Ultimate Guide + Top Tips for Visiting Sintra Portugal

Sintra National Park just outside of Lisbon is a magical place that’s full of forests, hilltops and beautiful buildings including castles and palaces. It’s one of the best day trips from Lisbon and visiting Sintra should be high on your list of places to see when you book your trip to Lisbon.

Sintra is a UNESCO World Heritage Site but there are some things you should know in order to have the best trip to Sintra.

Sintra’s popularity, alongside Lisbon’s, has exploded in recent years leading to crowds of people flocking to this tiny town with most sticking to a small area of the national park.

This has led to queues from the start of your day trip to Sintra and can make the experience far less enjoyable if you’re rushing about trying to see everything but then just standing in a line of people.

Having recently visited Sintra myself I feel I managed to get a lot of things about visiting Sintra right but there were some things it would’ve been handy to know in advance to make my trip to Sintra even better.

Below, I’m sharing all of my top tips for exploring Sintra including how to get to Sintra, how to get around Sintra and other things that’ll help your trip go as smoothly as possible.

Tips for visiting Sintra, Portugal

Ready to visit Sintra? Here are some Sintra tips to keep in mind for your trip.

Get to Sintra early

There are so many things to see and do in Sintra that you should absolutely get there early in the morning.

While many visitors to Sintra only see the Pena Palace and maybe add in the Quinta da Regaleira and the Castle of the Moors, there are other palaces, hiking trails, the Old Sintra Town and more to explore and you can only fit things into one day in Sintra if you get there early.

Starting early from March to October (when there are a lot of other travellers in Lisbon) is particularly important to help you fit in as much as possible even if there are long lines to get into the attractions in Sintra.

Most of the places to see in Sintra open up between 9 am and 10 am so you should aim to arrive a bit before that so you have time to get off the train and make your way to the doors for opening.

I’m an early bird and so getting up early is always my choice over getting somewhere late. Plus, I’m just impatient and want to see everything without lazing about it in the mornings. If that’s not you, you’re more like my husband and I’ve got another alternative for you.

While in Sintra we rented e-bikes and explored Sintra for a bit before heading off to the coast and then coming back into Sintra to check out the Moorish Castle at around 4 pm.

At 4 pm, the castle was virtually empty and there were no lines which were completely not what I had expected.

Most of the best things to do in Sintra close between 5 pm and 7 pm and so you can’t stay too late, but usually the closing hour of the palaces and castle is quieter than the first few hours and the middle of the day.

Don’t drive to Sintra, get the train

Though driving in Sintra is possible, it’s absolutely not worth it, even if you park outside of Sintra and then rely on taxis, tuk-tuks or the bus.

Getting the train from Sintra to Lisbon is easy, cheap and definitely the best way to get to Sintra. The trains leave roughly every 20 minutes from Lisbon’s Rossio train station to Sintra during peak hours and take about 45 minutes to get there.

Then, you don’t have to worry about parking or your car getting broken into and you can just step off at the Sintra train station ready to explore! Using public transport in and around Lisbon is definitely the way to go.

I have a whole post on the various ways of how to get to Sintra from Lisbon that you can read for more information. It includes the Lisbon to Sintra train cost, how to get Lisbon to Sintra train tickets and more.

Top tip: Buy a Viva Viagem card during your trip to Lisbon for €0.50 which can be topped up as you travel and used on trams, trains, buses and ferries. If this is topped up before your trip to Sintra you can skip the long lines at the Rossio train station!

Pack lunch, snacks plenty of water

Once you’ve left the train station and headed into Sintra you’ll realise there aren’t many places to get food and drink.

To avoid having to go back and forth between the attractions and the town centre which can be a bit of a pain as you’re either walking, navigating the one-way road on a bike or in a car or waiting around for taxis and buses, you should pack your own lunch and plenty of snacks and water.

During my visit to Sintra, we packed 3 litres of water between us and carried snack bars. We also stopped to get a snack in a cafe before exploring so that we had food to keep us going.

Since we had our e-bikes we actually ventured out of the town a little bit and found the prettiest restaurant overlooking the ocean where we sat outside in their beautiful gardens. It was such a nice way to break up the day!

You’ll find some snack bars and kiosks outside the main attractions in Sintra, but they’re overpriced and not very good so bringing your own food is much better.

Wear comfortable shoes

As with in Lisbon, you’re going to want comfortable shoes when visiting Sintra.

There are cobbled streets, narrow stairways, and uneven paths and you’ll be doing a lot of walking as you explore.

I wore my running shoes which were great since we had bikes and were doing a lot of walking in between, otherwise, you could wear some sort of white trainers or shoes you know are comfortable when you’re doing a lot of walking.

Bring layers to wear

Sintra sits at a bit of a higher altitude than Lisbon which means its weather can be quite different.

I’ve seen some super cool photos of Sintra’s Pena Palace shrouded in mist and clouds while it has been sunny in Lisbon, and you can expect a bit more rain, wind and warmer temperatures than you’ll get back in the city.

I visited Sintra in April and it was warm but with the wind at the attractions like the Castle of the Moors, we wanted our jumpers on as it was a bit chilly. Had I just taken the temperatures as they were in Lisbon and gone without a jumper, we’d have regretted it!

Buy skip-the-line Sintra tickets where available!

A lot of the attractions in Sintra have tickets you can buy in advance that come with a ‘skip-the-line’ perk.

This means you can skip the line to enter the attraction and just show the tickets on your phone.

This is particularly important when you’re visiting Sintra between late March and October when it’s at its busiest.

You can get skip the line tickets to the following attractions in Sintra at the links I’ve given below.

• Pena Palace skip the line tickets
• Castle of the Moors skip the line
• Quinta da Regaleira skip the line
• National Palace of Sintra
• Monserrate Palace

Plan your Sintra itinerary in advance

Planning your Sintra itinerary ahead of time is another top tip for visiting Sintra. Fitting everything into one day can be challenging (if not impossible!), so to ensure you make the most of your visit, prioritise the sites you absolutely can’t miss and visit them first.

This way you’ll get to visit the places you really want to see while possibly having time for a few more at the end of the day.

Realistically you’ll probably be able to fit in 3 attractions in a full day in Sintra, depending on how much you like to look at everything in detail and read all the information boards. If you like to read everything then you’ll maybe only fit in 2 attractions.

Spend the night in Sintra and do 2 days in Sintra

While Sintra can be done as a day trip from Lisbon and a Sintra day trip will give you time to visit a few of the park’s top attractions, it does mean you’ll inevitably leave some areas of the park untouched.

Sure, you could plan another trip to Lisbon, or come back another day but a better idea is to spend the night in Sintra.

That way you get to enjoy a quiet evening and morning in Sintra once most of the crowds have gone home. You’ll also give yourself double the amount of time to visit the attractions and explore more of this beautiful park.

Some of the best places to stay in Sintra are:

• Chalet Relogio Guesthouse: Chalet Relogio in Sintra is a gorgeous recently renovated, Italian-designed mansion with stunning views while being super close to the train station and major landmarks in Sintra
• Moon Hill Hostel: In the centre of historical Sintra, Moon Hill Hostel includes breakfast, and beautiful rooms and is super close to Quinta da Regaleira and the Moorish Castle.
• Chalet Saudade: Away from the tourist crowds, Chalet Saudade has 19th-century charm, modern accommodations and beautiful gardens featuring antique fountains and ponds. It’s the ideal base for exploration.

Rent an e-bike for exploring Sintra

I ended up hiring e-bikes for our trip to Sintra which I personally think is the best way to get around Sintra since we didn’t have to wait for buses or taxis to show up and could take things at our own pace.

Whatever you do, don’t rent a car in Sintra.

Driving around Sintra means sitting in traffic, struggling to find parking and it’s just a frustrating experience.

We loved having our e-bikes which came with locks, helmets and maps and, since they were e-bikes, it wasn’t even tiring as we cycled around the park, out to Cabo da Roca and back all in a few hours.

It was fun to zip past some of the tuk-tuks on the hills and whiz past lines and lines of people waiting for buses to show up.

Rent your e-bike for Sintra here.

Rethink using the 434 Sintra tourist bus

The 434 Sintra bus is the cheapest way to get around Sintra and is often recommended as the best way of getting around the park and between the best places to see in Sintra.

However, in reality, the bus can be inefficient and overcrowded leading to a frustrating experience where you might just end up walking anyway.

Plus, the 434 bus only goes to three places: the Sintra National Palace, the Moorish Castle (Castelo dos Mouros), and Pena Palace. To visit Quinta da Regaleira or Monserrate, you’ll need to take a separate bus, the 435.

As above, I really think hiring e-bikes is your best option for getting around Sintra, especially if you’re an active traveller.

If you’re not on a budget then tuk-tuks and Jeep taxis can be another good option, but they’ll also get stuck in traffic just like the buses.

Choose a guided tour of Sintra if you’re really short on time

If you only have 2 days in Lisbon and want to do a day trip to Sintra and places like Belem and Cascais, then the best way to fit things in in a short amount of time is to take a guided tour of Sintra.

A Sintra tour often includes a visit to places like Cabo da Roca and Cascais and while you won’t get to visit loads of the top attractions in Sintra, you’ll still get a feel for the place while visiting Pena Palace which is what most people come to see anyway.

Guided tours eliminate the need to worry about timetables, queues, and planning your day in Sintra. They also provide valuable insight into the town’s history and culture.

Guided tours are an excellent choice for solo travellers too who wish to meet new people while exploring Lisbon and Sintra.

You can also book a private tour for a more personalized experience with just your group.

Here are a few recommended tours to suit your preferences when visiting Sintra:

• Sintra, Cascais and Cabo da Roca day tour: Embark on a full-day trip from Lisbon to discover the beauty of Sintra, including the romantic Pena Palace and the picturesque coastlines of Cabo da Roca and Cascais. Immerse yourself in the captivating history and breathtaking scenery of this remarkable region. Rated 4.8/5
• From Lisbon: Sintra, Cabo da Roca and Cascais Full-Day Tour: Discover medieval Sintra, a UNESCO World Heritage site, with a guide. Visit Pena Palace, and admire the views at Cabo da Rocha, and the pools at Azenhas do Mar via minivan pickup and drop-off. Rated 4.8/5
• From Lisbon Sintra, Regaleira, Pena Garden, and Cascais Tour: Immerse yourself in the captivating beauty of Sintra, exploring its narrow streets and iconic landmarks like Quinta da Regaleira and Pena Park, before venturing to Cabo da Roca and the charming coastal town of Cascais, on a highly recommended and popular full-day tour from Lisbon. Rated 4.7/5
• From Lisbon: Quinta da Regaleira, Sintra, & Pena Palace Trip: Depart from Lisbon on a mesmerising guided day tour to Quinta da Regaleira and the historic Pena Palace in Sintra. End your trip by relaxing in the picturesque fishing village of Cascais. Rated 4.4/5

Quinta da Regaleira is one of the most impressive sights

Although the Sintra Pena Palace often steals the limelight, many travellers, including myself, think Quinta da Regaleira to be the best attraction in Sintra.

This beautiful estate, built by an eccentric millionaire has a gothic style to it with beautiful gardens filled with fountains, towers and tunnels.

The Quinta da Regaleira is part of Sintra’s UNESCO designation and is conveniently located just a 10-minute walk from the town’s historic centre so is one of the easiest to get to.

One of the most impressive features of the gardens, and what many people come to see, is the “initiation well” which was used for secret rites.

On a visit to Sintra’s initiation well, you’ll climb down a spiral staircase to visit underground tunnels which lead to different parts of the gardens.

There are 9 platforms which are said to represent the nine circles of Hell, the nine sections of Purgatory, and the nine skies of Paradise, as described in Dante’s Divine Comedy.

I highly recommend booking a skip the line ticket. We went past here at about 10 am and there were already long lines outside with people looking to book tickets.

The Castle of the Moors has the best views

If it’s views you want, then you simply have to visit the Castle of the Moors in Sintra.

The Castle was built in the 9th Century and offers incredible views over towards Pena Palace, the ocean, out across the Park and down into the town.

The Castle is one of the least visited spots out of the ‘big 3’ and to get there there’s a nice walk through a forested area.

Once on the castle grounds, you can walk along the walls for amazing views.

It almost feels a bit like the Great Wall of China which we were lucky enough to visit a few years prior to this trip.

While this attraction in Sintra is a bit quieter than the others, I still recommend booking your tickets in advance as it’s getting busier with more queues.

This is who we used to book our tickets.

Final thoughts about visiting Sintra

Visiting Sintra is well worth doing during your trip to Lisbon but it’s important to keep these tips in mind to make the most of your visit.

From exploring the breathtaking Moorish Castle to the mysterious Quinta da Regaleira, Sintra is a treasure trove of history, culture, and architectural beauty.

Whether you choose to spend a single day or an entire weekend, your time in this magical town will undoubtedly create lasting memories.

Prioritise your must-see Sintra attractions, wear comfortable shoes, and be prepared for any weather and you’re sure to have a fantastic time visiting this beautiful place.

FAQs on visiting Sintra

Last Updated on June 24, 2023 by Hannah