How to spend one day in Sintra? This fairytale town is only a forty minute train ride away from Lisbon and worth exploring if you love castles, palaces and beautiful romantic parks. However the options of palaces to visit and the distance between them can be quite a challenge to plan your trip. That’s why I created this little “One day in Sintra” travel guide for you! It will make it easier to plan your day trip to this cute little town in the mountains.
The perfect guide for one day in Sintra
Where is Sintra?
Sintra is located in the foothills of the Sintra mountains in the Parque Natural de Sintra-Cascais, about 30 kilometers west from Lisbon in Portugal.
How to get to Sintra?
Take the train at the Rossio train station in the center of Lisbon to Sintra station. During weekdays there’s a train every 15 minutes, in the weekend every 30 minutes. The trip takes about 40 minutes. Most palaces open at 10.00 am so take that into account when planning your train trip.
When is the best time to go to Sintra?
The best time to visit Sintra is definitely low season. Sintra has become very popular and the town can’t handle all the traffic anymore, resulting in endless traffic lines. Also during the warmer periods, there is a serious risk of fire. The positive side is that all private transport is prohibited then, so you can take a taxi or public transport without any traffic. But the beautiful gardens will be closed.
How to plan your one day in Sintra?
Before going to Sintra it is important to decide which palaces you would like to visit. Most people visit the Palacio da Pena, Castelo dos Mouros, Palacio Nacional and Quinta da Regaleira. But Sintra has more palaces to offer. I’d say it is possible to visit 3 palaces in one day if you plan it well.
I visited Sintra twice so far and did the following combinations:
- Palacio da Pena
- Castelo dos Mouros
- Quinta da Regaleira
and
- Palacio da Pena
- Quinta da Regaleira
- Palacio de Monserrate
Also make sure to check the weather report. Sintra has a totally different climate than Lisbon. It can be very windy and chilly! So bring appropriate clothing.
Check out my Lisbon city guide to plan your complete trip!
Sintra’s most famous castle: Palacio da Pena
The first palace I advise to explore is Palacio da Pena which is situated on a hill. After arriving in Sintra by train, you can take bus 434 to the main entrance of the palace. There you can buy a combi ticket for both Pena and Dos Mouros if you would like to visit both. For an additional 2€ you can take the small shuttle bus to the palace (it’s a serious climb).
Pena is absolutely gorgeous with all its colors and different towers. I was intrigued by the “triton gateway” which is supposed to be a newt, symbolizing the allegory of creation of the world. The interior is also beautiful but you are not allowed to take pictures inside. I didn’t visit the Pena gardens, but I know people who did and they told me the gardens are breathtaking. So I will definitely visit them when I go back one day without the risk of fires. When you’re walking around the palace and the weather is clear you’re able to see the ocean. You’ll also get a look of other palaces on the ground such as Quinta da Regaleira.
Castelo Dos Mouros: raw medieval ruins
After visiting Palacio da Pena you can take the shuttle bus back to the main entrance. At the main entrance you can choose whether you want to take bus 434 back to the city center or you turn left and walk down the street for about 200m. At the right you will find the entrance to Castelo Dos Mouros (castle of the Moors). It’s a medieval castle also situated on a hilltop. It offers fantastic views of Pena, Monserrate, Quinta da Regaleira and the city center. Walking up and down the many stairs of this castle is sometimes a little scary. But it brings you back to medieval times and you start to wonder how knights in shiny armors were able to move around there. (I don’t think it was that romantic back in those days).
Quinta da Regaleira; the most romantic
After exploring Dos Mouros you can take bus 434 back downhill to the city center of Sintra. From there you can walk to Quinta da Regaleira (it only takes 5 to 10 minutes) a wonderful estate with a beautiful garden and even its own chapel! Even though I think Pena is gorgeous, this one is absolutely magical! The white estate itself looks very romantic surrounded by colorful flowers. The interior is fantastic. But what I love most of all is the garden; it has caves, wells, small gorgeous buildings, fountains, wonderful flora,… and has a very mystical vibe. (it was grey and cloudy all day and once I entered the domain, the sun started to shine!) Make sure you get a free map of the garden because it is big and you don’t want to miss out on things!
Sintra’s most beautiful: Palacio de Monserrate
If you skipped the Castelo dos Mouros, you can take bus 435 or a taxi to Palacio de Monserrate. This palace is the most stunning of Sintra (in my opinion). Its architecture consists of a mix of gothic, Arabian and Indian styles. Most of the time it is more quiet here than at the other palaces, because this palace is further from the city center (about 3.5 km).
My favorite parts are the staircase, the dome and the arched hallways. The details of this palace’s interior are crazy. Monserrate is also surrounded by a magnificent garden, but unfortunately I wasn’t able to visit it either due to the risk of fire.
Sintra’s city center
To return you can take the bus or a taxi to Sintra’s city center. The town isn’t that big and is fun to wander around. You can have dinner here and then walk back to the train station to catch the train back to Lisbon.
I was invited as a guest by Parques de Sintra and Fundação Cultursintra FP . However, my opinion is as always my own.
Book your stay for one day in Sintra
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