Overview of Sintra, Portugal
Usually when we talk about Portugal and its top destinations, people always think capital city Lisbon and city of Porto. Surely these cities offer countries best seafood, historical beauties, wine collections and mild temperatures for traveling. But here we are going to discuss one of the most underrated Portuguese destination and we can also call it a hidden gem in Portugal, that is, “Sintra”.
Sintra is Portugal’s ancient mountain village known for its perfect romantic architecture, history, castles, and authentic restaurants. Nestled in the foothills of the Sintra Mountains, west northwest of Lisbon, considered as the one of the UNESCO World Heritage sites offers a glimpse of the 19th century old palaces, castles, gardens, architectures and surrounding natural setting which capitated every visitor’s mind.
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Things to Do in Sintra, Portugal
1. Explore Pena Palace
Sintra is a village known for beautiful and mind blowing castles and palaces, under which Pena Palace is more popular. Pena Palace is a more colourful and whimsical palace nested on the top of the hill, known for its distinctive architectural styles and stunning panoramic views of the region. Queen terrace, Manueline Cloister, and Pena palace rooms are must explore things under the palace. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the palace contains Gothic, Islamic and Renaissance styles into a more vibrant and colorful style, making it more photographic landmarks in the Sintra.
- €10 to €20 are the entrance fees to visitors including park tickets.
- Park opens from 9:30 am to 6:30 pm (last entry is 6 pm).
- Park da Pena is open from 9 am to 7 pm.
- For further enquiries visit its official website: parquesdesintra.pt.
2. Visit Moorish Castle
Another breathtaking castle in Sintra with some of the unique features and historical values. Moorish Castle is located near to the Pena Palace, offers snaking castle walls and panoramic viewpoints to enjoy nearby historic sites, Pena Palace, Atlantic coastline and surrounding landscapes. Often called the Castle of the Moors built in the 8th century by the Moors when Sintra was a part of the Christian forces. One of the oldest site in the Sintra, where visitors need to take 1.6 km of trail to reach its entrance from the town (5 to 10 minutes of walk is required to reach Moorish castle from Pena Castle).
- Castle opens 9:30 am to 6 pm (last entry at 5:30 pm).
- Total 1 to 2 hours is needed to explore this castle.
- Visitors need to pay €12 to enter the Moorish Castle.
- To purchase your Moorish Castle Ticket, visit GetYourGuide.
3. Enjoy the Quinta da Regaleira Beauty
Quinta da Regaleira is another ancient enchanting estate featuring some of the interesting elements like tower to climb, ornate palace, mystical gardens and elaborate initiatory. Quinta da Regaleira built in the late 1800s, which showcases the symbol of the culture, philosophy and history. Built on the basis of the Maueline, Renaissance, Medieval and Classical styles by the 2 major architects Monteiro and Luigi Manini. There are multiple spots and attractions where visitors can spot through their Quinta da Regaleira like The Initiation Well, The Tunnels, Torre da Regaleira, The Gardens and The Chapel.
- Opens to the public in 2 different seasons like From April to September, it opens 10 am to 7:30 pm (last entrance at 6:30 pm) and From October to March 10 am to 6:30 pm (last entrance is 5:30 pm).
- Total 2 to 3 hours of time is needed to explore its interior and exterior beauties.
- Ticket price includes; For Adults: €15, Senior (who are 65+): € 10 and for Children: €10.
- To more information about ticket prices and entry timings visit its official website.
4. Take a Glimpse of the National Palace of Sintra’s Architectural Beauties
Considered as the oldest palace in Portugal, National Palace of Sintra was constructed around 10th century, under Moorish rule. Such an historic royal palace in the town centre famous for its unique conical chimneys and beautiful decorated interiors. Nestled in the heart of the town making it easy to reach without any hustle. Visitors will spot some of the intrinsic elements under the palace such as vast rooms which are covered with blue tiles, decorated painted ceilings, Room of the Coat of Arms and terraces spaces.
- The National Palace of Sintra is open daily from 9:30 am to 6:30 pm (last entry at 6 pm).
- 30 to 60 minutes is info to discover inside of this National Palace of Sintra.
- € 13 is a prescribed fee for visitors to enter the Palace.
- For more details visit parquesdesintra.pt.
5. Indulge in the Beauty Chalet da Condessa d’Edla
Chalet da Condessa d’Edla is a charming chalet situated in the grounds of Pena Park, exhibiting most romantic getaways to the explorers of the Romanticism period. It built in the 19th century according to the model of alpine chalet in vogue in Europe by the King Consort D. Today it serves a perfect romantic feeling to visitors with its decorative things like mural painting, door frames, windows, frescoes and inlaid cork and copper. Until 2007, Chalet da Condessa d’Edla was not open to the general public, after its restoration, allowed and returned to its original state with the surrounding gardens.
- Chalet da Condessa d’Edla operates daily from 9 am to 5:30 pm (last entry at 5 pm).
- €10 to €20 are the entrance fees to visitors.
- Remembered admission to the chalet is included in the ticket to Pena Park.
- The Pena Palace and Park Ticket is the admission to the Chalet.
- GetYourGuide is an online platform which helps visitors to purchase tickets of Chalet in advance.
6. Visit Park and Palace of Monserrate
Most underrated travel destination here is in Sintra, Portugal. Palace of Monserrate is known for its stunning and romantic palace covered by the exotic gardens, and architectural styles. Located 4 km away from the historic town center of the Sintra, overlooking the Atlantic Ocean and surrounding mountain ranges. It is a 19th century villa influenced by the Arabic architectural styles with English classical and Mexican gardens. During your Palace and Park journey here visitors going to witness gardens which walk through Fern Valley and the ruins of the chapel. Moreover visitors can see the massive tree side of the chapel.
- Park is open from 9 am to 7 pm to the general public (last entry at 6 pm), whereas, Palace is open from 9:30 am to 6 pm (last entry at 5:30 pm).
- €12 is the minimum entry fee to the both park and palace.
- Just 15 minutes’ drive from the city of Sintra.
- For further details and bookings refer parquesdesintra.pt.
7. Explore Sintra Cities Restaurants
There are a lot of things visitors can spot despite the city’s castles, palaces, landscapes and architecture. Sintra city is filled with great shops and restaurants, which is seriously a heaven for backpackers to those who are looking for mouth-watering cuisines and souvenirs. Visitors may spot some of the restaurants like Tascantiga, which offers more traditional Portuguese foods, Bacalahu na Vila, Raposa and Tulhas are known for catering authentic cuisines. Never forget to taste Piriquita, a famous breakfast which is made with a creamy almond and egg yolk mixture.
How to Travel Lisbon to Sintra?
Travel to Sintra is very easy if you are in Lisbon, because there are a lot of inexpensive train services available to reach. Usually 2 regular trains travel between Lisbon to Sintra, departing from Rossio station in Lisbon. And the 2nd one departs from the Estacao do Oriente. Both require 40 to 47 min of duration to reach the entrance of the Sintra. Both the trains are start in the early morning operate till into the night (total 3 services in day) with the cost of € 4.80.
If you are not interested in traveling by train and looking for a bus or other public transportation, then travellers can switch to 417 and 418 Bus service. Under which 417 runs from the resort towns of Cascais and Estoril to Sintra. Bus journey includes a total of 30 minutes with the cost of €4.25 per person. 418 bus starts from the train station to Sintra.
Best Time to Visit Sintra, Portugal
Best time to go to Sintra is the spring (from March to May) and autumn (from September to November) months, when visitors are going to witness pleasant and warm temperatures, little travel traffic and beautiful surrounding vegetation to explore.
Spring and autumn have a more comfortable temperature in Sintra, especially when visitors are looking to spend time in castles, museums and try to indulge in the beauty of lush vegetation.
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