Sintra Day Tour with Pena Palace, Regaleira and Monserrate from Lisbon

Sintra and the Sintra Mountains

Sintra lies about 30 kilometres north-west of Lisbon, on the slopes of a granite range that catches the Atlantic mists. Its cool, green microclimate drew Portuguese kings and nobles for centuries, and in the nineteenth century they filled the hills with palaces, chalets and exotic gardens. In 1995 UNESCO listed the whole Cultural Landscape of Sintra as a World Heritage Site, the first landscape in Europe to receive the honour.

If you are wondering how to get to Sintra, the train from Rossio takes about forty minutes, but the palaces are spread across steep hills, and moving between them is the hard part. This Sintra day trip from Lisbon solves that with a van that climbs straight to each site, so your time goes on the palaces rather than queues for local buses.

Pena Palace and Pena Park

Crowning one of Sintra's highest peaks, Pena Palace is the town's most famous sight. It was built in the mid-nineteenth century around the ruins of a sixteenth-century monastery as a royal summer residence, mixing Gothic, Manueline and Moorish styles in walls of bright yellow and deep red. Inside, rooms keep the furniture and décor of the last royal family, while the terraces look out to the ocean and Lisbon on clear days.

Around the palace, Pena Park spreads over the hillside with lakes, follies and trees brought from around the world. On this option your guide leads a full visit inside, and the visit lasts about an hour and three-quarters. Pena Palace tickets are not included, and timed slots sell out in summer, so it is best to buy them ahead.

Quinta da Regaleira and the Initiation Well

Quinta da Regaleira is a romantic estate built in the early twentieth century just outside the historic centre. Its neo-Manueline mansion, chapel and terraced gardens are packed with symbols drawn from alchemy, mythology and secret societies. The highlight is the Initiation Well, a spiral staircase of nine landings that descends about 27 metres into the earth, linked to grottos and tunnels that lead out to a lake.

During your free time you can choose to explore Regaleira on your own, or visit the National Palace of Sintra in the town centre instead. Allow at least an hour at Regaleira to walk down the well and through the tunnels. Is Quinta da Regaleira worth visiting? For many travellers it is the most magical part of Sintra.

The National Palace of Sintra

In the heart of the old town, the National Palace of Sintra is easy to spot by its two enormous white conical chimneys. It is the best-preserved medieval royal palace in Portugal, used by the court from the fifteenth to the nineteenth century, and it shows a blend of Gothic, Manueline and Moorish-influenced design.

Inside, the palace holds one of the richest collections of early glazed tiles in the country, along with painted ceilings such as the Swan Room and the Magpie Room, and the Coat of Arms Room with its gilded dome. It makes a calmer alternative to Regaleira during your free time, as it sits right on the main square where the van drops the group for lunch.

Sintra village and its pastry shops

Sintra's historic centre is a maze of cobbled lanes, tiled façades and small squares climbing the hillside below the palaces. During the free time for lunch you can choose a café or restaurant at your own pace and stroll through the shops selling ceramics, cork and local crafts.

Do not leave without tasting the town's sweets. Travesseiros are pillow-shaped puff pastries filled with almond and egg cream, and queijadas are small, crisp tarts with a soft cheese and cinnamon filling, made in Sintra since the Middle Ages. Lunch and drinks are not included, which leaves you free to choose. The guide suggests good places and the meeting time for the afternoon.

Monserrate Palace and gardens

West of the town, deep in the forest, Monserrate Palace is a nineteenth-century summer residence built for a wealthy merchant family. Its exterior mixes Gothic and Moorish arches with domes inspired by the architecture of India, and its interiors are carved with delicate stone lacework. The palace sits above sloping lawns that lead down through one of the richest botanical gardens in Portugal.

The gardens gather plants from every continent, from a Mexican garden of cacti and agaves to a valley of giant tree ferns, rose gardens and a small waterfall. Your guide leads the group through the palace and gardens for about an hour. Many visitors find it the most peaceful stop of the day, and it is far quieter than Pena.