Complete Guide to a Sintra Day Trip
Colourful flamboyant palaces, ancient castles, a magical enchanting forest, rare and exotic trees, romantic hidden pathways and magnificent panoramic vistas. Sintra is the definition of a Portuguese fairytale town and an absolute treasure! Read on for our complete guide to a Sintra day trip from Lisbon.
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The alluring fairytale town of Sintra is an absolute gem and one of the best day trips from Lisbon. One glance at photos of Sintra and straight on your list it’ll go!
Situated in the cooling hills of the Serre de Sintra, you’ll find extravagant colourful palaces, ancient castles, captivating viewpoints, beautiful natural scenery and so much more.
In the 19th century, King Ferdinand II turned the ruins of a monastery into a castle surrounded by a charming park full of trees from around the world.
Following this, several other estates were built and the unique combination then influenced the development of landscape architecture throughout Europe.
Sintra is a UNESCO World Heritage site and the first European site listed by UNESCO as a Cultural Landscape. It forms part of the Sintra-Cascais Natural Park and covers around 960 hectares.
You’ll also find a whole heap of natural and cultural sites that have been awarded UNESCO World Heritage status. A Sintra day trip is extremely memorable!
In this guide to a Sintra day trip from Lisbon, we’ll cover the top things to do in Sintra, how to get there, how to get around and everything else you need to know.
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Contents
Highlights on Your Sintra Day Trip
Why are there so many palaces in Sintra? This is down to the cooler climate in the hills which enticed the elite to build their summer residences here.
For this Sintra day trip, we’ll focus on the 434 bus route. If you have more than a day in Sintra, there’s also the 435 bus route you can explore (more on getting around Sintra later).
Pena Palace; the highlight of your day trip to Sintra from Lisbon
You’ll start your Sintra day trip at the Pena Palace; one of the finest palaces in Europe! This is the most important element in the Cultural Landscape and will be the highlight of any visit.
The extravagant Pena Palace looks like it’s been plucked straight from the pages of a fairytale with its hilltop setting protruding through the forest.
The palace was commissioned by King Ferdinand II in 1842 as a summer residence to escape the heat of the lowlands. It’s a magnificent amalgamation of various design styles ranging from Gothic to Romanesque, Renaissance and Neoclassical. The King cherished the arts, literature and music and so it was his wish that the palace represent a scene from the opera.
Our Top Tip: visit Pena Palace either early in the day or late in the afternoon. This is the most popular attraction and gets ridiculously busy in the middle of the day (10am – 3pm is when the c.oach tours arrive.)
Pena Park
Allow some time to explore the shaded woodland and labyrinth of paths surrounding the Pena Palace. You’ll feel like you’ve stepped into the enchanted forest!
King Ferdinand II restored the grounds and specifically designed them in a maze of romantic paths to captivate his guests. It’s estimated there are over 2,000 rare and exotic plants in the park from many native species coexisting with ones from places as far away as New Zealand and South America!
Throughout the park, there are numerous hiking trails to explore where you’ll stumble upon hidden pathways, various buildings, breathtaking viewpoints, caves, bridges, benches, fountains and deep lakes full of fish and ducks housed in ornate castles!
We found the forest to be very quiet. Most people visit the palaces and don’t bother with the forest which is a shame as they’re missing out but it means it’s quieter and more peaceful. Strolling around Pena Park was one of our favourite things to do in Sintra.
Cruz Alta
This was probably our favourite place on our Sintra day trip.
Weave your way through the enchanted forest’s maze of paths to the highest summit in the Serra de Sintra. At 528 metres, the summit is marked with a huge white stone cross and rewards visitors with magnificent vistas over the forest out to the colourful assortment of towers of the Pena Palace!
The Moorish Castle
Located on a hilltop immersed in lush forest are the ruined ramparts of an ancient castle and the town’s oldest monument.
The Moorish Castle dates back to the 9th century when the North African Moors built it to guard the town of Sintra. In 1147, the castle fell under Christian rule when Afonso, Portugal’s first king reconquered it.
Over the centuries, the castle fell into disrepair until King Ferdinand II restored it and transformed it into a romantic ruin and a major feature of the gardens of the Pena Palace.
One of the best things to do on your day trip to Sintra from Lisbon is step back in time and amble about the treacherous ramparts, high fortified stone walls and gigantic battlements.
Although Pena Palace is higher, the Moorish Castle has the best views in Sintra. Enjoy spectacular panoramic views over the hills of the Serra de Sintra, beyond the other palaces, across the town and as far as the Atlantic Ocean.Â
Cabo da Roca
Finally, on your Sintra day trip, don’t miss the chance to visit the wild and rugged headland that marks the westernmost point of mainland Europe, Cabo da Roca.
Up until the 14th century, it was believed this area was the edge of the world! You can definitely see why with its isolated and untamed atmosphere.
There’s very little development here besides a lighthouse, a gift shop and a coffee shop. Most people (ourselves included) only have a quick half an hour or so to take some photos, grab a drink and get back on a bus.
However, if you spend a bit longer and dig a little deeper, past the groups of tourists, you’ll find hiking trails along ancient coastal paths rewarding you with breathtaking natural scenery.
Our Top Tip: bring extra layers if you plan on heading out here. Cabo da Roca is an exposed headland with very strong winds and can feel significantly chillier than Sintra.
Cabo da Roca is 18km west of Sintra and served by buses 1253 from outside Sintra’s train station and 1624 from the Portela de Sintra terminal. Both buses depart every 20-30 minutes throughout the day and cost €4.50 (one-way) which can be paid to the driver.
The Best Way to Visit Sintra
The best way to visit Sintra from Lisbon is by train. There are two rail services depending on where you’re travelling from.
- Estação do Rossio: this is the most popular as Estação do Rossio is in the historic centre of Lisbon and is close to Baixa, Alfama and Bairro Alto
- Estação do Oriente: this is the main intercity train station of Lisbon and is generally used if you’re travelling from the airport, a train connection or the Sete Rios Bus Station
Both services take around 40 minutes with multiple hourly departures continuing late into the night. Tickets can’t be booked in advance but there are usually plenty of seats. Both stations are in the same fare zone and cost €2.40 (€1.20 for a child). A return is double.Â
Our top tip: arrive at Estação do Rossio as early as possible. Due to the popularity of Sintra, there can be long queues to get tickets.
There are buses connecting Lisbon and Sintra, however, the bus stations aren’t as convenient as the trains and the journey takes longer.
If you have a car, we wouldn’t recommend driving in Sintra. The narrow mountain rounds weren’t designed for the heavy traffic seen today. Sintra’s historic centre is also closed to all traffic and parking is extremely limited.
Getting Around Sintra
The best way of getting around Sintra is using Bus 434.
This bus follows a one-way loop connecting Sintra train station, the Moorish Castle, Pena Palace and Sintra Historic Centre. A 24-hour hop-on-hop-off ticket costs €13.50 and a single fare costs €4.55.
If you’re feeling energetic, you can walk from the train station to the palaces in around an hour. However, the hill is incredibly steep and in the heat of the summer, it can be exhausting. A single bus fare is a good option if you want to walk back down.
You can also take a taxi to the top of the hill (approx. €12-€15) or a gimmicky tuk-tuk tour (approx €30).
Another bus, the 435, serves a different loop around Sintra: Sintra National Palace, Quinta da Regaleira, Palácio de Seteais, and Palácio de Monserrate. We’d recommend this loop if you’ve done a Sintra day trip before or you have more than one day.
Alternatively, one of the best ways of getting around Sintra is on a tour. Book a Sintra day trip from Lisbon if you’d prefer to have the ease of everything sorted for you and you can concentrate on enjoying your trip.
Sintra is one of the best day trips from Lisbon so you have plenty of options to choose from. Click on the link below to browse.
Everything Else You Need to Know For Your Sintra Day Trip
What to bring on your day trip to Sintra
Sintra is in the mountains so the weather can be unpredictable and differ significantly from Lisbon. At 9am when we arrived it was pretty chilly and shrouded in mist, however, a couple of hours later it was hot and sunny.Â
Always check the weather before you go but count on it being cooler first thing in the morning so bring a jacket/jumper and sun cream for later.
You can buy food around the National Park but expect inflated prices. We’d recommend bringing some food and finding a nice shaded spot in Pena Park to eat. Next to the Valley of the Lakes is lovely!
Always bring plenty of water.
The best time of year to visit Sintra
Spring and autumn are the best times of year for a Sintra day trip from Lisbon. We visited in October when the temperates were warm but not sweltering and although there were a lot of tourists, the crowds would be a lot greater in July and August.
Cost and opening hours of the Sintra palaces
Pena Palace is open from 9:30am – 7pm and costs €20 which can be purchased at the ticket office on the day of your trip or from Get Your Guide for the same cost.
You book a 30-minute window to enter the palace as they only allow 400 people to enter during the time slot. We’d recommend booking your tickets online at least a day before so you get your preferred time. You can spend as long as you like in the grounds.Â
Alternatively, if you’re not fussed about going into the palace, you can purchase a ‘Park Ticket’ for €10 which gives you access to the grounds and terraces.
The Moorish Castle is open from 9:00am to 6pm and the last admission is an hour before closing. The castle costs €12 for adults and €10 for ages 6 – 17 or over 65. You can also buy a family ticket for €33 (two adults, two kids).
Where should I stay?
Most people stay in Lisbon and do a day trip to Sintra. If you haven’t visited Lisbon before, we’d recommend this option and check out our guide on the best things to do in Lisbon. It’s hands-down one of our favourite European cities.
Alternatively, if you’d prefer to stay by the beach instead of in the city, Cascais is a beautiful fishing town not far from Sintra. Cascais is also easily reached by train from Lisbon.
If you plan on spending a few days exploring the magnificent palaces, it might be worth a couple of nights staying in the charming town of Sintra itself.Â
We hope you’ve found this guide to a Sintra day trip from Lisbon helpful. If you have any questions, feel free to drop a comment below and make sure you’re following us on Instagram to keep up to date with us in real-time.
Make sure to check out some of our other Portugal travel guides below.
