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Sintra is a small town, with about 30,000 inhabitants, located approx. 30 kms west of Lisbon. It’s one of the most visited places by the tourists in Portugal. It’s famous for its historic palaces, the castle of the Moors and the convent of the Capuchos. All of them can be visited in one day, although getting to some of them is difficult.
It’s best to go to Sintra on a day trip from Lisbon but you should know that it will require much walking. Those who don’t like to walk much can split visiting into two days. The convent of the Capuchos is reachable only by foot or by cab. You can get to the other places by bus.
It’s easy to get here from Lisbon. You can take a train from the Rossio station; trains go every half hour, it takes approx. 40 minutes, ticket: 2,15€. There are also buses. From the station in Sintra there are urban buses to the center (no. 433 and 434). If you like to walk, it takes about 15 minutes.
Worth to know
Official website: www.cm-sintra.pt
Tourist information
- at the train station: Posto de Turismo, daily 9-19
- Posto de Turismo de Sintra, Praça da República 23 (main town square), daily 9.30-13.30, 14.30-18
Sightseeing
Sintra National Palace (Parque e Palácio Nacional de Sintra / Paço Real ou Palácio da Vila) – largo Rainha D. Amélia; daily 9.30-19, admission: 9€; http://pnsintra.imc-ip.pt. Built in the XV-XVI centuries, located in the heart of the town, it was once inhabited by the noble families. It’s very well maintained, everything shines here. You can see here how the life of the rich Portuguese bourgeoisie looked like, walking through the chambers, living rooms, studies and sleeping rooms and even enormous kitchen.
Castle of the Moors (Castelo Dos Mouros) – daily 9.30-20, 7€; www.parquesdesintra.pt. It was built during the period of Arab occupation and the conquers of the first king of Portugal Afonso Henriques. Its hilltop location made it a fortress nearly impossible to conquer. It covers a rather vast area. It required plenty of walking around to visit the whole spot. From the top there’s a breathtaking view on the surroundings, including other palaces. The view of the Pena Palace is really astounding from here, it seems like taken from a fairy tale – it’s hard to take one’s eyes off it!
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| Sintra National Palace |
Thanks to the European Union money there are some renovation works being carried out here at the moment.
You can reach it by foot but bear in mind that to get from the center of the town to the top it requires good condition; you can get here by urban bus no. 434; every 15’ from the train station or from the center.
Pena National Palace (Palácio Nactional da Pena) – estrada de Pena; daily 9.45-19, admission (palace and park): 13,50€; www.parquesdesintra.pt. It’s not so old like other monuments of Lisbon or Sintra, as it was built in the XIX century but it resembles a fairy tale palace – it suffices to look at the pictures. Its location, on a hill (or rather a mount) gives its towers, painted in pastel colors, including in pink, a fairy and mysterious character.
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| Castle of the Moors |
You can get here by urban bus no. 434 – the same passing near the entrance to the castle of the Moors. During our visit the renovation works were being carried out here which spoiled the view of some parts, but nevertheless it was definitely worth to come here.
Monserrate Palace (Palácio de Monserrate) – located approx. 4 kms from the town center; daily 9.30-19, admission: 7€; www.parquesdesintra.pt. The palace was built in the XIX century by the English millionaire Francis Cook in one of the most interesting botanic parks in Portugal.
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| Pena National Palace |
You can get here by urban bus no. 435; every 30’ from the train station or from the center.
Convent of the Capuchos (Convento dos Capuchos) – daily 9.30-20, admission: 7€; www.parquesdesintra.pt. The convent was built in the XVI century in the place which was not only far off the town (approx. 8 kms from the center) and away from the prying eyes but also gave it a shelter from the enemies. Unfortunately, it makes it also difficult to reach because no urban bus gets here. The only way to visit this place is to make a long walk or to take a cab.
If someone wants to visit at least two-three places in Sintra, it’s worth to think about a combined ticket (combinado). You won’t get big discount, but it’ll still be a bit cheaper than to pay separately to enter each of them. Here are some prices:
- Pena + Mouros lub Monserrate lub Capuchos: 14€
- Pena + Palácio de Sintra: 18€
- Pena + Palácio de Sintra + Mouros: 25€
- Paisagem Cultural de Sintra (Pena + Palácio de Sintra + Mouros + Monserrate + Capuchos): 30€ – the best option, provided you have enough time to visit them all
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| In the town center |
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