Sintra, porturgal
Attractions Guide

You'll find several brilliant fairytale-like castles and palaces within the UNESCO listed Sintra-Cascais Natural Park, which is located in the forest-covered mountains west of Lisbon. It's best to pre-purchase ticekts for the attractions you wish to visit in Sinta in order to avoid long lines at the more popular palaces.

Be sure to time your visit around the late-afternoon fog that engulfs Sintra almost every day, which makes for a mystical setting but also takes away the incredible views. You'll definitely need at least 2-3 days if you wish to see most of the attractions Sintra has to offer.

Sintra is linked directly to many neighborhoods in Lisbon via train, however as it is a very popular destination, you'll want to pre-book your train tickets before arriving at the train station.

All of the attractions of Sintra are linked via multiple bus lines (excluding the Convent of the Capuchos but including Cabo da Roca). These buses are frequently over-crowded with long lines however, so be sure to bring some extra cash as there are many mini-taxis that can quickly get you between attractions.

When you arrive in Sintra via train, the nearest attraction to the station is the medieval Sintra National Palace. This royal palace contains intricate azulejo tile-work and beautiful highly embellished interiors.

Many people arrive and spend a very long time waiting in line to take the bus to the palace, instead of taking a quick 10 minute walk to reach it. Around the Sintra Palace you'll find many great shops and restaurants as well.

From the Sintra National Palace you can walk about 10 minutes to the extremely popular Quinta da Regaleira, a majestic and highly ornate gothic estate surrounded by dense forests and parkland. Within this parkland you'll find amazing features, including a series of labyrinth-like grottos connected via underground caves.

Among the palace's most well-known features is the stunning Inciatic Well, which hosts a circular stone staircase leading to more underground tunnels that you can explore. You could easily spend hours walking around and enjoying this sprawling estate and its uniquely amazing, fairytale-like gardens.

Instead of taking a bus or taxi up the tall mountain to the Castle of the Moors and Pena Palace, you might choose to take a beautiful hike up the mountain. The trail is located between the Sintra National Palace and Quinta de Regaleira, near the Casa das Minas, a cafe located withing a lovely Sintra home surrounded by elegant gardens.

The mountaintop Castle of the Moors was originally constructed in the 8th century out of stone but has been restored. You can walk along the vast expanse of this medieval castle's walls, which incline up and down the mountain with many towers and breathtaking views. It's highly recommended to walk and explore around the entirety of the walls, which offer many great photo opportunites and is quite an incredible experience.

About a 10 minute walk from the Castle of the Moors is the iconic multi-colored National Palace of Pena, a truly majestic, fairytale-like castle.

After walking through the castle's historic rooms and taking in views from the many balconies surrounding it, you can explore the vast park surrounding the castle. The Pena Park is massive and contains many monuments, gardens, forests, bridges, ponds, and more. You could easily spend hours exploring this gorgeous expanse of rocky woodlands mixed with historic, beautiful structures.

Much deeper into the park you'll find the 19th century Monserrate Palace, which showcases a fine blend of Romanticist and Eclecticism architecture. The palace also displays many fine Moorish and Indian inspired elements, making it quite unique and captivating. Inside you'll find elegant posh interiors. This palace is surrounded by a vast expanse of lovely botanical gardens with many ponds and monuments, as well as many types of plants from around the world.

Very deep into the forests of Sintra far away from the palaces is the 16th century Convent of the Capuchos. This convent features quaint medieval structures that have been partially reclaimed by the lush forests, with all types of overgrown greenery covering the buildings. The foliage makes this convent a surreal and fascinating place to explore.

After enjoying the many palaces and gardens of Sintra, you can take the bus or drive to the coast to see the sunset at Cabo da Roca, a lovely cape with a small lighthouse set atop striking cliffs, which marks continental Europe's westernmost point.

Ursa Beach & Praia da Adraga

Nearby Cabo da Roca is the stunning Ursa Beach, which requires a walk of about 2 miles (3.2 km) round-trip to reach from the Cabo da Roca Busstop, with breataking clifftop views over the coast beach along the way. The views over the Atlantic here are best at Golden Hour, during the 1.5 hours before sunset (when the Sintra Mountains are also typically covered in fog).

If you were to continue walking along the cliffs from Ursa Beach you would reach the popular Praia da Adraga Beach, approximately 1.5 miles (2.4 km) north of Ursa Beach. The views along this walk are absolutely stunning, especially from the Miradouro Praia do Carneiro viewpoint.