Less than an hour from Lisbon, Sintra feels otherworldly: colourful palaces hidden in an evergreen range, esoteric gardens and the Atlantic right beside them. It's Portugal's most requested day trip — and for good reason.
Pena National Palace
Sintra's icon. A 19th-century Romantic palace painted yellow and red, atop the highest peak, ringed by a park of species from around the world. Arrive early: it's the busiest site.
Quinta da Regaleira
Mysterious gardens, tunnels and the famous Initiation Well, a spiral staircase descending into the earth. A place steeped in Masonic and Templar symbolism.
Sintra town and the National Palace
In the old centre, the Sintra National Palace with its unmistakable twin conical chimneys. Try a travesseiro or a queijada at Piriquita pastry shop.
Cabo da Roca: the end of the land
To the west, Cabo da Roca is the westernmost point of mainland Europe — "where the land ends and the sea begins", wrote Camões. The cliffs over the Atlantic are breathtaking.
Sintra is best seen with someone who knows the right order of visits — to dodge the queues and catch the right light.
The most common mistake
Trying to do it all by your own car. The mountain roads are narrow and winding, and parking is a nightmare in high season. With a driver, you're dropped at each palace door. Our Sintra · Cascais · Estoril tour joins hills and sea in one day. Talk to us.
