A day in Sintra

It’s impossible not to be enchanted by Sintra: the village on the mountainside is a romantic delirium. From the end of the 18th century to the beginning of the 20th century, noblemen and rich men built fairytale palaces there.

The village doesn’t even need a beautiful day to be appreciated. On the contrary: when it’s shrouded in the mists of the mountains, it seems even more magical and mysterious.

As this is a very popular destination, it’s normal for the crowds to be huge during the summer, so we advise you to go as early as possible. Ideally, you should arrive around 08:30/09:00 so you should catch the train around 07:30/08:00.

Lisbon Center

For those staying in the center of Lisbon, the best station to catch the train is the Rossio Station. The train is direct and Sintra is the last station

Location: Rossio Station

Route: Rossio Station to Sintra

Moscavide

For those staying in Moscavide, the best station to catch the train is the Orient Station. The train is direct and Sintra is the last station

Location: Orient Station

Route: Oriente Station to Sintra

Set on one of the peaks overlooking the Sintra mountains, the Moorish Castle is a fortification built around the 10th century after the Muslim conquest of the Iberian Peninsula.

Along the footpaths you can admire a unique landscape that shows, in the foreground, the town, the Paço de Sintra, the Pena Palace and the mountains and, beyond them, the extensive plain to the north and the Atlantic Ocean.

Site: https://www.parquesdesintra.pt/en/

Ticket office: https://bilheteira.parquesdesintra.pt/home

Schedule

• Castle – 09:30 to 18:00
• Last entry – 17:30

Prices

• Adult ticket (18 to 64 years old) – 12€
• Youth ticket (from 6 to 17 years old) – 10€
• Senior ticket (over 65) – 10€
• Family ticket (2 adults + 2 young people) – 33€

The Pena Palace is the Sintra’s ex-libris. Its immense gardens are also shrouded in legends and mysteries, the best known of which is perhaps the legend of the cave fairy. Many years ago, a fairy lived in a cave in the gardens. It is said that this was due to a tragic love and even today you can hear her screams and cries at night as you walk through the gardens.

Almost the entire palace rests on huge cliffs, and the mixture of styles it displays (neo-Gothic, neo-Manueline, neo-Islamic, neo-Renaissance, with other artistic suggestions such as Indian) is truly intentional, as the romantic mentality of the 19th century dedicated an unusual fascination to exoticism

Site: https://www.parquesdesintra.pt/en/

Ticket office: https://bilheteira.parquesdesintra.pt/home

Schedule

• Palace – 09:30 to 18:30
• Last entry – 18:00

Prices

• Adult ticket (18 to 64 years old) – 20€
• Youth ticket (from 6 to 17 years old) – 18€
• Senior ticket (over 65) – 18€
• Family ticket (2 adults + 2 young people) – 65€
• Transfer to the palace (+ 6 years) – 3€

The magnificent town of Sintra is all magic and splendor – a romantic kingdom where majestic palaces, a fairytale castle, regal estates and fascinating mansions emerge amidst lush hills and forests.

Characterized by its unique charm and serenity, the town of Sintra offers scenery of astonishing beauty, with its vast rocky hills, dense vegetation and pristine beaches.

Called “Mountain of the Moon” by the Celts and “Mons Lunae” by the Romans, the mystical Sintra mountain range also encompasses a vast natural park that stretches all the way to the Cascais coast.

Quinta da Regaleira is a place of breathtaking beauty that is also full of mysticism. Among its gardens we find a mysterious initiation well, and it is believed that the place was once used for Masonic initiation rituals. Symbols and references to Freemasonry and esoteric themes can be found throughout the estate.

A palace surrounded by lush gardens, lakes, caves and enigmatic buildings, these places conceal alchemical meanings, such as those evoked by Freemasonry, the Knights Templar and the Rosicrucians.

Site: https://www.regaleira.pt/en/

Ticket office: https://regaleira.byblueticket.pt

Schedule

• January to March – 10:00 to 18:30
• April to September – 10:00 to 19:30
• October to December – 10:00 to 18:30

Prices

• Children (up to 5 years old) – Free
• Youth (6 – 17 years) – 7 €
• Adult (18 – 64 years) – 12 €
• Senior (65 – 79 years) – 7 €
• Senior + (> 80 years) – Free