk in Sintra could mean walking up and down two hills and climbing some steep stairs.

Food to Try

Bifana sandwich
Ginjinha (sour cherry liqueur consumed with/in a small chocolate cup)
Muscatel wine
Galao coffee
Local pastries: queijada, pasteis de nata, travesseiros

Where to Park/How To Get There

Parking can be tough but there are parking lots and allotted parking places in the center of town. Unless you are staying at a hotel in Sintra, I would take the train in, and take an uber to the monuments, then bus/walk between them. (You have to pay on the bus for the ticket.) Some of our ubers from central Sintra were only €3–4. You are able to walk to and from some of the monuments but the narrow winding roads can be scary for some. We found that Uber was very useful and reasonably priced. Due to the nature of the narrow, winding, hilly roads, it is worth remembering to set your pick-up location in a sensible, easily accessible spot. Trains heading to Sintra depart every 20 minutes from Rossio in Lisbon. More spread apart later in the evening.

More info on the Sintra Bus:

http://www.sintra-portugal.com/guides/sintra-bus-434.html

Places to Eat

Our average dinners in Sintra or in the area were roughly €45 with appetizers, wine, and dessert. At times we shared mains. Most places take card and the customary standard tipping rate is 10%.

Casa Piriquita

Suntria Cafe — Sintra

**Casa Piriquita — Sintra

Fábrica das Verdadeiras Queijadas da Sapa

**Nortada — Praia Grande

**Incomum — Sintra

**Confraria Sushi — Caiscais

Santini (ice cream) — Caiscais

Cafe Saudade

**Nau Palatina — Sintra

Apeadeiro

Midori

Lawrence’s Hotel

Taverna dos Trovadores

Tacho Real

Restaurante Setais

Beaches and Lookout Points

Praia da Agrada

Praia Grande Do Guincho

Cascais Beaches

Praia do Magoito Beach

Praia da Adraga Beach

Cabo Da Roca

Praia da Samarra

Praia da Vigia

Cascais sea side resort

Praia Grande Do Guincho

Praia das Macas

Tourist Attractions and Monuments

I would suggest purchasing your tickets in advance to the monuments, particularly Pena Palace. Also Pena Palace and Park are two separate attractions. Thank you to the Districao de Tourismo of Sintra for providing me with entrance to the attractions of my choice, it was truly an honor to be your guest.