Sintra - home to Portugal’s royals and famous.

“Sintra was once a hot-spot for Portuguese royalty and other famous figures (Lord Byron called it a “glorious Eden”) and because of that it is now a magnet for tourists.”

Therefore if you’re going to visit the Sintra, especially during the summer, plan to go either early or late in the day and during the week to avoid the weekend crowds. All the main sights of Sintra are open everyday during the high season so you’re not going to miss out on anything if you do go during the week.

One of the comments often heard from visitors is that Sintra looks like a fairytale come to life, as it is widely acclaimed as one of Portugal’s most beautiful locations with superb gardens, colorful palaces, tiled villas, famous Romanticism architecture, and neo-Gothic structures, surrounded by granite mountains with green hills rolling toward the coastline of the Atlantic Ocean.

This UNESCO-listed destination is home to a wealth of royal residences, all open to the public, ranging from the candy-colored Pena National Palace (Palacio National de Pena) and the ruins of the 11th-century Castle of the Moors, to the luxurious Monserrate Palace and the Sintra National Palace with its extravagant azulejo tiles. In Greece one goes island hopping, in Sintra it’s palace hopping.

Along with the palaces are lush parks and gardens, monasteries and museums. If one was to take in all that Sintra offers, one would need three days, but it is possible to get a good idea of Sintra in just one day.

If you’re using Lisbon as your Portugal base, you can get to Sintra in approximately 40 minutes by car or bus, and 35 minutes by train.

Tip: if you’re short on time, it’s advisable to take one of the numerous Sintra day tours on offer.

Take a day trip to Sintra