A visit to Sintra
Posted on January 21, 2023
The beautiful town of Sintra is located near Lisbon! The city has been on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1995 and it is not without reason that the city is home to beautiful castles that are more than 2,000 years old. As far as we are concerned, you cannot miss a visit to Sintra.
Accessibility
Sintra is easy to reach from Lisbon by public transport. Take the bus or metro to Rossio train station and check in here with your Lisboa card. The train journey to Sintra is free with your card! After about 40 minutes you will arrive at Sintra train station. From here you can take bus number 434 to Sintra's most famous attraction: Pena Palace. You can visit other sights with bus line 435. Bus tickets that are valid for both bus lines 434 and 435 can be purchased here .
An alternative to the bus are the tuktuks and taxis that drive around the city. However, these are a lot more expensive. Make sure you leave Lisbon for Sintra on time to avoid the crowds.
Pena Palace
Sintra's most famous attraction is Pena Palace, so be sure to visit it first. Avoid lines and buy your tickets online . Keep in mind that the time slot stated on your ticket is valid and that you have to walk up the mountain for another 10 minutes after the main entrance to reach Sintra Palace. Despite the crowds, Pena Palace is a real must-visit in our opinion. The palace has a beautiful architectural style and beautiful colors, turrets and gates. Pena Palace is the former summer residence of the Portuguese royal family! There is also plenty to see and experience around the palace, as Parque de Pena is approximately 200 hectares in size. Don't forget to walk through the garden before or after your visit to the palace.
Moorish Castle
The bus line 434 runs on a one-way road. First you will come across the Moorish Castle stop and then the Pena Palace stop. Stay until Pena Palace, visit the palace first and then walk back to Moorish Castle. This is a castle with a completely different architectural style and is also the oldest castle in Sintra. The name of the castle comes from the fact that the Moors conquered the area in the 9th and 10th centuries and built this castle on this spot in order to conquer the area properly. Fear of heights? We recommend skipping this castle.
After visiting these two castles, we unfortunately had to wait a very long time for bus 434, after which we decided to skip the other castles. Do you have more time? Then also visit the following palaces with bus 435:
