Castle of the Moors Fast-Track Ticket Sintra

The history of the Castle of the Moors

The Castle of the Moors was built between the 8th and 9th centuries, during the Islamic period of the Iberian Peninsula, when the Sintra Hills were a strategic lookout over the farmland, the coast and the roads leading to Lisbon. Its garrison controlled the region for several centuries, and the hilltop also sheltered a small settlement with houses, grain silos and a water cistern carved into the rock.

In 1147, after the conquest of Lisbon by Christian forces, the castle surrendered and passed to the new Portuguese kingdom. Over time it lost its military role and fell into ruin, especially after the great earthquake of 1755. In the 19th century the same royal patron who built Pena Palace restored the walls, planted the woods around them and turned the fortress into one of the romantic highlights of Sintra.

The ramparts and the Royal Tower

The heart of the visit is the walk along the walls, which climb and dip over two rocky peaks for several hundred metres. Steps and stone stairways lead from tower to tower, and every turn reveals a new view. The highest point is the Royal Tower, reached by a steep stairway; from its battlements you see Pena Palace on the next peak, the old town of Sintra below with the white chimneys of the National Palace, and the green hills rolling to the ocean.

On clear days the view reaches the Atlantic coast near Cabo da Roca, the plains towards Mafra and the outline of Lisbon and the Tagus estuary. Is the Castle of the Moors worth visiting if you are already going to Pena? Yes: it is quieter, the views are wider, and the walk on the walls gives a real sense of a medieval fortress.

Archaeology inside the walls

Inside the castle grounds, excavations have uncovered traces of the people who lived here over the centuries. You can see the foundations of houses and the grain silos of the Islamic settlement, dug into the rock to store food safely, and the large vaulted cistern that collected rainwater for the garrison during sieges.

Near the entrance stand the ruins of a small Romanesque chapel built after the Christian conquest, surrounded by a medieval cemetery whose graves were excavated by archaeologists. A small interpretation area displays pottery, coins and objects found on the site, and information panels explain how daily life worked on this windy hilltop. The free audio guide app adds the stories behind each of these places, so you can follow the layers of history at your own pace.

Planning your visit to the Castle of the Moors

Castle of the Moors opening hours generally run daily from 9:30 to the early evening, with last entry an hour before closing; the castle is often less crowded in the morning. The best time to visit the Castle of the Moors is a clear, dry day in spring or autumn, as fog often wraps the hilltop and the stone steps become slippery in rain. Allow about 90 minutes for the full walk.

If you are wondering how to get to the Castle of the Moors, take the train from Lisbon to Sintra, about 40 minutes, then the hop-on bus that climbs the Estrada da Pena to the castle entrance; walking up from the old town takes about 40 minutes through the forest. Pena Palace is a few minutes further up the same road, so the two monuments combine perfectly in one day.