Sintra's cool, forested hills so charmed Portuguese royalty that they built an extraordinary cluster of palaces here, each more fantastical than the last, the candy-coloured Pena Palace, the Moorish Castle's ancient ramparts, and Quinta da Regaleira's occult-symbol-laden gardens. Lord Byron called it a 'glorious Eden' after visiting in 1809, and the description has stuck.
The Palaces
Pena Palace, painted in vivid yellow and red and perched on a hilltop visible from much of the town below, is Sintra's most photographed sight, a 19th-century Romanticist fantasy combining Gothic, Moorish, and Manueline architectural styles that shouldn't work together but somehow does.
Quinta da Regaleira, a more mysterious estate laden with Masonic and alchemical symbolism, includes an inverted spiral staircase descending into a well, said to have been used for initiation ceremonies, one of the more unusual and atmospheric garden follies in Europe.
Avoiding the Crowds
Sintra is a notoriously popular day trip from Lisbon, and the town's narrow streets and limited bus service to the palaces can become genuinely gridlocked by midday, arrive on the first train from Lisbon and go directly to Pena Palace before the tour buses catch up.
The Moorish Castle, an 8th-9th century fortress with walls snaking along a forested ridge, is often overlooked in favour of Pena Palace next door, but its views over the surrounding hills and out toward the Atlantic are arguably better and it's usually far less crowded.
Recommended Stay · Sintra · Historic Centre
Tivoli Palácio de Seteais
An 18th-century neoclassical palace set in landscaped gardens, a short walk from the historic centre and a short drive from Pena Palace.
