Pena Palace & Quinta da Regaleira
While planning your itinerary for Lisbon, I highly recommend dedicating one day to visiting the picturesque town of Sintra. Being just 15 miles from Lisbon, it makes the perfect day trip. It offers lush greeneries and several historic palaces and castles. It’s a great change of scenery from the city life. Here are some tips to help you plan your trip to explore the summer getaway of Portugal’s kings- Sintra.
There are two ways to get to Sintra: by train or car. You should consider taking the train if you want flexibility and ample time at each spot you want to check out. But if you prefer convenience and less planning, you should book a day tour with all the places you want to see. Most day tours are around 8 hours including free time, meal times, and travel time, so be sure to plan accordingly.
Even though traveling by train would be more suitable for us, we visited Sintra with a tour to save time on planning and have an easier time getting to Cabo da Roca. I was looking for a simple tour that offers transportation to Sintra and stops at all the spots we wanted to see. We booked a last-minute Airbnb experience ($46.23 x 2 adults) with a fantastic guide, Rui.
Pena Palace // Palácio da Pena
Our first stop was the Pena Palace, the most popular spot in Sintra for its unique architecture. I highly recommend purchasing the tickets beforehand to avoid wasting time in line. There are two ticket options for Pena Palace: You can see both the palace’s interior with the park or just visit the exterior. We opted for the park only and we still didn’t have enough time to see everything we wanted to see. We spent around 2 hours just filming and taking pictures of the exterior of the castle. By 9:30, the park was already getting crowded. Before you leave, be sure to check out the Chapel as well. I was pretty bummed to not be able to check out the Chalet and Garden of the Countess of Edla. They are all included in your park tickets.
- Pena Palace park only ticket 7,13 €
- Pena Palace park + palace 13,30 €
Quinta da Regaleira
After grabbing lunch in the town center, we walked 12 minutes to visit the Quinta da Regaleira. Even though this was the spot I wanted to see the most, the way our tour was structured we really didn’t have enough time to explore. Since I already bought tickets beforehand, we wanted to check it out even though we only had 15 minutes. In addition to having a beautiful palace, Quinta da Regaleira also features fantastical lakes, grottoes, wells, and fountains. The whole place felt magical and would have been even more beautiful at golden hour. I think we could easily spend an hour and a half here.
- Quinta da Regaleira ticket 10,00€
Cabo da Roca
Most tours for Sintra include a stop-over at Cabo da Roca. It is famous for being the westernmost point of continental Europe. However, most tours wouldn’t be stopping here during golden hour at least during the months when the sun is setting pretty late. It is a 30-minute drive from the town of Sintra and longer if you’re taking public transportation. It felt very underwhelming for us, and we wished we could have stayed longer in Quinta da Regaleira instead. But that is our personal opinion 🙂
Our food stops
Bacalhau na Vila
Address: Arco do Terreirinho 3, 2710-623 Sintra, Portugal
We ordered two dishes that came out to be only around 18 euros. Must try the bacalhau (cod)!
Casa Piriquita
Address: R. Padarias 1 18, 2710-603 Sintra, Portugal
We tried the famous travesseiro (pillows) and the Pastel de Sintra. For take-out orders, take a number by the door and wait to be called. If you want to enjoy a sit-down service, go straight into the cafe area to grab a table. The waiters will come to take your order.