Sintra is a lovely Portuguese town near Lisbon that used to be frequented by royalty! Beautiful Sintra castles and palaces adorn rolling hills and lush forests. This UNESCO World Heritage Site is almost straight out of a storybook. It’s gaining more and more popularity due to social media — let me show you how to visit Sintra from Lisbon like an expert!
We took a day trip to Sintra from Lisbon during a recent trip to Portugal, and it was one of my absolute favorite things of the whole trip! I’m here to share what it was like booking a private tour and seeing the top spots in Sintra. I’ll talk about our amazing guide, the cost, where we went, the top Sintra instagram spots, and more Sintra travel tips.
Visiting this super popular place in Portugal is another spot off my travel bucket list. You know we stay making dreams come true on this blog! I really fell in love with so many aspects of Portugal. You can read all about my time in Lisbon and Porto in my previous posts. And of course Sintra really blew me away too!
HOW TO GET TO SINTRA
Getting to Sintra from Lisbon is easy because they’re only 45 minutes away from each other. This makes it possible to see a few of the top Sintra castles and other sights in one day. In my opinion, the best way to get to Sintra from Lisbon is to book a private tour if you’re looking for a convenient, easygoing day trip. To get around the village, you have to drive through narrow, winding roads with a lot of traffic because the town is nestled within the hills. Traffic is especially bad during peak travel season. Plus, the historic center is closed off to car traffic. So finding parking and getting around can be a little difficult.
Having a tour guide means you’re with someone who knows the area and how to get around it. The last thing you want to do is stress about traffic, parking and driving through two-lane mountain roads in a foreign country. You can absolutely do the trip on your own by arriving by train and using Sintra public transportation to get to the sights. However, keep in mind that requires a lot more planning on your end. I loved the convenience and security that came with being with someone who knew the area well.
WHICH Private SINTRA TOUR SHOULD I BOOK?
First of all, thank you to my friend Sandra for connecting me with the The Host Experiences for our private Sintra tour. The cost was €110 per person (about $120 USD) if we booked directly with them, or €130 per person (about $141 USD) if we booked through TripAdvisor. The Host Experiences offers many tours and experiences throughout Portugal. They have established tours of Sintra, but we requested to make our own itinerary. This way, we could visit exactly what we wanted, including Quinta da Regaleira and the Palace of Pena.
Our private tour and day trip to Sintra from Lisbon began at 8 a.m. when Margarida, our incredible guide, picked us up near our hotel in Lisbon. Already from the beginning, the conversation between Margarida, my friend Cinthia, and I was entertaining, insightful and natural. It was as if we were all old friends! The Host’s tour guides are from Portugal, and you can tell just how passionate and knowledgeable they are. I want to thank Margarida for making it such a special day for my friend and I. I absolutely recommend booking a tour with The Host Experiences if you’re planning a visit to Portugal soon. And you should definitely request Margarida to be your tour guide as I cannot express enough how simply amazing she was!
HOW TO GET AROUND SINTRA
Another reason why booking a private tour will make your Sintra day trip better is because the beautiful places you’ll want to visit aren’t so close to each other. Guides also know which places to visit first and in what order to visit multiple spots based on their location. They can really help you plan out the best route so you can see all the Sintra castles and other spots. Plus, they’ll have the best Sintra travel tips. You’ll be walking a lot through the entire day — make sure to prepare for that!
WHICH SINTRA CASTLES AND PLACES SHOULD I VISIT?
Some of the main and most popular places in Sintra include the Palace of Pena, Quinta da Regaleira, Castelo dos Mouros and Monserrat Palace. Those are also the top Sintra Instagram spots. Make sure to spend a little time in the historic center of the village. You’ll find some bakeries, restaurants and souvenirs. That’s where our day in Sintra started!
TRY DELICIOUS TRADITIONAL PASTRIES in SINTRA
Our first stop was the historic center of Sintra. And Margarida got us traditional pastries to try at Casa Piriquita, the best known bakery in Sintra. We tried the traditional travesseiros or pillows, which are really light, soft and sweet puff pastries in the shape of a pillow filled with a sweet cream made of almonds and egg yolks. Margarida said that travesseiros in Sintra are special and that we wouldn’t be able to find them in this form anywhere else. And she was right about how special and tasty they are!
QUINTA DA REGALEIRA
After that, we headed to Quinta da Regaleira. Originally built as a residence, this ornate UNESCO World Heritage Site is surrounded by luxurious gardens, grottoes, wells, fountains, secret underground passageways and huge trees. Margarida told us that the rich use to frequent Sintra as an escape from the bustle of cities. A wealthy Portuguese businessman named António Augusto Carvalho Monteiro built Quinta da Regaleira between 1904 and 1910 in beautiful Sintra.
The occult and Knights Templar’s ideologies intrigued António. So he built a place where he could collect such motifs. This influence can be admired throughout the estate and its different eccentric structures. The façade of Quinta da Regaleira dons Gothic elements like gargoyles, capitals and pinnacles. It also features Neo-Manueline gothic elements that are quintessential to Portuguese architecture.
The Initiation Well is one of the top Sintra Instagram spots and a must-see at Quinta da Regaleira. You’ve probably seen it all over TikTok. The fascinating spiral staircase descends about six stories into the ground, immersing you into its eerie atmosphere with each step down. It’s ethereal, fascinating and really cool looking. But it’s really crowded and hard to get photos/videos without other people. That’s the harsh travel truth! You also have to wait in line to go into the well. We waited about 25–30 minutes during Portugal’s low season in March. Margarida said the wait can get up to 1 hour long or more during the busier months.
I loved walking around the estate and gardens because I felt like I was inside of the Pan’s Labyrinth movie. Quinta da Regaleira is one of the best things to see during a day trip to Sintra from Lisbon. Just keep in mind that there’ll be a lot of people. Tickets for Quinta da Regaleira can be purchased online for €12 (about $13 USD). Our guide waited for us outside while we explored the estate on our own.
LUNCH AT SÃO PEDRO 26
Up next, our tour guide Margarida took us to try some traditional Portuguese dishes at São Pedro 26. I ordered a delicious octopus confit with roasted sweet potatoes and spinach! Besides the yummy food, we spent quite a while enjoying really good conversation with Margarida. I learned she used to be in the advertising industry — which I find a wild coincidence because I also work in advertising. But after many years in the industry, she reached a point where she felt overworked and didn’t have personal time. She walked away from a leadership position and joined her friend’s tour company, where she can control her schedule and do something she’s passionate about. Her story was inspiring and it got my own wheels turning!
PALÁCIO NACIONAL DA PENA
And on we went to the next top Sintra Instagram spot! Palácio Nacional da Pena is another UNESCO World Heritage Site in Sintra. The palace sits on a rocky hill, and its brightly colored walls and towers can allegedly be seen all the way from Lisbon. Allegedly! Don’t come for me if it turns out it’s not true … because EYE did not see it.
For the sake of time and to avoid the horrendously long lines to go inside the Palace of Pena, we only got tickets for the Park of Pena (€10; $11 USD). The park-only tickets give you access to the grounds and everywhere surrounding the palace. This includes the chapel and the walk around the castle walls, but not the inside of the palace. Unless you’re booking the very first time slot or the last time slot in the day, our guide, the owner of the tour company and the interwebz, all said that going inside the Palace of Pena isn’t worth it or an absolute must. And I didn’t feel like I missed out on anything because the views alone are stunning!
From the entrance of the park, you have a bit of a hike up the hill to the palace through the lavish forest. As we walked up, Margarida went deep into detail about the history of the palace. While I pretended to not be winded, we learned that its history dates back to the Middle Ages. She guided us through the outside of the castle, to the chapel and all around the castle wall. You’ll find the best views of Sintra walking the castle wall. Our guide gave us so many details and facts about the architecture, history, the Manueline motifs throughout, the Muslim and Moorish influences that can be clearly admired throughout, and so much more about the Palace of Pena.
It’s clear why the Palace of Pena is considered “the pinnacle of Romanticism in Portugal.” With its colorful yellow and red walls, this spot is a top reason to take a day trip to Sintra from Lisbon.
CATCHING THE SUNSET IN CASCÁIS
After our lovely tour of the outside of Palácio da Pena, Margarida drove us back to Lisbon through the scenic route. She took us to her favorite beaches and viewpoints Cascáis, another one of my favorite parts of the day. We arrived at a beach that had the most perfect view of the Westernmost Point of Continental Europe. It was sooo freaking cool to see. I guess I never really considered seeing the literal edges of continents during my travels. We saw gorgeous views from the Sintra castles and palaces, but this was also out of this world! Then, we drove to a different beach to catch the sunset. It was the perfect, peaceful end to our day trip to Sintra from Lisbon. I couldn’t be more grateful for how lovely it was.
I would have loved to have more time to see more of the Sintra castles and palaces. You should be able to fit three spots in one day, if you keep your lunch break short. I recommend including Palacio de Monserrat and Castelo Dos Mouros in addition to the other two Sintra castles and places I wrote about above. Booking a Sintra private tour with The Host Experiences absolutely was money well spent. And once again, thank you to our tour guide Margarida for such a beautiful day in Sintra. I’ll never forget this day!
