Palaces, Parks & Pathways: One Day in Sintra

One day in Sintra is all you need to fall in love, although this historical gem of a town offers architecture and activities to keep you busy for several days. This guide will help you plan the perfect day trip from Lisbon, and also suggest more sights to see if you want to extend your stay.

Big city life certainly has its appeal, but sometimes we all just need to slow things down a bit. For anyone traveling to Lisbon for several days, one day in Sintra might be just the type of brief & beautiful getaway you need to re-charge the batteries! From ornate palaces & humble stone fortresses to the enchanting forests that connect them, Sintra is an absolute must-visit city in Portugal.

In this guide:

• Sintra itinerary options
• Where to stay
• Getting there
• Main sights to see in Sintra
• More places to visit around Sintra

▾ Need help planning your trip to Portugal? ▾

If this guide helps inspire your Portuguese getaway…but you don’t have the time to research and plan your own trip…we can help. Whether it’s for a family vacation, a group friend trip, or a honeymoon, we’ve got you covered. We’ll take care of the details you don’t have time for, so you can focus on the good stuff.

Visit our Plan A Trip page and fill out a quick questionnaire to get the ball rolling!

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Sintra itinerary options

Only one day in Sintra? Definitely visit:

1. Pena Palace & National Park
2. Moorish Castle

If you’ve got 2 or more days, add:

1. Sintra National Palace
2. Quinta da Regaleira
3. Monserrate Palace
4. Convento dos Capuchos
5. Cabo da Roca

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Where to stay

Day-trippin’ from Lisbon?

Lisbon is a dynamic city with many neighborhoods – known locally as bairros – each offering a feel that is unique and different from the others. Get the full bairro breakdown in our 4-Day Lisbon City Guide…or use the links below to begin searching accommodation now.

Booking.com | Hotels.com | Airbnb | VRBO

Crashing overnight?

If you’ve got the time, we fully support the idea of spending more than one day in Sintra! You’ll find plenty of accommodation options that cater to all types of tourists, from backpackers to luxury travelers.

Booking.com | Hotels.com | Airbnb | VRBO

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Getting there

Lisbon → downtown Sintra

Sintra is only 18 miles (29 km) from Lisbon, and easy to get to. Here are your best options:

By train: you’ve got 2 options departing from 2 different stations: 1) Rossio station (→ green metro line) and 2) Estação do Oriente (→ red metro line). The fares are the same and the journey times are similar (~40 minutes).

By car: some online resources will discourage you from driving a car to Sintra, because parking options at the monuments of Sintra are extremely limited. We agree! The drive can take anywhere from 40-60 minutes depending on traffic, and it is very difficult to find parking near the main sites. If you do decide to drive, we recommend parking at the train station or in the historic city center close to the 434 bus route, which we will now explain.

Downtown Sintra → the main sights

Once you’ve arrived in Sintra, take the 434 tourist bus which connects the train station, the historic city center and the Pena Palace in a one direction loop. The bus route is called the Circuito da Pena (Pena Circuit). Here’s a timetable. Make sure to scroll down and click on the 434 route! You can catch this bus directly from the train station, or you can also walk 20 minutes into town – along the Av. Miguel Bombarda – and catch the bus from the historic city center.

The bus will drop you off in front of the ticket office to Pena Palace. From there, you can catch one of the small 30-person transfer shuttles to take you the final stretch to the palace itself.

If you are up for the challenge, you can also walk all the way from the train station or the city center up to the main sites, but be prepared: the walk is very steep and will take you at least an hour.

travelhelix tip: there is very little car parking around the Pena Palace. If you have chosen to drive to Sintra – and you’ve decided to test your luck by driving up the mountain – AND you’re able to find a parking spot – first of all: congratulations!. However, you’ll STILL have a bit of a hike in front of you to reach the palace. Look for one of the many tuk-tuk drivers to give you a ride up the mountain if you’re not prepared for the hike!

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Main sights to see in Sintra

The Pena Palace & National Park

Commissioned by King Ferdinand II in 1842, this architectural masterpiece is the visual highlight of Sintra. Bright, vibrant colors are the trademark of El Palácio da Pena’s unforgettable exterior. Inside, tour the corridors to get a taste of Portuguese royalty, as if it were 200 years ago.

Practical info:

• opening hours: 9:30am in the summer and 10:00am in the winter. Closing time is always 6:00pm.
• when to go: Pena Palace is the most popular tourist attraction in Sintra. If you’re visiting during the summer months, arrive early in the morning or late in the afternoon to avoid the crowds.
• tickets: available for purchase outside of the palace, but you’ll save time by buying them online. All profits from ticket sales are reinvested into maintaining Sintra’s monuments!

View from a Pena Palace terrace.

Approaching the gates to enter the Pena Palace.

🙂

The vibrant colors of the Pena Palace, on a clear blue day in Sintra.

Would love to cook up a storm in this kitchen! El Palácio da Pena, Sintra.

Surrounding Pena Palace is El Parque Nacional da Pena (Pena National Park). These dense forests include hidden pathways, tranquil lakes and lookout points that provide incredible views of Pena Palace from afar.

A quick walk around the palace can take as few as 45 minutes, although we recommend giving yourself at least 3 hours to fully appreciate the outside of the palace, tour the inside of the palace and explore the surrounding park.

Castle of the Moors (Castelo dos Mouros)

If you’re standing on an outdoor terrace at Pena Palace and look directly north, you’ll see a stone fortress off in the distance, about 1 mile away. This fortress is the Moorish Castle of Sintra, built in the 8th & 9th centuries as a strategic military outpost because of its panoramic views of the ocean and surrounding area. Over the next 1000 years, the castle would gradually deteriorate from war, fire & earthquakes only to be restored in the 19^th century by King Ferdinand II.

Today, El Castelo dos Mouros is one of Sintra’s primary historical landmarks and tourist attractions. Our recommendation: begin at Pena Palace, then walk through Pena National Park until arriving at the castle. From there, you’ll find spectacular ocean views, as well as some different, more distant perspective on Pena Palace. Here are some of the highlights of what you can expect to see at the castle, plus a useful map.

Practical info:

• opening hours: 9:30am-8:00pm in the summer; 10:00am–6:00pm in the winter. The last admission is 1 hour before closing. The castle is open 7 days a week, including Monday when many monuments in Lisbon are closed.
• when to go: many travelers start at Pena Palace and then visit the Moorish Castle afterward. We recommend doing the same – unless you arrive midday, when the lines outside of Pena Palace are long and crowded. In this case, start at the castle, allowing a couple hours for the crowds to subside.
• tickets: available for purchase outside of the castle, but you’ll save time by buying them online.

we promise: you won’t find a Moor impressive castle in Sintra 😉

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More places to visit around Sintra

If you have more than 1 day in Sintra, there’s a lot more to see. The total distance between the 5 points below is 10 miles (16 km), so we recommend a car. If you’d like to see them all, give yourself another full day for this itinerary.

• National Palace (Palácio Nacional de Sintra): a gothic palace that housed Portuguese royalty for 500 years… and imprisoned King Alonfso VI for a short while as well.
• Quinta da Regaleira: a gothic mansion featuring gardens, caves, secret passageways and an “initiation well.” Are you intrigued? We’re intrigued!
• Monserrate Palace: you’ll find exquisite Islamic-inspired architecture in this 19th century mansion.
• Convento dos Capuchos: a Franciscan monastery built from boulders & trees of the surrounding forest.
• Cabo da Roca: the westernmost point of mainland Europe!

Of course, there’s always the option of just having a relaxing afternoon meal with your loved ones ♥

A & his beautiful Mother!

D with A’s handsome Father!

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As you can see, there’s a lot to do in this beautiful town. Whether you’ve only got the time to spend one day in Sintra, or if you’re able to slow things down and spend a night or 2, we hope you enjoy your getaway from Lisbon!

Cheers!

-DnA