Things to do in Sintra, Portugal

While in Portugal I visited Sintra, a town about 30 minutes from where I was staying in Lisbon. This town is beautiful, full of history and some amazing sites to see. I’ve selected the top 5 places I’d suggest you hit while in Sintra. It’s possible to do these in one day with some effective time management and prior planning but I’d recommend spreading them out over at least a couple of days if you’ll be in the area, so you can really take in all there is to see.

Palácio Nacional da Pena (Pena Palace)

This is a major tourist destination. The vibrant colors of the palace are beautiful and draw many to visit. This palace exemplifies the 19th century Romanticism style of architecture and it does not disappoint. I’d highly recommend visiting the palace on a week day or early in the morning, as during peak season it fills up very fast and the experience is much better when you have the time to take it all in without the large crowds. It’s also good to note that during the weekend you cannot access the palace via car. You will need to use the bus from in town to get to the top of the hill where the palace stands, the bus number you’ll want is 434.

I’d also recommend purchasing tickets to enter the palace online, so you can skip the ticket lines which can get pretty long during peak season and save some money in the process. You can purchase tickets here. You’ll receive a 5% discount for purchasing online, and if you purchase multiple tickets through the website for different attractions you can receive even further discounts. This is also convenient as they will accept both printed and mobile phone versions of the tickets. I purchased mine in the Uber on the way to the palace and I was very glad I did, it allowed me to skip a number of long ticket lines throughout the day.

Quinta da Regaleira

This is a large property on the outskirts of Sintra, full of a number of beautiful structures. You could spend an entire day just walking around Quinta Da Regaleria. This romantic property was formally owned by Viscondessa da Regaleira and was expanded by António Augusto Carvalho Monteiro. One of the most amazing parts of the property are the underground tunnels connecting two wells on the estate.

I’d recommend purchasing tickets to enter Quinta da Regaleira online as well, it has to be done through a separate link but you won’t regret the easy entry with your prior purchased tickets. You can purchase tickets here. This can also be accessed by bus, the bus number you’ll want is 435.

Castelo Dos Mouros (Moorish Castle)

This castle is pretty neat and a short 10 minute walk from Pena Palace. It was a military fortification bearing witness to the Islamic presence in the region. You can get an amazing view of Sintra and Pena Palace from the castle. It requires some uphill walking or climbing of stairs but the view is worth it. And given its close proximity to Pena Palace it is a must see while you’re in the area.

You can also purchase tickets to enter the castle through the same website as Pena Palace and can receive an additional discount for purchasing the tickets together. You can purchase tickets here.

Palácio da Monserrate (Monserrate Palace)

This was probably my favorite place in Sintra. It seems that this palace is often overlooked by tourists, but that is part of what made it such an amazing experience. The palace gives a blended vibe of Gothic, Arabic, and Indian architectural styles, which makes for a stunning combination. The palace is also surrounded by a number of beautiful gardens that are very well maintained and stunning to walk through. I’d highly recommend visiting in the early hours during the week. This is when I went and we nearly had the entire palace to ourselves, aside from the staff. During our time there we only saw a handful of other visitors, which allowed us to take our time seeing everything and get some amazing pictures of the architecture and grounds.

You can purchase tickets here. Again, if you purchase tickets for Moorish Castle and Pena Palace at the same time as well you can receive up to 7% off each ticket.

Cabo da Roca

This is the most western point of continental Europe. It is about 150 meters above sea level and you can see a beautiful view looking out over the ocean. Unfortunately, during my time in the area I did not get to personally see it. But it has made this list due to the number of people that said it was the best part of their trip to Sintra. My friend and I chose to do Sintra on our own schedule but a number of our friends took guided tours that brought them to this most western point, and it was consistently among their favorite parts of the trip.