By rail
Sintra station, ~40 min from Lisbon
Europe · Portugal
Sintra, Portugal
Palaces in a misty forest
Getting there
By air
Lisbon (LIS), ~40 min by road
Best time to visit
April to October — mild
Don't miss
Pena Palace
The Quinta da Regaleira
The Moorish Castle
Monserrate Palace
Things to do
Pena Palace
The Quinta da Regaleira's well
The Moorish Castle
Where to eat
Sources: Photo: Singa Hitam · CC BY 2.0
What to pack
Walking shoes, layers
A quieter corner
The Capuchos Convent, lined with cork
Questions travellers ask
How do I get from Lisbon to Sintra?
Trains from Lisbon reach Sintra station in about 40 min. From Lisbon's airport (LIS) it is about 40 min by road.
When should I plan a trip to Sintra?
April to October, when it is mild. Bring layers — these palaces sit in a misty forest.
Which of Sintra's palaces are worth the time?
Pena Palace, the Quinta da Regaleira and its well, the Moorish Castle and Monserrate Palace. Wear walking shoes.
Is there a quieter corner of Sintra?
The Capuchos Convent, lined with cork. For a sweet stop, try travesseiros pastries.
About Sintra
- Hills
- Forest
Where it is
Sintra is a town in the Greater Lisbon region of Portugal, north-west of Lisbon on the wooded slopes of the Sintra Mountains (Serra de Sintra), which run west to the Atlantic coast at Cabo da Roca.
History
The Moorish Castle guarded the hills in the Middle Ages and surrendered to Afonso Henriques in 1147. The Sintra National Palace was a royal residence from the 15th to the late 19th century, and in the 19th century King Ferdinand II built the Pena Palace on the ruins of a monastery, a landmark of Romanticism; in 1995 the Cultural Landscape of Sintra became a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
People
Sintrenses speak Portuguese, and the town's bakeries are known for queijadas, small cheese tarts, and travesseiros, puff pastries filled with almond cream. The cool, misty climate of the hills made them a summer retreat for kings and nobles, and nearby Colares has a wine zone demarcated in 1908.
Known for
- Pena Palace
- The Quinta da Regaleira and its initiation well
- The Moorish Castle
- The Sintra National Palace
- Monserrate Palace and gardens
Did you know?
Cabo da Roca, where the Sintra hills meet the Atlantic, is the westernmost point of mainland Europe.
We haven't written a guide for this place yet — you can still plan a trip here.