Sintra Travel Guide

go all the way up the hill to the pena castle. it's a real fairytale castle with great views of the land and ocean :) also, don't forget to eat queijadas :) a local sweet

No one visiting Portugal should miss Sintra! It is a combination of magical fairy land, great pastry, an escape from the blistering sun and Freemasonry.
You can easily spent two days in Sintra and visit everything and spent some more time just enjoying the scenery.
Sintra is 20mins by train from central Lisbon and on the slopes of a hill. Since the hills provide a natural border for clouds it is always a few degrees chillier in Sintra then the surroundings...so on a cold day bring a light sweater.
The main sights include the castle on top of the hill and it's beautiful gardens. Don't save time rushing through the gardens but take a book and relax or wander around in the jurassic park like ferns. A bit further there is also the old fortress, now mostly in ruins.
In town there are various sights like the municipal house and town square but what you're really going for is the travesseiros Sintra's own specialty pastry! As for them slightly hot with a coffee of your choice.
After the jummyness head for quinta da regaleira for your freemason tour of the day. Booking a tour in advance really pays off to grasp the essence of this place because besides beautiful it is also filled with mystic symbols. Tours are in french, portugese and english.

Sintra é com certeza um dos lugares mais lindos de Portugal, ainda mais se você souber explorá-la. Existem três palácios/castelos mais visitados em Sintra: o Palácio Nacional da Pena, o Castelo dos Mouros e o Palácio Nacional de Sintra. Porém existem outros lugares igualmente lindos e curiosos como o Palácio de Monserrate, onde é possível caminhar pela 'floresta/jardim' da propriedade e a Quinta da Regaleira, onde além de conhecer o palácio é permitido andar pelos túneis e cavernas da propriedade, usados como rotas de fuga antigamente (leve uma lanterna!). Ambos podem ser visitados no mesmo dia porém reserve mais tempo para a Regaleira.