One of the most popular things to do in Portugal is take a day trip to Sintra from Lisbon. Just 17 miles away, Sintra is known for great food and great tourist attractions. There’s enough in and around Sintra to justify a few days, but a day trip to Sintra from Lisbon works too.
You can do your own day trip to Sintra from Lisbon by taking the train, which takes about 40 minutes. But once you’re there, getting from place to place without a car can be tricky. As usual, I recommend a guided day tour like this Sintra small group tour. It included transportation from our hotel to Pena Palace, Quinta da Regaleira, Cascais, and Cabo da Roca. There are dozens of Sintra day trip tours from Lisbon, all with slightly different itineraries.
No matter your itinerary, here are a few things to know when taking a day trip to Sintra.
Tips for a Day Trip to Sintra
Plan for plenty of time at Pena Palace.
Pena Palace is one of Portugal’s most famous tourist attractions. Built in 1854 by King Ferdinand II, the palace is an architectural beauty perched on the Sintra mountains overlooking the valley and ocean. Combining architectural styles from around the world and even other buildings in Portugal, the details are stunning.
The palace sits in a 500 acre park full of plants and trees from around the world. The grounds are open to the public to explore, with several hiking trails through the forest. For those not wanting a workout, horse and carriage rides are also offered.
We skipped exploring the park for touring the palace. From Moorish arches and bright contrasting colors to elaborate carvings and hand-painted tiles, the palace interior was incredible. The views of the ocean and the medieval Castle of the Moors in the distance weren’t bad, either.
Know what to expect at Quinta da Regaleira.
Quinta da Regaleira is part elaborate garden and part extravagant house, all with a little layer of mystery. Oh, and there’s a really large well, too. The estate consists of a palace and several buildings spread throughout a large garden. Built in 1910, the original owner Carvalho Monteiro wanted a space to collect symbols that represented his obsession with Masonry, the Knights Templar, alchemy, and others.
After being a private residence for several different owners, the estate opened to the public in 1998. Today the UNESCO World Heritage site is best known for its initiation well. Used for ceremonial purposes rather than water, it consists of a narrow staircase spiraling down 88-feet. Cramped and a bit claustrophobic, it wasn’t my favorite experience of our day trip to Sintra.
Ponds, fountains, and elaborate benches are scattered throughout the grounds, with tunnels and hidden walkways mysteriously weaving in between them. But the palace is the best part, with stunning details and Gothic carvings. It’s worth a walk through for the decorative doors alone.
For those craving green spaces or curious about the possible Masonic or Knights Templar ties, the Quinta da Regaleira is worth a visit. But personally I could have skipped it altogether without regret.
Make sure to eat in Sintra.
The town of Sintra is lined with cobblestone streets along colorful buildings and delicious restaurants. A culinary hub in itself, Sintra is full of noteworthy restaurants. Sintra’s most famous dish is traversseiros, a puff pastry filled with almond or egg cream, but there’s plenty of good food to be found there. (Just like the rest of Portugal!)
We stopped for lunch at Bacalhau na Vila. Every dish on the menu (with the exception of desserts) includes cod. Supposedly the Portuguese have 1,001 recipes for cod and the menu here shows some of the creativity. We ordered fried cod cheeks, cod filet with shrimp, cod ceviche, and savory cod pastel de nata, which was weirdly delicious!
I would have loved to wander through Sintra itself, exploring shops and historic buildings, but we didn’t have time. I even had a list of restaurants to go to, even though we were only there for lunch! Pendoa, Curral dos Caprinos, Cafe Saudade, and Romaria de Baco were on my list, plus Piriquita for pastries.
Beware of Wind at Cabo da Roca.
Cabo da Roca is the westernmost point of continental Europe, believed to be the edge of the world in the 14th Century. The view looking out over the ocean from the cliffs — some as high as 328 feet — is beautiful. But beware of the wind! The intense wind gusts are so strong not many plants are able to grow in the region.
Many day trips to Sintra from Lisbon stop at Cabo da Roca long enough for a photo op. Our attempt at taking a selfie resulted in hilarious windy-hair photos that were more than worth the stop!
Save time to stroll through Cascais.
The final stop on our Sintra day trip was Cascais (pronounced “kush-kaish“), a beach town once popular with royal and rich families. It’s still one of the wealthiest in the region, but somehow managed to stay charming. Our tour stopped only long enough to grab gelato at Santini’s, supposedly the best gelato in Portugal. But again, I wished we had time to explore more of the town and beaches.
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These are just some of the focal point possibilities for your day trip to Sintra. There are plenty other day trip tours to Sintra here, some featuring the medieval Castle of the Moors, the luxurious Seteais Palace or the Monserrate Palace too. But whatever you do, don’t skip Sintra altogether!
Related :: What to Eat in Portugal, Why You Should Go to Evora from Lisbon, and What to Do in Lisbon
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Well done :) PedroL