I had the suspicious feeling that our Tuk Tuk driver had just manipulated us into paying an exorbitant fee and was also silently laughing at our stress about making sure we reached the palace by our ticketed entrance time. Or maybe at the time that it was all happening, I was just confused and worried and didn’t notice any of that. But now, reflecting back, it was clear that we were hapless, confused tourists during our visit to Sintra.
We had done an extravagant amount of research prior to visiting Sintra, but still felt overwhelmed once we arrived. We found ourselves falling into some errors that snowballed until, eventually, my family was scaling a fence in a centuries-old garden and jumping down a wall into a trafficked blind curve on the road up the mountain … while more Tuk Tuk drivers negotiated for another round of our business.
Hanging off the fence, feet dangling, I thought, ‘Yup, we’re in Sintra. But I don’t think this counts as conquering it.’
Sintra itself isn’t large, but there are enough “must see”s that it can be hard to plan. Despite best intentions and even with the best itinerary, you’re likely not going to see everything in a day. It was hard to really determine what we wanted to give our time to – and how much time to allot at each.
Sintra itself has been around as a place humans gathered since the dawn of time (historical analyses say that humans were in Sintra as early as the 5th millennium B.C. – which it’s easy to miss that B.C. part, and it is absolutely impossible to fathom).
But it really came into being when King Ferdinand (who was king of Portugal by marriage) noticed an old, crumbling monastery on top of a mountain. He bought it and proceeded to create an incredible cacophony of towers and turrets in completely disjointed styles, which he then had painted in the loudest colors available and outfitted with some of the most opulent décor and handiwork around. It was more or less complete in 1847. And what it can claim as an influence no one knows. It is neo-gothic, Islamic, romantic, and medieval all at once. Peña Palace a wild ride for the eyes.
He decided he also would take the ruins of an old castle he could see on an adjacent mountaintop and restore it because it didn’t really go with his 490-acre exotic garden behind his new palace… as one does in the world of home improvement… Hence the Castle of the Moors nearby.
As King Ferdinand made Peña Palace his summer residence, wealth and opulence followed. Today Sintra is a UNESCO world heritage site and one of the most prosperous towns in Portugal.
Walking up the drive to Peña Palace, one is struck by the urge to giggle. It is so ridiculous, playful, joyful, overwhelming, and aggressively rich, it’s hard not to just laugh at first glance.
Inside, things are astonishingly preserved. Given Portugal’s ability to come out of world wars relatively unscathed, much of what is inside the castle is original: not a recreation, but original. We walked around breathlessly, and feeling slightly rushed by the tourists walking around with selfie sticks behind us.
Which brings us back to why we were even there, and how we got there, and how maybe you can enjoy this city without the chaos that ensued for us.
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Get Unique Tips from the Trip Delivered
How to get to Sintra
Sintra is billed as a “great day trip” from Portugal. Which, yes, but it is going to be a very busy, exhausting, and draining day trip. So plan ahead.
Taking the train wasn’t too difficult, except that the ease we’d come to expect from other train trips during our travels elsewhere in Europe was nonexistent here. It took a very long time to get tickets – machines were busted and the tellers’ windows understaffed. The train itself was busy, so there was a bit of jostling for position so we wouldn’t have to stand for the 45 minute ride. The train we did manage to get ourselves successfully onto was late and lost time on its route.
But the trains run often, and it definitely beats driving in Portugal (which we tried later in our trip). It was also clean and put us right in downtown Sintra.
Looking for a Guided Tour?
What to see in Sintra
Biggest piece of advice: definitely scale it down. While there are itineraries out there about “how to see Sintra in one day,” those people are likely drinking Red Bulls, spending maybe 30 minutes at a location, and definitely don’t have kids. We had planned on two stops (and booked tickets for those in advance), thinking we’d take our extra time in the day to leisurely see other places. But seeing Peña Palace and the Castle of the Moors took all day. By the time we were done, we were weary and ready to be back at our awesome little AirBnB with a balcony looking over Lisbon.
Peña Palace is a must. What you pick after that really depends on what sort of experience you want. Castle of the Moors was more of a natural, rustic environment, with wind whipping while we took in astonishing views. If you want architecture, art, history, you choose what you do next based on that.
Tips on Visiting Peña Palace
We bought timed-entry tickets in advance, based on all the Internet recommendations. But given unforeseen complications with trains and getting up the mountain, we were markedly late for our entry time. This caused me a fair amount of worry, but when we hurriedly ran up to the entrance, the attendant lazily waved us through.
There is a shuttle bus immediately inside the entrance that takes visitors up to the Palace. But it really isn’t necessary if you feel moderately fit and don’t want to wait (or be in a bus with people from all over the world during a major pandemic). The pedestrian walk up to the Palace was steep, but it was short and also paved. It was quite an experience to approach the Palace this way, as well.
You should spend time walking along the castle walls and enjoying the terraces. Put down the camera here and take in the countryside.
You can eat at the Palace, which has some astonishing views, but the food selection is limited and pricey, although still tasty. We did a very light lunch of soup, bread, and a shared pasta dish.
Take your time meandering through the castle itself. Don’t feel rushed!
Take time to enjoy the gardens in the back – and be sure your ticket entrance allows you both. This was a major effort of King Ferdinand, and he’d be royally bummed (see what I did there) if you didn’t appreciate it.
Once we got to the end of the gardens, the back entrance of the Palace was closed and locked for some strange and unknown COVID-related reason. It was requested that visitors backtrack all the way back up the mountain. Most of us visitors, though, ended up hopping the gate, with the help of laughing Tuk Tuk drivers, as this spot was directly across from the entrance to the Castle of the Moors.
This gate crashing is not necessarily recommended, but it saved our family a lot of time, and a lot of steps back up the slope.
Tips on Visiting the Castle of the Moors
This was a fun stop for us, and the right speed for our family. This Castle was artfully preserved but a self-guided experience and completely outside. After being inundated with historical facts, it was a welcome respite to quietly walk in the footsteps of ancient humans and mull the experience over.
As with the Palace, we had purchased advanced tickets here, too. There was a line to get in when we arrived, and our tickets allowed us to bypass the wait entirely.
It was a bit nerve-wracking as a mom to watch my kids walking up steps (without handrails) that march up cliffsides into the ether. But it was, of course, completely safe. As parents, we just have to worry. It’s our job.
The views were stunning, looking out over the countryside, the city, and then back up at the Palace as the sun started to slide downward.
We elected to walk down the mountain from here and back to the train station (mostly because we were out of cash!). The walk back down was a gorgeous rambling stroll and there were a few other groups of tourists enjoying the walk down, too. It was a neat peek into the “other side” of Sintra, taking in the meandering alleyways and homes.
The people of Sintra live in the shadows of some remarkable antiquities and fabulous creations. Imagination abounds up in those mountains, and visiting Sintra for the day provides the opportunity to not only haphazardly jump fences in a foreign country, but to wonder what buildings we’re leaving behind for future generations to giggle at in wonder.
Other Useful Tips About Visiting Sintra
- As I mentioned above, scale down your itinerary and expectations.
- Leave a good window of leeway in your schedule to catch the train out of Lisbon.
- Be prepared for a lot of walking.
- Do get your tickets in advance. Not only does this allow you to skip the line, you can also save by purchasing online.
- Understand that Peña Palace is allllll the way at the top of the mountain. To get up there, you will likely want to uber or take a Tuk Tuk, particularly if you are on a timed ticket entry. But the Tuk Tuk driver will prefer to take you on a driving tour of the sites of Sintra, so it may not necessarily be faster (although it will surely be more fun).
- Go to the top first, and try to be some of the first visitors of the day. Then work your way down.
- Dining options at the top of the mountain are primarily just at the location cafes. There aren’t many easy eateries near Peña Palace and the Castle of the Moors.
- Take time to walk around and enjoy the city itself.
Helpful Links and Resources about Visiting Sintra for a Day
- We used this official site to purchase our advanced tickets.
- Train tickets and train schedule.
- A wonderful online guide to Sintra.
- Lonely Planet guide.
- A One-Day Itinerary in Sintra by The Portable Wife.
How much time did you have between your reserved time tickets for Pena Palace and The Castle Of The Moors?
We had tickets for a Pena Palace 10:30 entry time. Our Castle of the Moors tickets were untimed entry, if I remember correctly and according to my notes! But we took at least 2 hours to go through the Palace and grab some treats at the cafe, then about 30 minutes to meander through the gardens and out the back. Hope this helps!