40 min train from Lisbon Rossio Station (2 min walk from apartment, leave at 8:00, get breakfast earlier, wake up at 7:00); €2.25 a ticket.

8:10 ish train from Rossio station, arrive Sintra 9:00 am.

Make your way straight for the Palácio Nacional da Pena (Pena Palace) from the train station (tickets to Pena Palace and transfers already booked, show them your phone). Palace and surrounding Park opens at 9:00, explore for a few hours. 
If the long line is making you weep, consider just touring the exterior of the palace. It’s a separate (and cheaper) entry ticket. Just walk past the main queue and take the alternative entrance
12:00 bus 434 back to Sintra Town Center, get lunch 
1:30 Take a 20 min walk or bus 435 to Quinta da Regaleira. Explore here for a few hours
4:00 bus 435 (it’s FAR away) to explore Monserrate Palace. It closes at 6:30. Sunset 8:34 pm. 
6:30 bus back to Lisbon, arrive at Rossio station around 7:20, get dinner, walk back to apartment
Eat queijadas (dessert)!

This was a LONG, 12 hour day. Please know that this is a lot of walking, often uphill (both ways, somehow). Only pick two, maybe three places in the park to really see, and pack lots of water and snacks. Sintra is like Disneyland but way more spread out and with fewer guys in costumes. Other itineraries will echo these sentiments, but in my excitement I didn’t heed their warnings. Do not be like me- keep your expectations of what you can truly accomplish in a day at a reasonable level, and you’ll have fun. Even though we overdid it a bit, we still had a great time! 

•8:41 Rossio station to Sintra
•Bus to Pena palace (show tix)
•Lunch
•1:00 Quinta da Regalia 
•4:00 Monserrate Palace 
•6:47 go home
•8:00 Grab sandwiches at Beira Gare, then get waters, and chocolate at corner store 
•8:20 made it home
Download ScotUrb app for bus schedules, buy ahead of time both bus route tix (434 and 435), €11.50 each ticket
Sintra train station 
Crowded Scotturb bus



Pretty bus view
Quinta Da Regaleira. The ___ bus drops you off a bit away from the entrance, so there is still an uphill walk of about five minutes to get to the gates. Simply pay for your tickets and enter! 
There is a reason Quinta is our favorite spot in Sintra, and these pictures only show a fraction of the experience of actually seeing its regal beauty!



We were pretty starving at this point, having skipped breakfast, so we grabbed food at the cafe in the park. I had walnut and honey “crepes” (they’re pancakes), and my grandmother had an Italian eggplant and prosciutto sandwich. For a park cafe, the food was pretty good and not overly pricey! 


Quinta da Regaleira is utterly gorgeous! The landscaping is beautiful and lush, the greenery outstanding, and of course the castle architecture itself is a stunning display of artistry.


There are so many little things to see and do just in this area of the park! When most people talk about Quinta, they mention the Initiation Well (more on that in a moment), but there are so many little hidden fantastic spots to see, like this actual cave! We had no idea this was here, and were the only ones inside when we entered the gaping dark maw of the entrance. I felt like a little kid again, exploring the darkness of a long forgotten tomb. Apparently, the designer of Quinta really wanted to have this experience too, and put a lot of effort into making this place resemble long lost folk tales and legends of secret societies.

Not being a fan of secret societies myself, I simply imagined we were lost (which we were) and exploring this long forgotten magical cave for some important quest. as we plunged deeper into the cavern, we had to turn on our flashlights and drag our hands against the dripping mossy walls. Deeper in, water began to drip onto our heads from above, and I looked nervously back at my grandmother, questioning if we were even allowed to enter, and what would happen if the water table above us were to crash down on our heads. We pressed on, and found our anxieties (well, mine at least) to only heighten the experience of adventure.


Unsurprisingly, there was nothing unscrupulous or even mysterious about the cave. It looked incredibly natural, but had been built to be this way. On the other side were more gardens, sunshine, and street musicians playing peaceful Spanish guitar. Our brief sojourn into the unknown earth had ended, but there was still so much more to see.


Be prepared for lots of hills, stairs, and general climbing!


White, sweet smelling wisteria climbing its way up a tree!


Rapunzel, let down your hair…


The 88-foot-deep well was never functional and only used for secret ceremonies. Honestly, this was not my favorite spot in Quinta, but it was still pretty cool! Note that you cannot go back up the well, and exit instead through a series of sandy tunnels lit by yellow flickering lights. It really adds to the aura of the place, despite it feeling just a bit like a cheesy theme park for mystery nerds and cryptid hunters.


 
Quinta da Regaleira’s charming oddities are due to the whims of owner, Antonio Augusto Carvalho Monteiro, who was a wealthy businessman and Freemason. He built the Quinta with secret societies and mystery in mind, which explains all of the interesting and oddly serpentine paths through the park. You can find symbols linked to Egyptian gods, masonry, alchemy, the Knights Templar, and even Tarot mysticism. 



Take your time discovering all the hidden bits, or simply relax on one of the many stone seating areas and admire the verdant and colorful gardens. Quinta was easily my favorite spot in Sintra, but our last stop provides stiff competition. 
Last stop: Monserrate Palace!


This Arabian inspired palace blew us away, and it had the fewest visitors! This is a perfect last place to visit to cool down from the crowds and to meander through the shady gardens. This is also the furthest attraction in Sintra, so it’s a good one to finish with.


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Day 3: Sintra 

Day Trip From Lisbon

Sintra is one of the most beautiful places to visit in Portugal. It is technically its own town that is still connected to the Lisbon area, but it feels drastically different. People flock here to see the historic estates and villas, the romantic architecture, colorful gardens, and royal palaces and castles, which resulted in the classification of the town as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It has also been aptly compared to Disneyland with its divided sections, amount of walking, and potential for crowds

Sintra is gorgeous and a must-see in Portugal, but prepare for a long day. This is a lot of walking, often uphill as is the case with Lisbon proper. I highly recommend you pick two or three places in the park to thoroughly see, and pack lots of water and snacks. If you’ve ever been to a large amusement park, you’ll know that you cannot experience every single ride in one day. Keep your expectations of what you can manage to see at a reasonable level, and you’ll have fun! 

Begin your day from Lisbon, and take the 40 min train from Lisbon Rossio Station, which is about €2.25 a ticket. You can book these usually a few days in advance and be fine, but will likely not find tickets available the day of. 

We took the 8:10 train from Rossio station, and arrived in Sintra at 9:00 am. We then made our way straight for the Palácio Nacional da Pena (Pena Palace) from the train station by taking the 434 bus. These ScottURB buses, as can be seen on the map above, run in loops. It works by buying a single bus ticket for the whole loop, which you can complete once for €11,50. Entrance to the Pena Palace is via a timed ticket, which provides a 30-minute window to enter the palace building. The best times often sell out during the peak season, so you should purchase tickets (€14 each) in advance. 

You can also download the ScottURB app for bus schedules, and can buy ahead of time both bus route tickets (434 and 435), €11.50 for each ticket.

Pena Palace and the surrounding park opens at 9:00, and is usually the busiest place in Sintra, for good reason. The colorful Moorish inspired architecture is a sight to see, and its place at the top of a hill allows for a full 360 view of Sintra. 

The line outside ended up being so long that we did not fully explore the inside. You can wander the exterior of the palace, popping into several alcoves and even a small church, without paying for the ticket to see the interior. Just walk past the main line and take the alternative entrance. There are also free restrooms and water fountains in the Palace. 

Sintra train station 

Crowded Scotturb bus

Pretty bus view 

First stop: Pena Palace

It was a gorgeous view, and the bus was way preferable than walking up the steep hillside!

To be perfectly honest, the Pena Palace was not our favorite spot. I still recommend seeing it, but the crowds soured our experience. Based on its placement as the first stop on the 434 route, it makes sense that it was crowded in the morning. If you are planning to visit, you might try to see it in the afternoon for shorter lines. 

Quinta Da Regaleira.

The 435 bus drops you off a bit away from the entrance, so there is still an uphill walk of about five minutes to get to the gates. Simply pay for your tickets and enter! 

There is a reason Quinta is our favorite spot in Sintra, and these pictures only show a fraction of the experience of actually seeing its regal beauty!

We were pretty starving at this point, having skipped breakfast, so we grabbed food at the cafe in the park. I had walnut and honey “crepes” (they’re pancakes), and my grandmother had a delicious Italian eggplant and prosciutto sandwich. For a park cafe, the food was pretty good and not overly pricey! We refilled our water bottles from the fountains (remembering that Europeans charge for glasses of water) and set about exploring!

 

Quinta da Regaleira is utterly gorgeous! The landscaping is beautiful and lush, the greenery outstanding, and of course the castle architecture itself is a stunning display of artistry. I have a soft spot for gardens, and Quinta da Regaleira delivers!