Sintra is the most popular day trip from Lisbon, but it may be a bit difficult to plan this trip. There are many palaces and castles to see, which are all truly spectacular, and the nature and the city village itself are also worth the trip. This page will help you plan a trip and give you the best options for this unique destination in Portugal.

Tourist occurrence: Very High

How to get here: 40 minutes by Rossio station in Lisbon.

How much time needed:  1 or 2 days.

Things to do in Sintra

In Sintra, there are many things to do. I will talk about the most interesting sights in the area, and I will give recommendations per sight here as well. You can't see all the sights in one day, but your day will be great.

Pena palace

Pena Palace is by far the most popular sight in Sintra, and that is absolutely imaginable. The palace is different than all other palaces I have seen, with the yellow, purple, and red colours. You can get inside, walk around, and see its gardens. There are lots of things to see here. 

Price: €17

Tourist occurrence: Very High

How much time needed: 2 hours total with 1.5 hours for the palace and 30 minutes for the gardens.

Book tickets in advance?

Yes! Booking tickets online for Pena Palace is very important, as you will get a time slot to enter the palace (the inside, not around the palace). When I was in the queue, people without a ticket bought tickets at the machine and only had time slots for 5 hours later or worse. If you get your tickets beforehand, you have your time slot when you want it. 

Come early

Besides booking your tickets early, it is nice to be early. I had the first time slot, and I was already half an hour before that time at the entrance, which gave me the moment alone in the palace (although people came behind me very fast), and I directly stood in line to enter the inside (as this can be a long line as well). I was the first inside as well, which was special. Seeing the castle quiet is very cool. 

Be aware of the crowds

Pena Palace will be crowded every day of the year, but it is still worth it. There are many tourists every day, and that can be annoying, but it will be reduced when you get here early, book your tickets online, and skip the weekends and Mondays. Mondays can be crowded because a lot of sights in Lisbon are closed, so people are thinking of day trips. 

Don't skip the gardens

Pena Palace is a great palace to visit, but there are more sights on the grounds of the palace. Especially the lakes are worth the visit, especially with the older tower on the lake/Valle dos Lagos (see picture above). The gardens are pretty big, so if you have scheduled a couple of more palaces and castles, do not stay too long here. 

Enjoy the walk up to Pena Palace

For me, one of the highlights of Sintra was the hike up from the train station towards the Pena Palace. The hike can be rough, but it will take around 50 minutes to an hour, and it will give you some beautiful nature and stunning views. You should do this only if you have an average or better condition. If you have the first time slot, make sure you are early in Sintra (I already arrived at 7.20/7.20 am). When you are early, you will walk this route entirely by yourself.

The route you have to take from the train station: the most convenient way is to first put in Escadinhas dos Clerigos in Google Maps and take the stairs. After the stairs, take a left to Igreja de Santa Maria, and from there, there are several signs towards Moorish Castle and Pena Palace. First, you will pass the Moorish Castle, and then you are close to Pena Palace. 

How to get to Pena Palace

Besides the walk above from the train station, you can take a tuktuk or taxi, but they can be expensive. Also, there is a bus that goes up there, but that is also pretty expensive. I don't have too much information on this subject, as I only walked in Sintra.

Moorish Castle

The Moorish Castle, close to Pena Palace, is an old castle built in the ninth and tenth centuries. Since 1995, this castle has been part of UNESCO's world heritage. You mostly walk on the walls of the castle, which can be a bit tricky, and you will be enjoying the fantastic views of the surrounding area. This is a great walk and perfect in combination with Pena Palace.

Price: €12

Tourist occurrence: High

How much time needed: 1 hour

Book tickets in advance?

Not necessary. I did not book this in advance, and the queue was not present, so I bought it in a minute. I went to the Moorish castle after Pena Palace, which is convenient as the ticket office of the Moorish castle is close to Pena Palace and higher than the entrance of the castle. Of course, you can book them in advance, which gives you more security, but in my experience, it was not necessary. 

Crowds

The crowds at the Moorish Castle are not too tough, so do not worry too much about it. You don't need to get here too early.

How to get here

From the train station, you can walk this in 35–40 minutes. The route you have to take from the train station: the most convenient way is to first put in Escadinhas dos Clerigos in Google Maps and take the stairs. After the stairs, take a left to Igreja de Santa Maria, and from there, there are several signs towards Moorish Castle and Pena Palace. You will get to the Moorish Castle when you follow the signs to Pena. From Pena, it is a 10-minute walk to the castle.

You can also take a taxi, tuktuk, or bus, which are all pretty expensive, and I don't have much more information as I did not use them. 

Sintra Village

Of course you did not come to Sintra for the town, but it is still cute and a good place to have some lunch here. The alleys are cute and cozy, but they are pretty small. You can walk here for 30 minutes and have a nice lunch before heading to the next important sight, Sintra. 

Price: Free

Tourist occurrence: Very high

How much time needed: 1 hour

Quinta da Regaleira

For me, this was probably the sight with the most things to see. You can walk from one side to the other and enjoy them all. You can walk on rocks, caves, and towers. The most important sights are:

• The palace 
• Terrace of the Celestial Worlds - see picture above 
• Waterfall lake
• Reguilera Tower
• Aquarium 

Price: €12

Tourist occurrence: Very high

How much time needed: 2 hours

Initiation well

The Initiation Well is the most important sight in Quinta da Regaleira. It is the first thing to see here, as you may be in a line to enter. It is great to enjoy this well and walk from the top to the bottom. The sights from the bottom and from above are great. Afterwards, you will get into a nice cave. This is the highlight of the whole of Sintra, with the hike up to Pena. 

Book tickets in advance?

There can be a line to enter the ground, so I would recommend booking in advance, but you can also get in line and get the tickets. I booked in advance, but there was a small queue to get tickets when I arrived, while I could walk straight in.

The crowds

Yes, there are many people here, and it can get very crowded. However, the sights are pretty widespread, so the crowds are pretty divided. The exception is the Initiation Well, where you are likely to be in line, but for the rest, it is ok. The palace can be overwhelming as well, but it is pretty small.

How to get here

Quinta da Regaleira is the easiest palace to get to (outside the National Palace), as it is only 10–15 minutes from the historical city centre of Sintra.

Monserrate Palace

Monserrate Palace may be my favorite palace to visit in Sintra, as it is quiet and the place is absolutely beautiful. The Arabic influences make this palace unique. The gardens outside are also stunning, with a lot of tropical plants, and you will find some lizards walking around as well.

Price: €12

Tourist occurrence: Low

How much time needed: 1-2 hours

Book tickets in advance?

Not needed! I just came there, and 1 minute later I was inside the ground.

The crowds

The crowds are no problem at all at Monserrate Palace, as it is not visited often and you can go to places without seeing people. Inside the palace, there will be more people, but not as many as in other places in Sintra. 

How to get here

I walked everything in Sintra, and the walk from the historical town of Sintra towards Monserrate Palace is about 50 minutes, where you will pass Quinta da Regaleira, so this may be a good combination. 

You can also get there by bus, taxi, or tuktuk, but that may be expensive..

Nature

The beauty of Sintra is not just the palaces and castles, but also the beautiful nature around the village. You will already see that when you walk to Pena Palace from Sintra train station or the historical centre. There are more trails, but unfortunately I did not have the time to see more. I would if I had more time. 

Things I have not done, but can be interesting

I did the most I could in one day in Sintra, but the thing I missed was the National Palace (see picture above). I heard good things about it, but I thought the others might be more interesting.

Sintra Itinerary

Sintra is a great day trip from Lisbon, and to see as much as possible while walking, this is my itinerary. It is a crowded itinerary, and you have to walk a lot, but for me, this was the best itinerary. I understand it is early, but to see the most of Sintra, it is necessary. The times are not perfect, of course, and can be a bit different. 

6.30 / 6.30 am: Train from Rossio station in Lisbon

A very early start in Lisbon as you have the train from Rossio station to Sintra. The train often leaves around 6.30 to 7 in the morning. Make sure you get to the last station of the train (not the first Sintra stop).

7.30 / 7.30 am - 8.30 / 8.30 am: Arriving at Sintra station and walking up to Pena Palace

When arriving, start walking up to Pena Palace and walking this route; the most convenient way is to first put in Escadinhas dos Clerigos in Google Maps and take the stairs. After the stairs, take a left to Igreja de Santa Maria, and from there, there are several signs towards Moorish Castle and Pena Palace. First, you will pass the Moorish Castle, and then you are close to Pena Palace. 

8.30 / 8.30 am: Arriving at Pena Palace

Make sure you have the first time slot (9:30), so you can get in at 9 and see it by yourself and slowly move to the line to get inside, so at 9.15 you are at the line to get inside the palace. Inside, you need around 20–30 minutes, and afterwards, you can check out the views from outside and visit the gardens. 

10.50 / 10.50 am: Get to the Moorish Castle:

Head to the Moorish Castle ticket office and buy your tickets here. Walk a bit further and see the Moorish Castle by yourself.

11 / 11 am - 12 / 12 pm: Enjoy the Moorish Castle

The visit to the Moorish Castle is absolutely great, and you can enjoy this castle and its fantastic views. Around an hour is spent visiting the Moorish Castle.

12 / 12 pm - 12:20 / 12:20 pm: Walk down to historical centre

Walk down the same path as you came in this morning, and as you walk down, you will be way faster. Notice the difference in crowds, as you will walk with many people, and in the morning, you will be totally alone. 

12.20 / 12.20 pm - 13.15 / 1.15 pm: Lunch, historical centre and head to Quinta da Regaleira

Enjoy a small walk in the historic centre of Sintra and enjoy the cuteness. It can be crowded, but visiting some nice alleys is great. During your walk, you can find a nice restaurant to have lunch at. Walk efficiently so you can walk to Quinta da Regaleira so you will not miss any time.

13.15 / 1.15 pm - 15.15 / 3.15 pm: Quinta da Regaleira

It is a fantastic place with many sights, so a visit to Quinta da Regaleira cannot be missed in Sintra. The Initiation Well is the absolute highlight and absolutely worth the visit, even though there is a line. There are many other things to see as well, and you can enjoy it for around 2 hours.

5.15 / 3.15 pm - 16 / 4 pm: walk to Monserrate Palace:

This may not be the highlight of the trip through Sintra, but it is not that bad either. There is also a pricy bus going one way to the palace, but I preferred the hike, which is absolutely doable.

16 / 4 pm - 18 / 6 pm: Monserrate Palace:

Enjoy the last sight of the day and feel the quietness of Monserrate Palace, my favorite of the day. Around here, it is very peaceful, and you can enjoy the Arabic influences and the tropical gardens. As the day is long and you have walked a lot, you can also just enjoy a relaxing moment in the grass. Feel for yourself how much you can do. 

18 / 6 pm - 19 / 7pm: Walk back to the Sintra train station:

Walk the same way back to the city centre and the train station, and go back to Lisbon by train.

19:40 / 7.40 pm: Arrival in Lisbon:

The great day of sightseeing in Sintra is over, and you can have some more experiences in the capital.

Other tips for Sintra

I have some more recommendations for your trip to Sintra; some will be similar to things before. 

One or two days?

Sintra is a great destination, and there is so much to see. It is not possible to do all the highlights in one day. If you want to see everything, you need at least two days. However, one full day gives you the opportunity to see a lot, enjoy many of its sights, and return to Lisbon in the evening. 

Doing a tour or by yourself ?

To be honest, I am not the biggest fan of tours in places like Sintra. I love to do things at my own pace, have lunch where I want, and see the sights I want to visit. However, a tour gives you the opportunity to visit the big sights like Pena Palace and Quinta da Regaleira faster, often with less time in a queue. The tours have their own transportation, which is convenient, but it skips the beauty of the surroundings. You have to pay a higher amount for their services, and they almost always skip my favorite Monserrate Palace (picture above). In general, I would not do a tour, but it definitely has some advantages. 

Get early in Sintra

I cannot repeat this enough. If you go to Pena Palace first, Quinta da Regaleira, or another sight, being early is a treasure as you are alone for a short amount of time. The sights become crowded early, except Monserrate. If you are here for two days, I would recommend doing Pena Palace early on the first day and Quinta da Regaleira early on the second day. You will not regret being early in Sintra.

Avoid weekends and Mondays

Sintra is a busy place every day of the year, but the weekends tend to be even more crowded as people doing city trips in Lisbon on the weekend also want to see the gorgeous Sintra. The reason Monday is more crowded is because some sights in Lisbon, like Torre de Belém and the Pantheon, are closed on Mondays, and most people want to escape for Sintra so they do not miss too much during their stay in the capital of Portugal. Try to be in Sintra from Tuesday to Friday to avoid the crowds for a bit.

Book tickets in advance

Booking in advance is a good thing to do for some sights in Sintra. Pena Palace is the most important, as you will get a time slot to enter the palace. A ticket for Quinta da Regaleira is valid for a long time, but with a ticket, you will pass some queues, but it is less necessary than a ticket for Pena Palace. Most people will buy tickets in advance, so it is common that you still have to get in line for a while, but you will win some time. For Monserrate Palace and Moorish Castle, I needed a ticket in advance, as it took less than a minute for both to get a ticket. The advantage of not getting a ticket is that you can decide which palaces and castles you want to visit when in Sintra. 

How to get to Sintra from Lisbon

From Lisbon, it is very easy to get to Sintra. You need to get the train for 40 minutes from Rossio Station, which will take you directly to Sintra. You can get tickets at the station very easily at a machine (always) or a counter (if it is open yet).There are 2 stations in Sintra, but make sure you take the last stop, and that is the final destination of the train. Otherwise, you will need to walk 15 minutes longer towards the historical centre and the different sights. 

It is a bit colder than Lisbon

Portugal can be a great destination, especially in the summer months. Lisbon can get very high temperatures, but in Sintra it is slightly lower. It can be 5 degrees Celsius or more lower than in Lisbon, but it can still be hot as you have to walk up and down. In the winter months, you may need some warmer clothes, so check the weather forecast.

Final thoughts

The crowds and the choices to make Sintra may look overwhelming, but it is all worth it. You can avoid some of the crowds if you follow my recommendations and with some luck, but even with crowds, you can have a wonderful time as the sights are great, the village cute, and the environment stunning. Sintra is absolutely amazing to have a visit. 

If you want to know more about Portugal, check out: