How much can you write about Sintra? A lot, it turns out. Sintra is one of the most popular destinations in Portugal, and some would say it proudly ranks among the top three.
Its popularity comes down to several things:
- It’s easy to get to and relatively close to Lisbon, which makes day trips possible
- You can stay amid picturesque scenery, and even in castles (some of which have been converted into hotels)
- A concentration of palaces, castles and estates that everyone loves to see while imagining what it would be like to live in such a place
- More than a thousand years of history
- Especially pleasant weather in summer, along with a rural atmosphere
Let’s start with the most important question: is a day trip enough, or do you need to stay overnight?
Most visitors come on day trips and try to see as much as possible. Lovers of legends, antiquities and history stay at least a night or more to really soak up the feelings the place stirs in you.
Sorry we don’t have a clear-cut answer, but it depends on what you love as a traveler, how much you love castles and palaces and, just as important, how much time you have.
When Should You Arrive in Sintra?
If you’re coming on a day trip, arrive fairly early. Most sites open at 9 a.m. If you’re staying at least one night, you can arrive at midday, take in the atmosphere, visit one or two sites, and spend the whole next day visiting the rest.
How Do You Get There and Get Around?
Remember that Sintra sits on a hill and is built on all sides of it, so there are plenty of climbs, descents and narrow, winding roads through streets, woods and trees.
It’s fairly easy to get to the town by the trains and buses that leave Lisbon quite frequently; the ride takes about 45 minutes. You can also get there by taxi or ride-hailing apps like Uber and Bolt, as part of an organized tour run by various companies, and of course by car.
Because the town’s geography makes it hard to walk from place to place, if you don’t have a car you can use the hop-on hop-off tourist bus, which runs between all the main sites.
Where to Stay
The town offers a variety of hotels and apartments on the various booking sites. The best area to stay is the old town, also called Sintra Vila, because it lets you take a pleasant evening or morning stroll and take in the special sights the old town has to offer.
Recommended Hotels in Sintra
If you decide to stay the night, we’ve put together a few recommended hotels in Sintra.
Hotel Nova Sintra: Hotel Nova Sintra has a large sun terrace overlooking the Sintra mountain range and a romantic patio shaded by big trees. It offers simply designed, recently renovated rooms with mountain views, each uniquely furnished with decorative headboards and antique furniture.
Arribas Sintra Hotel: A 4-star hotel near the beach.
Sintra Marmòris Camélia: Marmoris Camélia is 700 meters from Sintra National Palace and less than a kilometer from the center, and offers air-conditioned accommodation with free Wi-Fi and a garden.
Do You Have to Pay to Visit the Sites?
Yes. Prices vary from site to site, and for most of them you can buy tickets online, which is highly recommended, especially in spring and summer, when the town fills with visitors, everything is crowded and there are lines to buy tickets and to get in.
Note! Children (usually up to age 6) get in free or at a discount, and there are discounts for seniors as well.
Convenient sites for booking tickets online are the Tiqets Dutch site and the Swiss site Get Your Guide
Before We Tell You About the Sites: A Little History on the Hilltop
From the start, the Muslim Moors recognized the Sintra hill as a strategic point controlling the whole area and the approach from the sea, and as early as the 8th or 9th century they built a fortress there.
During the long (700-year) struggle between Christians and Muslims over the Iberian Peninsula, in the 12th century the place came under the control of the Portuguese Christians, who saw it as a strategic point protecting Lisbon. Over the years, the kings of Portugal fell in love with its beauty and especially its pleasant, cool climate, which let them “escape” Lisbon’s hot summer days. And so palaces and castles began to be built here by the Portuguese and by wealthy foreigners.
Sintra’s Top Attractions
Pena Park and Palace
Pena Palace, one of Portugal’s most magnificent and famous tourist sites. The palace is a showcase of 19th-century Romanticist architecture. It stands on a rocky peak, the second-highest point in the Sintra hills.
Click here to book tickets in advance for Pena Park and Palace.
Moorish Castle (Castelo dos Mouros)
The oldest structure in town. You can walk up from the old town (keep in mind it’s uphill) or take public transport. It’s impressive, and you can walk along the walls and look out over the wonderful views.
Click here to book tickets in advance for the Moorish Castle.
If you’re visiting in high season, you can buy a pricier ticket that lets you skip the line.
Click here to book skip-the-line tickets for the Moorish Castle.
Quinta da Regaleira
It’s a kind of estate with a palace and extensive gardens full of underground passages, staircases through different spaces, ponds and small waterfalls. It feels a bit like stepping into Alice in Wonderland. The whole place sits in a kind of ancient forest that adds lots of green and a special atmosphere. The estate and gardens were built by a wealthy merchant from Brazil who was looking for a retreat for himself.
Click here to book tickets in advance for Quinta da Regaleira
Sintra National Palace
There are actually two national palaces in Sintra, the second being Pena Palace, which we mentioned earlier. Both were built by Portuguese kings, which is why they’re called national palaces.
Sintra Palace, in the center of town, was built between the 14th and 16th centuries by two Portuguese kings, probably on the foundations of a Moorish building that served the Moorish fortress. The palace is very impressive, with two huge, striking chimneys that served the main kitchen and a mix of several architectural styles.
Click here to book tickets in advance for Sintra National Palace
Monserrate Palace
In the 18th century the estate was rented by William Beckford (a writer who had inherited a huge fortune). Later a wealthy Briton, Sir Francis Cook, bought it, built the current palace in the 19th century in an exotic Romantic style, and brought English gardeners who landscaped all the grounds around it.
Click here to book tickets in advance for Monserrate Palace
Bonus Site
A short distance outside town you’ll find the Capuchos Convent, where the monks’ life must have been especially interesting: their cells were carved into the rock and lined with cork, but they’re so tiny they make you wonder how tall those monks were!
Click here to book tickets in advance for the Capuchos Convent