“In the 19th century Sintra became the first centre of European Romantic architecture. Ferdinand II turned a ruined monastery into a castle where this new sensitivity was displayed in the use of Gothic, Egyptian, Moorish and Renaissance elements and in the creation of a park blending local and exotic species of trees. Other fine dwellings, built along the same lines in the surrounding serra , created a unique combination of parks and gardens which influenced the development of landscape architecture throughout Europe.” – whc.unesco.org
Sintra is a must visit place while you are in Lisbon. It’s situated approximately 5 miles from Lisbon and it can be easily reached by train. By many seen as a magical place, Hans Christian Andersen, the one of most important travellers of his time, described Sintra as the “most beautiful place in Portugal,” and I have to agree with him.
How to get to sintra from Lisbon
As I mentioned, Sintra can be reached by a direct train from Lisbon. The ticket train to Sintra is approximately €2.30 per person. It takes about 45 minutes and trains are very frequent. There is many day trips to Sintra available, one of them can be found here -> Day trip to Sintra from Lisbon <- It is a great option for people who would like to have a guide and not worry about organising the entries and transport to all the palaces.
What to do in Sintra
I promise you that once you arrive to Sintra you will instantly fall in love and you will want to go back. One day is not a lot of time, considering amount of palaces, and the sizes of their gardens, however I picked places that are in my opinion the most beautiful.
How to get around Sintra
If you picked organised trip, then you are sorted, but if you decided to do everything on your own, then I have a few suggestions. You can of course hire a car, although the roads are very narrow and from what I saw there is not loads of parking available. Option two, hire a tuk tuk and option three is hop on hop off bus Sintra – this is a city bus that takes you to all the important stops, it goes roughly every 10-20 minutes, it costs approximately €10 but it does get busy. There is a company called city sightseeing, unfortunately I don’t have a link for them, but the tickets can be purchased normally just outside the train station. The cost is roughly €15-20, but it is worth it. it’s not crowded, it has open roof, so you can admire the views and weather in Sintra is very genorous, therefore it’s a wonderful experience.
Quinta da Regaleira Sintra
First stop – Quinta da Regaleira First stop – Quinta da Regaleira located near the historic centre of Sintra, Portugal. It is classified as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO within the “Cultural Landscape of Sintra”. Along with the other palaces in the area such as the Quinta do Relógio, Pena, Monserrate and Seteais palaces, it is considered one of the principal tourist attractions of Sintra. The garden which surrounds the palace is magnificent and the well make you feel like you are in some sort of as fairytale.
Pena Palace Sintra
The Pena Palace (Portuguese: Palácio da Pena) is a Romanticistcastle in São Pedro de Penaferrim, in the municipality of Sintra, on the Portuguese Riviera. The castle stands on the top of a hill in the Sintra Mountains above the town of Sintra, and on a clear day it can be easily seen from Lisbon and much of its metropolitan area. It is a national monument and constitutes one of the major expressions of 19th-century Romanticism in the world. The palace is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the Seven Wonders of Portugal. It is also used for state occasions by the President of the Portuguese Republic and other government officials. I visited Pena twice and both times I was equally amazed.
Monserrate Palace Sintra
The Monserrate Palace (Portuguese: Palácio de Monserrate) is a palatial villa located near Sintra, the traditional summer resort of the Portuguese court in the foothills overlooking the Atlantic Ocean north of the capital, Lisbon. In my opinion the most beautiful garden and Palace. I am in love with this particular palace and it’s grounds. I visited in October, the weather can be mixed, but on this occasion it did not fail and I enjoyed my time visiting the palace.